As Grant Bledsoe was finishing up high school, many of his friends were talking about leaving Jacksonville, but he never felt the pull to move away.
“I decided that I love Jacksonville and I got along great with my family,” he said. “I respected my parents, and because of that, I had a lot of flexibility and freedom. So, I never felt like I needed to get away.”
His love for Jacksonville remains just as strong today, and now he gets to share that love with his wife and children.
Growing up, he spent a lot of time on the water – boating or fishing along the St. Johns River, or spending time at the beach.
When college rolled around, the University of North Florida was the only school he applied to, and he was thrilled when he was accepted. He decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and study civil engineering.
“I always knew I wanted to be an engineer like my dad,” Grant said. “His talents and skills were unique and admirable as a young man, and I wanted to do whatever my dad did.”
During his college years, he interned with England-Thims & Miller, Inc., and after graduation, became a permanent employee. He’s now a principal vice president on the land development team.
“I really enjoy the social aspect and the problem-solving component of my job,” he said. “And that’s what’s driven me to want to manage a group of people, manage a team, and manage clients.”
He and his wife, Carly, married in 2014 and moved to the Lakewood area. Their dream was to buy a home in San Marco eventually, and shortly after, that dream became a reality.
“I don’t know that I ever thought I would live in a downtown area, which, I know, San Marco is not necessarily downtown, but the closest suburb of downtown,” he said. “I never really envisioned that being something I was interested in, but we’ve loved seeing the growth.”
The couple bought bikes early on in their marriage and would bike through San Marco.
“I think that’s probably how we got to know most of the people,” Grant added.
They stayed in the area after having their two children, Hadley and Fisher, and now they all go on bike rides as a family.
Grant, Carly and their children, Fisher and Hadley
“My kids both learned how to ride bikes when they were two,” Grant said. “I truly credit all that to my wife. She was outside every day with them on kick bikes and things from a very young age.”
Once they had their own bikes, Hadley and Fisher started following him and Carly everywhere. They also enjoy biking to local parks.
One of the children’s favorites is the latest addition to the city’s park system: Riverfront Park downtown, though they also enjoy visiting their neighborhood’s Granada Park.
“It’s not necessarily the park itself, it’s the people,” Grant said. “They run into friends pretty much every time we go there. I think that’s what excites them the most about any park: playing with another person.”
One of their favorite family activities is biking to Southern Grounds & Co. on the weekend to get pancakes.
Another hobby Grant has kept since college is shooting. He did not grow up around guns or hunting; it wasn’t until college that he went on his first duck hunting trip in Lake City.
“It was an extremely memorable experience, and we missed most of the ducks, and so we decided we should probably get better at this, so we decided to hunt and started shooting.”
This is how a shooting club was formed at UNF, with members still getting together for an annual father/son quail hunt.
Grant takes son Fisher on his first hunting trip.
“I still hunt and I still shoot clay targets now and again, but not a ton,” Grant said. “I’m more focused on family and work at the moment.”
However, he did take his son hunting over Thanksgiving break.
“I’m trying to introduce my son to it,” Grant said. “I ended up taking my entire family, and we had fun.”
The Bledsoes are also members of the Epping Forest Yacht Club and spend a lot of time there. Both of his kids have been on the swim team since they were three years old. They are now six and seven.
“This past year marks the second year that Epping has won the River to Sea Swim Championship,” Grant said. “That was a big deal for Epping and a big deal for the kids to be part of something special like that.”
Grant also just started playing tennis at the club; Carly plays and is on a tennis team.
“I do enjoy playing it, much more than I would have expected,” said Grant. “I’ve enjoyed being a part of some of the monthly round-robins that they do and tennis clinics.”
Additionally, Grant also plays with a group of friends every Friday night.
“It’s slightly competitive, but it’s mostly social and fun and something active to do, which I think is a challenge to find at this stage in life,” Grant said.
Both he and Carly also participate in the Gate River Run every year.
His company sponsors a team, and they train together on Saturdays after Thanksgiving, leading up to the race.
“That’s a big priority in my life, staying healthy and exercising regularly,” Grant added.
Another priority is his faith. He is an active member of the Church of Eleven 22.
Being with family is another large aspect of his life. He said he is fortunate to have most of his family still in Jacksonville, along with Carly’s family.
“My three priorities in life are faith, family and my work,” he said.