Contact Us

Jonathan “J.” Tower

Microsoft MVP, Telerik Developer Expert, Software Architect

Favorite Trail

Angel’s Landing
Zion National Park, UT

Meet J.

J. earned his B.S. in Computer Science from Taylor University and has since acquired nearly twenty-five years of software experience. During J.’s career path, he has served the roles of computer consultant, software developer, senior software architect, director of architecture and development, and founding partner and principal consultant. He is fueled by a passion for technology, building community, and sharing what he’s learned with others.

J. uses his passion, experience, and knowledge in the technology community by sitting on boards, running meetups, running an annual conference, and speaking at many conferences and meetups around the world. J. loves both solving challenging problems and the creative aspects of software development. He has been honored with Microsoft MVP award 8 years in a row for his expertise in .NET.

In addition to his professional duties, J. has authored courses for LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) and volunteered as coach for a robotics team. In his spare time, J. loves exploring the great outdoors. He lives in Grand Rapids with his wife and children.

Connect with J. on LinkedIn

Education

Taylor University 

B.S. Computer Science 

Experience

  • Trailhead Technology Partners – 7 years
  • Software architecture – 20 years
  • Software development – 23 years
  • Software consulting – 20 years

Licenses & Certifications

Microsoft MVP

Award for 8 Consecutive Years

Telerik Developer Expert

Issued Jan 2015

AppBuilder Insider 

Issued Jul 2013

MCPS: Microsoft Certified Professional 

Issued Mar 2013

MS: Programming in HTML5 with JAVA Script and CSS3

Issued Mar 2013

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist 

Issued Jul 2011

Skills

  • ASP.NET MVC
  • .NET
  • ASP.NET
  • C#
  • JavaScript
  • Software Development
  • Web Services
  • Web Applications
  • LINQ
  • SQL
  • Visual Studio
  • VB.NET
  • WPF
  • Charismatic Leadership
  • HTML 5
  • WCF
  • AJAX
  • IIS
  • CSS
  • HTML5
  • iOS
  • Windows 8
  • Objective-C
  • Agile Methodologies
  • HTML
  • ASP
  • Databases
  • Windows Azure
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • XML
  • WCF RIA Services
  • XAML
  • T-SQL
  • ESRI
  • ArcGIS
  • jQuery
  • TFS
  • Software Design
  • Software Engineering
  • Design Patterns
  • OOP
  • JSON
  • Web Development
  • Subversion
  • Mobile Applications
  • WinForms
  • MVC
  • REST
  • ADO.NET
  • Telerik

Organizations

.net foundation

Member, Mar 2019 – Present

SoftwareGR

Board Member, Jan 2016 – Present

Beer City Code

Lead Organizer, Jan 2011 – Present

Grand Rapids DevNight

Lead Organizer, Jan 2011 – Present

West Michigan .net user group

Organizer, Jan 2011 – Jun 2014

Grand Rapids GiveCamp

Former Board Member

Bitcamp Board

Board Member

Open Circle

Board President

Authored Content

From Idea to Production in 4 Hours with AI: A Case Study

April 14, 2026
In this blog, I want to show you how I built something I estimated would take me 20-60 hours of work in about half a...
Read More

12 Years at the Microsoft MVP Summit: What Makes It Worth It

March 23, 2026
I’m currently a 12-time recipient of the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. The Microsoft MVP award is something Microsoft grants annually to individuals in...
Read More

With AI Writing Code, What Are Developers For?

March 17, 2026
As a software consultant, I’ve noticed a pattern play out at nearly every client over the last year. A team adopts Cursor or Claude Code...
Read More

J.'s Upcoming Events

NDC Sydney 2026

April 22, 2026

–

April 24, 2026
Sydney, Australia
Old API, New Tricks: Add MCP to Existing .NET REST Endpoints
Your existing .NET Web APIs have served you well—but what if they could do more with them in the era of AI? In this session, we’ll explore how to breathe new life into your existing ASP.NET Web API endpoints built with ASP.NET CORE by adding Model Creation Protocol (MCP) capabilities to them. We’ll look at how the MCP C# SDK makes it simple to annotate your existing controllers, instantly transforming your REST endpoints into AI-powered services that can empower LLMs and agents. We’ll also compare this approach to a no-code approaches using Azure API Management. Finally we’ll look at where both of these approaches fall short and are only a starting point for a good long-term MCP design. You can use then to jump start the process and then follow the path we outline together to evolve your APIs from technical plumbing to intelligent, task-focused tools that solve real problems using AI—all without starting from scratch.
Warm and Fuzzy Search: AI-Driven Search in .NET
Searching isn’t just about exact matches anymore—users expect search results that understand context and adapt to their input. Enter the world of AI-driven fuzzy search! In this session, we’ll explore how to implement powerful search capabilities in .NET using Microsoft.Extensions.AI, Ollama, ChatGPT, and vectorization techniques. You’ll learn: * How to integrate AI into your .NET applications with Microsoft.Extensions.AI. * How ChatGPT and Ollama enhance contextual understanding. * Why vectorization is key to semantic search and how to implement it. Through live demos and practical examples, you’ll leave equipped to build better, more user-friendly search experiences. Whether you’re a .NET developer or an AI enthusiast, this session will give you tools to level up your search game.
LEARN MORE

