Leading the Way

SIU Alumnus Dick Blaudow donates $250,000 to establish Engineering Leadership Program.

While growing up in the small farming community of Seymour, Illinois, Dick Blaudow says traditional values were instilled in him. One of these values was the importance of hard work.

A self-described traditionalist, Blaudow says his father's expectations included his sons toiling on the family farm 12 hours a day.

"We all had chores. Work duties came first, and everything else was second," says Blaudow. "In our extra time, we could make money baling hay, scooping corn, or running tractors for other farmers. They paid us about $1.50 an hour. That is the way we were raised in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

"My father and mother taught us to respect elders, respect the property of other people, be kind, and serve others. Those are traditional values; I enjoy and love traditions. It's a shame our country has given up so many traditions to discretionary thinking."
Blaudow says these values paved the way to future success. A 1970 SIU electrical engineering technology graduate, Blaudow is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Advanced Technology Services (ATS) Inc. The Peoria-based company provides managed services for production equipment maintenance, industrial parts repair and IT infrastructure support for manufacturers.

ATS employs more than 1,700 people, has five branch offices, and has more than 150 customer-site locations in the United States and Mexico. In May, ATS was recognized as one of the world's top 100 outsourcing providers by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals.

In the wake of this success, Blaudow pays tribute to his upbringing.
"My father ran various businesses, including gas stations and restaurants. His businesses were always customer-service related," Blaudow says. "My brother and I learned that it was all about serving others.

"Dad always said that people pay you what they think you're worth. I always took what my bosses gave me and came back and worked a little harder the next day. And that is exactly what our customers are thinking today. Your service translates into value."

In his words, Blaudow "barely made it through his first years of college." He held student jobs and outside jobs throughout his time at Southern. Upon leaving the University, Blaudow was hired by Caterpillar, a leading manufacturer in Peoria, where he toiled in the maintenance department.

"1 told the gentleman who hired me that 1 wasn't the smartest kid on the block but I'll outwork everyone here," Blaudow says. "He had me for eight hours daily, and I had the other 16 hours to make up for my shortcomings. I ended up spending 12 to 14 hours a day to keep up with the other guys. I have always been willing to work harder than the next guy."
After 17 years at Caterpillar, Blaudow established ATS in 1985, which in his words was "the beginning of a new day."

"These values were instilled in me from my parents, to profes­sors at SIU, and personnel at Caterpillar that believed in me," he says." l had the confidence in myself and people around me to take a chance and pursue this dream.

"We had ups and downs at the beginning. There were times my wife and I didn't get paid because we needed money to pay salaries; owners get paid last. But we had a dream and moved forward."

And now Blaudow is looking for young aspiring engineers with similar values in pursuit of their dream. Blaudow and his wife, Brigitte, donated $250,000 to SIU's College of Engineering to create an engineering leadership program.

The program targets community college graduates in the state of Illinois who plan on attending Southern. Recipients receive a two-year scholarship which pays for tuition and fees. In addition, the program includes a paid summer internship opportunity at ATS allowing recipients to attain hands-on manufacturing and leadership experience.

SIU's engineering college is currently recruiting students for the program, which commences this fall semester. Students must submit an application and will compete in an interview process.

"Leadership is hard to find these days. We hire about 50 peo­ple a month and have a need for great people who can lead oth­ers," Blaudow says." Our single largest challenge as our business continues growing is finding good people who can lead.

"This is a great way to help the college. It allows ATS to get engaged with young people. Our students can experience real-world work situations and receive leadership training. My intentions would be to hire every one of these students if they meet expectations."

Community college students are a primary focus because they have a higher success rate according to William Osborne, dean of the College of Engineering.

"We're going to invest 14 to 15 thousand dollars in each of these students, so the College aspires to maximize the program's chances for success," Osborne says. "Community college transfers have a higher probability of successfully completing the program than would freshmen; also, in two years we can evaluate the suc­cess of this program. On the other hand, if freshmen participated, we couldn't begin the evaluation process for another four to five years when the first recipient graduates."

Osborne says the program seeks individuals who have similar work ethic and leadership skills to Blaudow. In addition, he says the alum's generosity will lead to a recruiting advantage for Southern.
"This program represents an opportunity for our College to raise its image and brand, particularly with community colleges," Osborne says. "We're hoping this program attracts other major corporations in the state. Eventually, 10 to 15 corporations could be involved. It could have a legacy much larger than any one person. Dick's view is very visionary in this respect."

While participation in the program doesn't guarantee full-time employment, the opportunity is likely to arise at ATS or another Illinois-based manufacturer if the student prospers. Osborne says this is one of the means by which the success of the program will be measured.

"We'll see if our students go to work for industry in Illinois and become successful faster than the average graduate does. Also, will leadership program participants ascend to first-level management positions before the average graduate?" Osborne says.

"Also, we hope this helps us with enrollment. If we recruit a junior college student who is a leader on his/her campus, they will bring the people they influence with them to Southern. This leadership program could ultimately be a significant edge for our graduates and the University."

Bruce DeRuntz, an associate professor who is charged with developing and marketing the program to Illinois community colleges, in addition to mentoring the students in the program, agrees that Southern will derive substantial benefit. He notes that he has created a tag line for the scholarship: "Giving you a career, not just an education."

"Dick's vision to sponsor several tuition and fees scholarships, coupled with the offer for fast-track careers has rewritten the standard for alumni generosity and loyalty," DeRuntz says. "This isn't charity. He is receiving the best and brightest students who will become the next generation of leaders at his company. Imagine what he may have just started if other SIU alums or other universities adopt his same vision."

And imagine if other colleges at Southern follow suit. Michael Murray, chief development officer for the College of Engineering, says this is another exciting possibility.

"Once the engineering leadership program is successful, we're hoping to help other colleges on campus to design a similar program," Murray says. "The impact of Dick's generosity could reach far beyond the College of Engineering."

This potential excites Blaudow.

"Brigitte and I wanted to be alive to see our money impact people and our business in a positive way," he says. "We've had the opportunity to be involved with SIU over the years. This is an opportune time for Brigitte and I to give something back to the University."
Blaudow says his ideal recipient will approach their responsibilities with a positive attitude, have a willingness to work hard, demonstrate commitment, good character and a sense of service.

"I look for people who are willing to work toward a dream. You do the work first and somewhere down the line you'll get paid," he says. "If the first and last thing they think about is their own interests, they have already lost me."

Clearly, one thing Blaudow hasn't lost are values instilled in him on that farm
in Seymour 50 years ago.

For more information about the College of Engineering Leadership Program, contact Michael Murray at (618) 453-4321.