Nathaniel History

Nathaniel Group, Inc. was founded by Joel Melnick as a sole proprietorship in 1984. Over the years, the company has developed many new products and technologies, and has been housed in various locations, but the values and operating principles have stayed consistent: creative design and manufacturing solutions for companies that want reliable technical devices.

We built our business on solving difficult problems: manufacturing obsolete designs and sub-assemblies and creating practical and elegant solutions to complex design and manufacturing problems. Over the years, we have grown from 1 to 43 employees, and our sales have grown as well. We are committed to remaining small, flexible, and adaptable.

1984: In his spare time, Joel Melnick develops a plug-in card to use in an automated laser alignment tester on S-100 computers. He registers the name “Nathaniel Electronics,” and prepares for a big success. The IBM PC becomes the dominant standard and this product is obsolete.

1987: Joel leaves his full-time job determined to create a business where excellence can thrive. His work is primarily consulting in the bio-medical laboratory field of optical densitometry, and his office is in an architect’s spare bedroom.

1991: Joel moves the company from his basement to the basement of the Bixby Library.

1993: Nathaniel prototypes peristaltic pumps that evolve to include embedded controllers and integrated switch overlays.

1996: Nathaniel designs and manufactures autoclavable surgical tools, light sources, and video cameras. Company is in the basement of the Vergennes Print Shop.

1999: The ophthalmic endoscopy system combines a Xenon light source and small remote mounted CCD with an ultra miniature probe for surgical eye procedures. The company is located on Panton Road in Vergennes (above-ground!) where it remains today.

2005: Nathaniel adopts the name Nathaniel Group and a new logo that reflects their breadth of expertise and their disciplined development process. Steady growth continues, and Joel buys the building.