Richard (Dick) Blaudow, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Advanced Technology Services, Inc. (ATS), has been honored with the Distinguished Service Award from his alma mater, Southern Illinois University (SIU).
The award, which Blaudow was presented with at the school’s commencement ceremony on May 11, 2019, recognizes individuals who have contributed importantly to southern Illinois, to the nation, to the world, to the State, and/or to the University.
Blaudow began his career at Caterpillar in 1969, holding a variety of operations and engineering positions with the company before he started and managed the Electronic Repair Department at the East Peoria, IL plant. In 1984, this department became the startup group of Advanced Technology Services, and in November of 1996 Blaudow, along with other investors, purchased the remaining outstanding shares of ATS from Caterpillar.
Blaudow received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from SIU in 1970. He currently serves on the Alumni Advisory Board for the SIU College of Engineering, and the SIU Leadership Development Program Advisory Board. He served for several years on SIUC’s Industrial Advisory Council of the Department of Electrical Engineering and as Chairman of the SIUC Engineering Annex Advisory Committee. In October 1998, Blaudow was named an SIU Distinguished Alumni in recognition of his accomplishments and contributions. Blaudow is a former member of the World Presidents and Young Presidents Organizations.
Blaudow has been married to his wife Brigitte for 50 years and has a son and two grandsons. He is a pilot, enjoys fishing, hunting and horses, and has started Traders Hill Farm, an aquaponics farm where he raises fish and hydroponic vegetables. SIU, based in Carbondale, Illinois, was founded in 1869 and is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University System. It is a strong, diverse, student-centered research-intensive and comprehensive university that recently earned the prestigious community engagement classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
