Beyond the Office: McCormick Stevenson’s Chief Engineer Reflects on Career Path and Insights Amid Retirement

McCormick Stevenson’s (MCCST) Barry Lindblom describes his 50-plus years in engineering as solving puzzles. Last month, he completed his final puzzle and officially retired as MCCST’s Engineering Fellow.

As Lindblom reflected on his career path, one fact became very clear – he is a lifelong learner. “I like learning new things and tackling technical challenges,” he said. “Whenever I get bored, I find something new to do.”

Lindblom’s enthusiasm for education and developing new skills, especially in math and science, became evident early in his life. These interests ultimately led to earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace and mechanical engineering, respectively, from Syracuse University.

After graduation, Lindblom’s career was comprised of several moves across various states, including Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, and then finally, Florida. Throughout the years, he held a variety of positions, from engineering Navy nuclear power plant components to adjunct professor at Pennsylvania State University. As a Chief Engineer at Alliant Techsystems, he focused on gun launched, precision guided munition (PGM) development.

Lindblom brought his talents to McCormick Stevenson part time in 1999, the year the company was founded. He then joined the company full-time as Chief Engineer in 2014. In this role, Lindblom’s career culminated with project planning, system engineering, and proposal development. “MCCST is a group of open-minded, very capable people who are easy to work with,” he said. Lindblom’s MCCST highlights include leading the development of a 40mm Integrated Guidance, Navigation, and Control System for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

In his spare time, he collects quotes from high-profile figures like Yogi Berra or Albert Einstein, reflecting his enthusiasm for learning. Lindblom enjoys describing important aspects of his life and career using these well-known statements, in addition to creating his own adages.

One such Lindblom saying describes how, as an engineer, “it is harder to develop a design that does not fail than it is to develop a design that works”. He also emphasizes his own authenticity and integrity with the famous quotes, “Say what you mean and mean what you say” and “Management is about doing things right. Leadership is about doing the right things.”

Now that Lindblom is retired, his career advice to those entering the engineering field is to broaden their horizons as soon as they can. “Experience new challenges now, and you will find a way to apply the knowledge and experience gained later.”

Congratulations to Barry on a fantastic career, and we wish him a happy, healthy retirement!

Barry Lindblom