Lynn Blodgett is President and Chief Executive Officer of ACS. He was appointed to these positions in November 2006. Yes, the same person who took these stirring images, who went walking through the most dangerous streets of American cities, is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company...kind of shatters the preconception of the “ivory tower corporate aristocrat” doesn’t it? And well it should. Lynn grew up in a large family in Utah. He has lost siblings and still chokes up when he talks about them. He is very proud of his mother and father, “Mrs. And Mr. B”. They started a data input business out of necessity to provide for their nine children. Everyone helped and each found their niche in the growing business. Jim understood how to motivate people. Tom seemed to understand process and efficiency. Bill turned out to love programming - he had a real gift for it. Lynn couldn’t type worth a darn. So they put him in a panel van to make deliveries. It seemed that he liked to talk to people and people liked to talk to him. Before long he was bringing home more work for the business. If Lynn promised a customer something, he made sure the business delivered on that promise. People trusted him. Soon the brothers founded Unibase. It thrived but not without risk. Once Lynn got himself in a pickle. He tried to get a contract with a company in Europe. He flew there but ended up with no money and nothing left on the credit card. He won the business and the rest is history. Soon he and brother Jim received an offer from Affiliated Computer Services, ACS for short. But Jim’s body, ravaged by diabetes gave out before the deal could close. Lynn promised Jim he’d make the deal and care for Bill’s family. He did. At the time, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) was a frontier market. Unibase had practically invented it. ACS was an Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) company. So Lynn, now CEO, had to work his way up. ACS has grown into a company of over 58,000 employees and is regarded as one of the top three global services providers in the USA. Lynn has always had an interest in photography. But his interest was centered around photographing his children and his falcons (he’s a master falconer in his spare time). Then something happened that would literally change his outlook forever. About six years ago, he suffered a detached retina… in his “good eye.” During the recovery period there were several weeks when he was completely blind in that eye. As his sight returned he started looking at the world. Just looking had become a precious gift not to be taken for granted. His photography took on a more intense meaning. He started working in a photo studio that he set up. This time became a much-needed diversion from the 14-hour days he spent caring for the business. The job responsibilities have only increased, so you’ll often find him working on his photographs at 2 or 3 in the morning. Studio shots with friends and family evolved and he was soon using models. He learned the technical aspects of photography and digital workflow under controlled conditions in the studio. It was when he left the studio during a class with Andrew Eccles in Santa Fe that Lynn discovered something: The same likeability and sincere conversational talent that served him so well in friendships and business allowed subjects he’d never met before to drop their guard – instinctively trusting him as if he were a close friend. Lynn now shoots pictures as the layers of protection crumble as he engages his subjects in conversation. The person revealed in the captured frame seems to expose their inner hopes and fears. In just a few years Lynn has gone from complete amateur to professional photographer. Lynn says that he hopes people open up to him because he really cares. His latest photos of the homeless offer us a glimpse through their eyes. We see them as they are and are moved to compassion for we see them as human beings just like ourselves. Lynn is both a respected leader and a world-class photographer. Perhaps it is his genuine honesty, regard for the sanctity of life, and the dignity of the individual that drives both. A true Renaissance man, we hope he continues dispelling negative myths about corporate leadership and that he continues “Finding Grace” in his photographic adventures.
Lynn Blodgett receives recognition of his work
for the homeless from Dallas Mayor, Laura Miller
.
