It Started with a Close Call in a Workshop
One moment in a garage workshop changed everything. My five-year-old's hand on a jointer bed. A big green button. And a father who knew there had to be a better way.
His Hand Was on the Bed
It was 2017. I was working in my workshop with my son. He was five. I heard my eight-inch jointer roar to life — he'd found the big green button and pushed it. His hand was resting on the bed of the machine. If it had been a few inches to the right, this would be a very different story.
He was fine. But coming out of that experience, I knew one thing: I needed a way to lock down tools so that only people with the right permissions and experience could turn them on.
Nothing like that existed. It still doesn't — outside of GRIT.
Rewire the Garage
The obvious fix: master switches on every circuit. Kill power to individual tools from a central panel. It worked — until I forgot to flip them off. Every time. The problem wasn't wiring. It was human behavior.
Build the System That Doesn't Exist
I came from the technology consulting industry. I knew IoT could solve this — authorize users at the tool level, log every activation, control access remotely. I searched for a product that did this. Nothing. So I started building one. In a garage, like every good origin story.
From Prototype to Platform
A five-year-old's hand on a jointer bed. Over a year of prototyping — from rewired circuits to IoT. Nothing like this existed.
GRIT Automation formed with founding partners. First dust management system deployed in a real shop.
The Champaign Woodworkers Club — 50 members, first access control installation. Then University of Illinois School of Architecture. Hobby club to institution in one year.
The pandemic delayed launch. We re-engineered core wireless communication for large, RF-hostile industrial environments. Jaclyn joined as Director of Operations.
Official launch at the International Woodworking Fair. By then, we already had customers across the country. Prime time.
Manufacturers, industrial facilities, universities, and schools. A connected platform that keeps growing.
From One Machine to Connected Facilities
GRIT started in a garage. It didn't stay there.
Production teams that need tool-level runtime, maintenance signals, dust automation, and documented operator access.
- Machine utilization
- Maintenance scheduling
- Dust collection automation
Industrial operations coordinating machines, people, energy demand, and operating conditions across zones and sites.
- Fleet management
- Energy monitoring
- Environmental sensors
- Multi-site administration
University labs, K-12 shop classes, and CTE programs where training, student safety, and accountability matter. Educational discounts apply.
- Badge-based access
- Training records
- Instructor overrides
- Compliance logging
One System. Every Solution.
GRIT isn't a single product. It's an ecosystem of hardware and software that grows with your facility.
Automated blast gates, variable-speed collection, and air quality monitoring.
Tool-level authorization for equipment safety.
Badge time clock and door access in one system.
Temperature, humidity, and particulate tracking.
Know where everything is. Always.
Ready to GRITify Your Facility?
Whether you're connecting one production cell or managing a multi-site equipment fleet, we'll help you define the right configuration.
It Started with a Close Call in a Workshop
One moment in a garage workshop changed everything. My five-year-old's hand on a jointer bed. A big green button. And a father who knew there had to be a better way.
His Hand Was on the Bed
It was 2017. I was working in my workshop with my son. He was five. I heard my eight-inch jointer roar to life — he'd found the big green button and pushed it. His hand was resting on the bed of the machine. If it had been a few inches to the right, this would be a very different story.
He was fine. But coming out of that experience, I knew one thing: I needed a way to lock down tools so that only people with the right permissions and experience could turn them on.
Nothing like that existed. It still doesn't — outside of GRIT.
Rewire the Garage
The obvious fix: master switches on every circuit. Kill power to individual tools from a central panel. It worked — until I forgot to flip them off. Every time. The problem wasn't wiring. It was human behavior.
Build the System That Doesn't Exist
I came from the technology consulting industry. I knew IoT could solve this — authorize users at the tool level, log every activation, control access remotely. I searched for a product that did this. Nothing. So I started building one. In a garage, like every good origin story.
From Prototype to Platform
A five-year-old's hand on a jointer bed. Over a year of prototyping — from rewired circuits to IoT. Nothing like this existed.
GRIT Automation formed with founding partners. First dust management system deployed in a real shop.
The Champaign Woodworkers Club — 50 members, first access control installation. Then University of Illinois School of Architecture. Hobby club to institution in one year.
The pandemic delayed launch. We re-engineered core wireless communication for large, RF-hostile industrial environments. Jaclyn joined as Director of Operations.
Official launch at the International Woodworking Fair. By then, we already had customers across the country. Prime time.
Manufacturers, industrial facilities, universities, and schools. A connected platform that keeps growing.
From One Machine to Connected Facilities
GRIT started in a garage. It didn't stay there.
Production teams that need tool-level runtime, maintenance signals, dust automation, and documented operator access.
- Machine utilization
- Maintenance scheduling
- Dust collection automation
Industrial operations coordinating machines, people, energy demand, and operating conditions across zones and sites.
- Fleet management
- Energy monitoring
- Environmental sensors
- Multi-site administration
University labs, K-12 shop classes, and CTE programs where training, student safety, and accountability matter. Educational discounts apply.
- Badge-based access
- Training records
- Instructor overrides
- Compliance logging
One System. Every Solution.
GRIT isn't a single product. It's an ecosystem of hardware and software that grows with your facility.
Automated blast gates, variable-speed collection, and air quality monitoring.
Tool-level authorization for equipment safety.
Badge time clock and door access in one system.
Temperature, humidity, and particulate tracking.
Know where everything is. Always.
Ready to GRITify Your Facility?
Whether you're connecting one production cell or managing a multi-site equipment fleet, we'll help you define the right configuration.