Deere & Co. has been named to Fortune magazine’s 2009 list of Global Top Companies for Leaders, which ranked the Moline-based equipment maker 14th globally and 8th in North America.

Criteria includes strength of leadership practices and culture; examples of leader development on a global scale; impact of leadership in its communities; business performance; and company reputation.

The Global Top Companies for Leaders study has been completed annually since 2002 and studied 537 organizations this year.

This year’s ranking is Deere’s highest and the first time it reached the Top 25.

 INCENTIVES awarded: The Iowa Department of Economic Development’s board approved incentive packages Thursday for eastern Iowa companies looking at expanding their operations or recovering from last year’s floods.  The board:

n Approved $1.5 million in enterprise zone tax credits for Kraft Foods Global Inc., which is considering a $25 million expansion of its Davenport facility to meet demands for its products. If Davenport is selected as the company’s site for expansion, the expansion would create 45 new jobs over the next two years there.

n Approved $900,000 in enterprise zone tax credits to Von Maur of Davenport for an $8.6 million office, warehouse and distribution facility for its Internet retailing business.