The Story Behind the Name

Every name has a story. Greenline Marketing is no different.

As told by our Founder, Bridget Deutz.

It all started in 1837 …

Well, kind of. That’s the year John Deere tractors were first created. And I like to think that since that time, the pieces fell together perfectly.

My paternal grandparents, Gary & Armella Deutz have been farming since, well, forever. They came from farming families, were a farming family themselves, and raised six children of farming families. Long days, hard work, faith, and a job well done weren’t just strong family values, they were necessities of the life they lived.

My maternal grandparents, Dick & Irene Maertens have a story very similar. Raised in southwestern Minnesota they too, grew up in farming families. Although not on a farm, they raised their seven children with those same values.

The Year was 1962

My Grandpa Maertens has owned and managed a handful of John Deere dealerships for a number of years. Grandpa Deutz was growing the amount of land he owned and recently started a family.

And just after my Dad was born but just before my Mom was, Grandpa Deutz purchased his very first tractor. In fact, he bought his very first tractor from my Grandpa Maertens.

My Parents met Less Than 20 years later

… and got married in 1982. At their wedding, they rode away in a John Deere manure spreader (don’t worry, it was brand new) with a banner that read Long Green Lines Getting Longer. The “green lines” phrase doesn’t just reference rows of strong, healthy crops, but the lines of farming families and the meaning of heritage and posterity.

I grew up with my five siblings on the farm where my Grandpa Maertens (my Mom’s dad, if you’re losing track) was raised; a farm that’s been in our family for more than a hundred years.