Meet TEAM Member Spotlight – Jeff Kallman – Production Trainer, TEAM Cambridge.

Jeff is one of those people at TEAM who just seems to know everything about machining. Jeff has been helping shape manufacturing at TEAM for more than 35 years and currently serves as a Production Trainer at our Cambridge facility. With decades of hands-on experience and a real passion for teaching, Jeff has become a go-to resource for team members across the floor. When it comes to machining knowledge, there aren’t many who can match what Jeff brings to work every day.

Jeff’s TEAM story started back in January 1990. Since then, he’s done a little bit of everything. Starting on the production floor and working his way through forklift operation, production milling, prototype work, setup milling, production support, lead, and supervisor roles. Over the years, Jeff didn’t just move up, he learned the operation inside and out. In fact, TEAM Cambridge created the Production Trainer role because of Jeff’s wide range of machining knowledge. It wasn’t a position he applied for, TEAM built it around him.

What Jeff enjoys most about his job is working with people. He enjoys teaching, learning, and sharing experiences. He loves being out on the production floor helping others grow, and he’s especially good at explaining not just what to do, but why it matters. His supervisor, Travis Smith, says it best: “Jeff has a way to get you to understand the why and the how on how things are done.” That ability to connect with people and make complex processes easier to understand is what makes Jeff such a great trainer.

One of Jeff’s proudest TEAM moments goes back to a 2000 Honda Rancher project with Carl Jedlicki, Senior Manufacturing Engineer. As part of a learning project, Jeff even brought in his own Rancher. A cross-functional team in tooling took it apart, removed the original Honda axle, and installed a TEAM-designed and manufactured replacement. And here’s the best part! 26 years later, that TEAM axle is still running perfectly on Jeff’s Rancher. It’s a great example of TEAM quality, and something Jeff still takes a lot of pride in.

Outside of work, Jeff enjoys everything Minnesota outdoors has to offer. He and his wife Kim have built a great life together, raising two daughters, Rebeca and Nicole, and now spending time with their four grandchildren: Robert, Chloe, Anden, and Ayler. Whether he’s ice fishing, hunting in the fall, or just enjoying time outside, family is what matters most to Jeff and you can see that same steady, family-first mindset in the way he shows up at work, too.

Jeff originally chose TEAM because it was close to home and offered steady hours, which were practical reasons that turned into a career that’s lasted more than three decades. What’s kept him here all this time is the work and the people. Jeff is a huge asset to TEAM and the Cambridge facility, and his experience, dedication, and willingness to help others succeed are a great example of what “Driving Innovation From The Ground Up” really looks like.