From cleaning bowling alleys and selling soft serve at Six Flags to leading a high-impact manufacturing firm in Illinois, Alex Nadtochiy’s journey is anything but ordinary. Today, he’s the President of General Assembly & Manufacturing Corp. in Cary, IL, and one of the newest members of the IMEC Board of Directors.
Driven by a passion for building meaningful things, Nadtochiy brings a global perspective, an entrepreneurial spirit, and deep respect for the power of manufacturing to the IMEC mission. His path to leadership, shaped by resilience, reinvention, and relentless curiosity, makes him a standout voice on the Board and a powerful advocate for Illinois manufacturers.
In a recent conversation, Nadtochiy shared his unconventional path to manufacturing, and why it continues to inspire his work today.
Journey to Manufacturing
Alex Nadtochiy arrived in the U.S. from Ukraine in 1999 without a specific career trajectory. “As a freshly minted immigrant,” Nadtochiy explained, “I’ve done all kinds of starter jobs, from cleaning a bowling alley, selling soft serve ice cream at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, and being a bank teller.” But in 2004, when his daughter was born, Nadtochiy knew it was time to settle into something more sustainable. That realization led him from New York to Illinois, and a new start in the manufacturing-adjacent industry of logistics and transportation.
“But then the next 10-plus years flew by, and at some point, I was not very satisfied with the direction of my career,” Nadtochiy continued. “I decided to get an MBA degree.” It was at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management that Alex was able to sit back and reflect with fellow MBA candidates and career management coaches on what brought him the most joy, and that was building things.
Like many others, Alex was no stranger to building things for himself and his family around the house, but now he was able to gain experience in building things for others, which brought its own unique joy. Particularly at General Assembly & Manufacturing, where a wide variety of their products are connected to public health, Nadtochiy and his team find fulfillment in providing meaningful impact to their clients and community.
“My job satisfaction,” Nadtochiy confirmed, “is higher than it has ever been. . . . My passion is specifically in building meaningful things,” including the medical devices, kits, and machines manufactured at General Assembly.
Manufacturing in Illinois
Before entering the manufacturing industry, Alex went from the Big Apple to the Windy City to provide a better environment for his daughter. It was also in Illinois, though, that Nadtochiy purchased the contract manufacturing firm General Assembly & Manufacturing with two partners in 2023.
“We build machines that last twenty years,” Nadtochiy boasted of General Assembly. “There’s no engineered obsolescence.”
While Alex notes that anything engineering piques his interested, the products produced by General Assembly specifically align with his desire to “not waste material and not to pollute.” The goal at General Assembly is to not only build products that last, but help companies solve problems: Do you need help with scale? Are there aspects of your manufacturing business you need to outsource? Could you use help meeting seasonal spikes in demand?
With that service mindset, customer service is always top of mind, and it shows. “On average, our customers have been with us for over fifteen years.” Their average employee tenure is also fourteen years, with team-leads averaging 25 years.
Impact on the IMEC Board
“I feel every country should have pretty robust manufacturing capabilities.” This statement by Alex, coupled with the IMEC mission, would have led to the perfect trajectory of onboarding to the IMEC Board. However, Alex joining the Board happened more organically.
In two years, General Assembly worked on six projects with IMEC, including ISO 9001 certification, ERP selection and implementation, and website development. “I’ve rarely seen synergy of this sort.” He explained that the team at General Assembly refers to their IMEC Regional Manager as their “fairy godfather,” because they know that their Regional Manager’s interests align with the company’s interests.
“When I heard about this opportunity, it made complete sense,” Alex said. “I consider myself a power user of IMEC.”
Last Bit of Knowledge
Before wrapping up our interview, Nadtochiy shared that the biggest key to his success has been being a lifelong learner, and specifically, reader. His love of books began as a child reading literature such as Tarzan, but he claims reading work from all over the world made assimilation into the United States easier.
“Just coming here at the age of twenty and then achieving success would have been much harder if I had not experienced multiple lifetimes through books.”
Alex Nadtochiy’s story is a testament to resilience, reflection, and a passion for building a better future, both in manufacturing and in life. We’re proud to have him on the IMEC Board of Directors, helping to shape the future of Illinois manufacturing.
