Blackwell
joined Phillips Cables in 1965 as a desk clerk in Freeport, Bahamas where he
served for two years before transferring back to the Brockville plant. This was
to be the start of a long and distinguished thirty-five year career with
Phillips/BICC that brought him to five provinces and two American states with
the company, finishing as president of the international division. Blackwell
retired to Brockville in 1999. He also served as a director of Phillips-Fitel
Inc. and as a member of the Canada-China Business
Council.
He attended BCI
from 1958 to 1963. During this time he was a member of the BCI basketball team,
played minor league hockey and used his musical talents at various music
festivals.
In 1988 he was
awarded a Diploma in Management Training (MTC) from the University of Western
Ontario and in 1992 he earned his Executive Masters in Business Administration
(EMBA) from Concordia University.
Since retiring
to Brockville, he has been a board member with Loaves and Fishes, Sherwood Park
Manor and Brockville General Hospital. Most recently, Blackwell served as Chair
of the Coalition for Responsible Urban Zoning.