Update Conference Krakow 2026

May 27, 2026

–

May 28, 2026
Krakow, Poland
Mission-Critical Code: What NASA’s Power of Ten Can Teach Us
Ever wonder how NASA writes software that literally can’t afford to fail? Meanwhile, back on Earth, our code is held together with duct tape and //TODO comments. The stakes might be a little lower for most of us—nobody’s oxygen supply depends on our latest API deployment (hopefully)—but reliability, maintainability, and simplicity still matter. Enter NASA’s Power of Ten rules: a set of software engineering principles designed to minimize complexity and maximize reliability. In this talk, we’ll explore these ten commandments of mission-critical coding, from banning recursion (gasp!) to keeping functions tiny and predictable. Along the way, we’ll discuss how these rules apply beyond space exploration—to web apps, enterprise systems, and anywhere else software keeps the lights on. Whether you’re launching rockets or just trying to keep production from crashing at 2 AM, these lessons can help you write code that’s more robust, maintainable, and maybe even astronaut-approved. So strap in, and join us for a journey through the Power of Ten—no space suit required!
Warm and Fuzzy: Semantic Search in .NET
Searching isn’t just about exact matches anymore—users expect search results that understand context and adapt to their input. Enter the world of AI-driven fuzzy search! In this session, we’ll explore how to implement powerful search capabilities in .NET using Microsoft.Extensions.AI, Ollama, ChatGPT, and vectorization techniques. You’ll learn: * How to integrate AI into your .NET applications with Microsoft.Extensions.AI. * How ChatGPT and Ollama enhance contextual understanding. * Why vectorization is key to semantic search and how to implement it. Through live demos and practical examples, you’ll leave equipped to build better, more user-friendly search experiences. Whether you’re a .NET developer or an AI enthusiast, this session will give you tools to level up your search game.
LEARN MORE

Nebraska.Code() 2026

July 22, 2026

–

July 24, 2026
Lincoln, NE
Mission-Critical Code: What NASA’s Power of Ten Can Teach Us
Ever wonder how NASA writes software that literally can’t afford to fail? Meanwhile, back on Earth, our code is held together with duct tape and //TODO comments. The stakes might be a little lower for most of us—nobody’s oxygen supply depends on our latest API deployment (hopefully)—but reliability, maintainability, and simplicity still matter. Enter NASA’s Power of Ten rules: a set of software engineering principles designed to minimize complexity and maximize reliability. In this talk, we’ll explore these ten commandments of mission-critical coding, from banning recursion (gasp!) to keeping functions tiny and predictable. Along the way, we’ll discuss how these rules apply beyond space exploration—to web apps, enterprise systems, and anywhere else software keeps the lights on. Whether you’re launching rockets or just trying to keep production from crashing at 2 AM, these lessons can help you write code that’s more robust, maintainable, and maybe even astronaut-approved. So strap in, and join us for a journey through the Power of Ten—no space suit required!
LEARN MORE

Our Gear Is Packed and We're Excited to Explore With You

Ready to come with us? 

Together, we can map your company’s software journey and start down the right trails. If you’re set to take the first step, simply fill out our contact form. We’ll be in touch quickly – and you’ll have a partner who is ready to help your company take the next step on its software journey. 

We can’t wait to hear from you! 

Main Contact

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Together, we can map your company’s tech journey and start down the trails. If you’re set to take the first step, simply fill out the form below. We’ll be in touch – and you’ll have a partner who cares about you and your company. 

We can’t wait to hear from you! 

Montage Portal

Montage Furniture Services provides furniture protection plans and claims processing services to a wide selection of furniture retailers and consumers.

Project Background

Montage was looking to build a new web portal for both Retailers and Consumers, which would integrate with Dynamics CRM and other legacy systems. The portal needed to be multi tenant and support branding and configuration for different Retailers. Trailhead architected the new Montage Platform, including the Portal and all of it’s back end integrations, did the UI/UX and then delivered the new system, along with enhancements to DevOps and processes.

Logistics

We’ve logged countless miles exploring the tech world. In doing so, we gained the experience that enables us to deliver your unique software and systems architecture needs. Our team of seasoned tech vets can provide you with:

Custom App and Software Development

We collaborate with you throughout the entire process because your customized tech should fit your needs, not just those of other clients.

Cloud and Mobile Applications

The modern world demands versatile technology, and this is exactly what your mobile and cloud-based apps will give you.

User Experience and Interface (UX/UI) Design

We want your end users to have optimal experiences with tech that is highly intuitive and responsive.

DevOps

This combination of Agile software development and IT operations provides you with high-quality software at reduced cost, time, and risk.

Trailhead stepped into a challenging project – building our new web architecture and redeveloping our portals at the same time the business was migrating from a legacy system to our new CRM solution. They were able to not only significantly improve our web development architecture but our development and deployment processes as well as the functionality and performance of our portals. The feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive. Trailhead has proven themselves to be a valuable partner.

– BOB DOERKSEN, Vice President of Technology Services
at Montage Furniture Services

Technologies Used

When you hit the trails, it is essential to bring appropriate gear. The same holds true for your digital technology needs. That’s why Trailhead builds custom solutions on trusted platforms like .NET, Angular, React, and Xamarin.

Expertise

We partner with businesses who need intuitive custom software, responsive mobile applications, and advanced cloud technologies. And our extensive experience in the tech field allows us to help you map out the right path for all your digital technology needs.

  • Project Management
  • Architecture
  • Web App Development
  • Cloud Development
  • DevOps
  • Process Improvements
  • Legacy System Integration
  • UI Design
  • Manual QA
  • Back end/API/Database development

We partner with businesses who need intuitive custom software, responsive mobile applications, and advanced cloud technologies. And our extensive experience in the tech field allows us to help you map out the right path for all your digital technology needs.

Our Gear Is Packed and We're Excited to Explore with You

Ready to come with us? 

Together, we can map your company’s tech journey and start down the trails. If you’re set to take the first step, simply fill out the contact form. We’ll be in touch – and you’ll have a partner who cares about you and your company. 

We can’t wait to hear from you! 

Thank you for reaching out.

You’ll be getting an email from our team shortly. If you need immediate assistance, please call (616) 371-1037.