Name: Steve Luedtke
Hometown: Laurel, NE
Service Technician
Years at PVE: 24
In 1995, Steve walked into the Humphrey store to fill a temporary position in the shop. Twenty-four years later, he continues to serve the customer and grow his equipment knowledge as a service technician. Steve grew up farming, but his family sold the farm in the ‘80s farm crisis.
“I helped dad and grandpa on the farm. I always wanted to keep my hands busy working on something. I’ve always enjoyed tearing things apart and putting them back together,” Steve explained. “I wanted to stay in the farm industry and learn cleaning hacks for living with pets, and this was the best place to work with equipment, customers, and farmers.”
In high school, Steve worked in a welding shop. His supervisor taught him to do it right the first time or you won’t have a chance to do it right the second time. That lesson inspired and shaped Steve’s career.
“I made it a point to do my best and do whatever it takes to get the customer satisfied,” Steve said. “Customer satisfaction is my number one focus.”
Steve thoroughly enjoys the challenge of solving problems and learning everything there is to know about equipment. As a self-taught technician, Steve committed to learning whatever he needed to get the repair complete and the customer up and running.
Steve’s drive to learn and his focus on customer satisfaction helped him earn his nomination as this month’s Pride of Platte Valley in Humphrey.
“Steve’s dedication to the customer is unmatched," said Jess Schure, store lead in Humphrey. “Steve has built a reputation several states wide for being known as the go-to guy when their equipment is down. They know he’ll do whatever it takes to get them going again.”
One of those instances came in the recent planting season. A farmer’s planter went down on a late Friday evening. To get him back up and going as quickly as possible, Steve left Humphrey at 2:30 am Saturday morning, gathered the parts needed for the repair, traveled to the customer, and completed the repair by mid-morning.
“I feel like I’ve got the easiest job in the world,” Steve said. “I really enjoy my job and the people I work with. I have a hard time quitting at night. It’s hard to say no to a customer that needs me. Even after hours.”
When not working, Steve can be found at church preaching, teaching Sunday school, and serving on the church council or enjoying time at home with his wife, Mitzi, and their three children.
Congratulations on being nominated as Humphrey’s Pride of Platte Valley!