Jaron Tollefson

Automation Technician & Tool Builder
[email protected]
jollydesk.work
Twin Cities, MN
Intro

I'm Jaron — an automation field technician in the Twin Cities who builds software on the side. On the clock I wire, program, and commission the industrial control systems that make things get made: PLCs, VFDs, robotics, and the panels behind them. Off the clock I build the dashboards, calculators, and tools that take the friction out of that same work. I like being at both ends of the wire — the panel and the code — and most of what I make comes from that overlap.

Experience
Forpak / MultiSource Mfg.
Jul 2023 – Present
Maintenance Technician
  • Wire, program, and commission control systems on packaging and manufacturing equipment.
  • Troubleshoot PLCs, VFDs, sensors, and pneumatics in the field and on the floor.
Caliber Products Inc
Apr 2023 – Jul 2023 · Burnsville, MN
Engineering Intern
  • Built reliable relay-based motor control systems for production; worked hands-on with 3-phase wiring, panel building, and DC motor control.
  • Reverse-engineered powersports parts in SolidWorks; helped revise and troubleshoot a new automated process.
  • Rewrote user and manufacturer instructions for clarity.
Caliber Products Inc
2020 – Apr 2023 · Burnsville, MN
Assembler
  • Assembled and kitted consumer products; supported and maintained the automation machines on the line.
  • Helped implement standard operating procedures and production logistics; supervised a warehouse and a production line.
Selected builds
JollyOS
2026 – Present
Personal
Private AI operations dashboard
  • Designed and built a self-hosted Next.js dashboard that consolidates a dozen personal + work tools behind one login, served to any device over a Cloudflare tunnel.
  • Wired in local and hosted AI (Claude, LM Studio) for briefings, an agent job queue, and a persona-grounded "ask myself" assistant.
Forpak Shop Tools
2026 – Present
For work
Offline tools for the manufacturing floor
  • Built a suite of single-file, no-install tools — assembly viewer, PPM calculator + visualizer, schematic reference — designed to open straight from the network.
  • Runs fully offline with no install or login, so it can work anywhere on the floor.
Education
Hennepin Technical College
2020 – 2022 · Eden Prairie, MN
A.A.S. — Automation Robotics Engineering Technology
  • Capstone: a part-checking system integrating an Allen-Bradley PLC, Cognex vision camera, photoelectric sensors, a conveyor, and pneumatics.
  • Honorable Mention, 2022 Bearman-Henningsen Achievement Award · member of the IoPP student leadership team.
Toolbox

Controls

  • PLC — Allen-Bradley
  • Robotics — FANUC, ABB
  • HMI — FactoryTalk
  • Vision systems — Cognex
  • Panel building & 3-phase wiring
  • Pneumatics & hydraulics

Build

  • Python
  • TypeScript
  • React / Next.js
  • SolidWorks / Fusion 360
  • 3D printing
  • Git

AI & Data

  • Claude
  • Local LLMs (LM Studio)
  • Gmail / Sheets APIs
  • Notion
  • Prompt + agent design

Off-hours: keeping an NA Miata on the road, mountain biking and snowboarding.