Leading with Experience
From a young age, Cory Spaetti was fascinated by the farm equipment he grew up around on his family’s farm, inspiring him to study agricultural engineering and build a successful career in agriculture. With 20 years of experience, Cory has worked in roles from tractor engineering to precision agriculture. Now, as the Chief Operating Officer at Sabanto, Cory is engrained in multiple areas of the company. His colleagues refer to him as the “tractor expert” because of his agriculture background, mechanical skills, and extensive knowledge of all makes and models of farm equipment.
Cory’s expertise, earned through years at industry giants like Kubota Tractor Corporation, CNH Industrial, and The Climate Corporation, led him to Sabanto in 2019. At the time, Sabanto was a startup company forging into agricultural autonomy. As the sole equipment engineer, Cory tackled the challenge of developing hardware that would enable tractors to navigate autonomously. With no playbook for developing new technology, Cory and the small team he worked with faced new challenges every day. Much of the product’s initial development took place in Cory’s home garage.
Cory’s home garage served as Sabanto’s shop during the company’s early days.
Now, five years later, Sabanto’s landscape has changed drastically. Cory has transitioned from his day-to-day involvement with mechanical development to his role as COO. Unlike other executives in a C-suite position, Cory isn’t a typical COO. He has been close to the product and its development for several years.
Sabanto has grown to more than 40 employees, with Cory playing a significant role in finding and mentoring many of the talented individuals he works with. He finds it rewarding to watch colleagues evolve both personally and professionally and see the impact they’ve made on the company.
Cory trains Sabanto dealer, King Ranch Ag & Turf, on how to use Sabanto’s technology.
I live by the mantra that in 20 years, I probably won’t remember what I was working on, but I’ll remember who I was working with. Now that I have 20 years of experience under my belt, I find that to be true,” Cory reflects.
Cory’s insights and knowledge have made him a respected voice in the industry. He regularly shares his expertise on agricultural autonomy, sharing stories from Sabanto’s retrofit approach. He was also instrumental in shaping a framework for agricultural autonomy regulations in the United States, joining a distinguished group in the ag tech space.
Looking ahead, Cory’s vision for the future of autonomy is refreshingly clear. “We need to keep it simple,” Cory shares. “The machine needs to operate as well as, or even better than, a human operator.”
His commitment to practical and functional autonomy aligns with Sabanto’s mission of delivering simple, safe, and cost-effective solutions to farmers. The impact Cory has made on progressing agricultural technology is an inspiration to those who are fortunate enough to know him.
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