Dr. Bendickson retired from Dynetics Inc. in 2015 after serving as chief executive officer for 25 years. He began his career at Bell Telephone Laboratories, working in radar and communications, and moved to Teledyne Brown Engineering in 1971 to continue his work in military radar system design and analysis, specializing in simulation.

In 1974, he joined Dynetics, a startup specializing in radar systems analysis. Over the next 15 years, he rose from project lead to department manager, leading radar intelligence systems, tactical radars and missile seeker systems.

In 1989, he formulated and led a leveraged buyout of the retiring owners through an employee stock ownership plan. As CEO and chairman, Dynetics grew from 160 employees to more than 1,500, with annual sales exceeding $300 million through expansion in commercial products and services, as well as hardware prototyping and low-rate production.

Several subsidiaries, joint ventures and regional offices were also established during his tenure. His leadership helped shape Dynetics into a nationally recognized defense and engineering firm, leaving a lasting legacy of innovation, employee ownership and sustained growth.

He earned his doctorate degree in electrical engineering from The University of Alabama at Huntsville. He also holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University.