07/15/2024
Today we would like to recognize our next Union City Wall of Achievement Inductee for the Class of 2024, Mr. Kyle Blakeslee!
Kyle Blakeslee is a 1988 graduate of Union City High School. During his time at Union City, Kyle was an athlete in both football and track & field, where he held the school record in pole vault for almost 20 years.
As a lifelong resident of Union City, Kyle has developed a deep rooted sense of service and community involvement to help improve his hometown. Kyle has always given freely of his time and has served or is serving on multiple nonprofit boards to benefit the Union City community.
Kyle has served as a member of the Union City Community Foundation for 15 years. During that time, he has taken on the roles of Vice Chairman and Grants Committee Chairman. During his time on the Community Foundation, Kyle has spent hours volunteering to research and review grant requests while making sure each dollar awarded has the maximum benefit for the Union City Community and its citizens. His passion for helping the Community Foundation also benefits our students at Union City High School in the form of tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships awarded to college bound students each year.
Kyle is also the President of the Union City Sports Complex Committee. The committee, comprised of past and present coaches, teachers, board members, businessmen, community leaders, and citizens work towards a common goal of the improvement of the Union City School District Athletic Complex. Under Kyle’s leadership, the Committee has raised over $500,000 since its start just 4 years ago, with all of the funds being privately donated. Kyle has worked with the Union City School District Board of Directors to share his vision with the community which has resulted in many of the improvements seen on the Union City Area School District Campus today. Kyle’s vision and leadership has led to new fencing and backstops for the baseball and softball complex and new dugouts for the baseball and softball fields, which includes a pressbox for softball. Also added under Kyle’s direction was a Victory Bell Welcome Area that greets every visitor that comes to campus and a soon to be completed state-of-the-art pressbox for football. This pressbox will also serve a dual purpose for baseball also.
Kyle’s tireless dedication to improve the Union City Community and his passion to volunteer resulted in him being named Union City’s Citizen of the Year in 2023.
Kyle also serves as a regional leader as Board Chairman of the Board of Governors at the Manufacturers and Business Association of Erie and serves on the local American Foundry Society board. Kyle was integral in starting the Foundry Association Scholarship Fund for local students attending Penn State Behrend.
Professionally, Kyle serves as the General Manager of Grede Foundry in Meadville, one of the longest standing enterprises in the United States when it comes to producing highly engineered ductile, gray, and specialty iron castings.
Kyle currently resides in Union City with his wife, Loretta, and has three children, Olivia, Jacquelyn, and Brady.
Congratulations Kyle and welcome to the Union City Wall of Achievement!
