Jim
Oftelie is an engineer with Caterpillar Corporation, who currently now lives in
Joliet, Illinois. He a mechanical engineer and MBA by training and specializes
in hydraulic circuit and component design for off-road vehicles. His career in
engineering involves the management of various aspects of new product
development and market introduction. Jim’s hometown is Decorah, Iowa. Jim’s ties
to Norway and Telemark are found in his father’s family, which consist of the
Oftelie, Groven and Weiby families. The Oftelie and Groven family farms in the
Seljord and Morgedal areas of Telemark. Jim, who is the great-grandson of
Telelaget founder and historian Torkel Oftelie, participated in both the 2007
and 2012 Telelaget Tours. During the 2007 tour Jim had the rare blessing of
having visited some of the Telemark relatives and ancestral homes with his late
father, Stan. Jim’s outside interests include woodworking, carpentry, mechanical
wristwatches and automobile restoration in addition to history, archaeology and
family genealogy. Jim and Sara, his wife of 27 years have two children: Erin a
journalist with the Tampa Tribune; and Daniel is a Navy Midshipman studying
mechanical engineering at Iowa State University in Ames, IA.
Jim
Oftelie is an engineer with Caterpillar Corporation, who currently now lives in
Joliet, Illinois. He a mechanical engineer and MBA by training and specializes
in hydraulic circuit and component design for off-road vehicles. His career in
engineering involves the management of various aspects of new product
development and market introduction. Jim’s hometown is Decorah, Iowa. Jim’s ties
to Norway and Telemark are found in his father’s family, which consist of the
Oftelie, Groven and Weiby families. The Oftelie and Groven family farms in the
Seljord and Morgedal areas of Telemark. Jim, who is the great-grandson of
Telelaget founder and historian Torkel Oftelie, participated in both the 2007
and 2012 Telelaget Tours. During the 2007 tour Jim had the rare blessing of
having visited some of the Telemark relatives and ancestral homes with his late
father, Stan. Jim’s outside interests include woodworking, carpentry, mechanical
wristwatches and automobile restoration in addition to history, archaeology and
family genealogy. Jim and Sara, his wife of 27 years have two children: Erin a
journalist with the Tampa Tribune; and Daniel is a Navy Midshipman studying
mechanical engineering at Iowa State University in Ames, IA.