John Estes Jr.
2010 Inductee
John Estes Jr. was born and raised in Union City and is a member of the class of 1969. During his time at Union City he was a member of the cross country, basketball, and track and field teams, as well as the National Honor Society. John was also a member of the 1968 PIAA Runner-Up Cross Country team. While in high school John developed a passion for math and as a result he decided to attend Gannon University. While at Gannon he was a member of the cross country team and the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering.
After John graduated from Gannon he was hired by General Electric. He was employed as a Power System Modification Engineer where he assisted in the development of Generator Control & Excitation Systems. In 1986, John left General Electric and founded his own Electrical Engineering Company, E Squared Power Systems, located in Littleton, Co. Under John's direction, E-Squared has grown into an International Electrical Engineering Company with multi-million dollar sales. As a result of his company's success, John has used his resources to give back to society.
John and his company are active members and supporters of Joint Effort, a program that seeks out low income boys and girls who have athletic talent in basketball, help them develop that talent, and then give those athletes a platform to show off their talent to various scouts and coaches from several collegiate entities. Countless student athletes have used Joint Effort to seek advanced education to help improve their lives. In 2003, John started the Chatfield Challenge 5K High School Cross Country Invitational. He has created and maintained the course dedicated for use by runners at the Chatfield State Park in Littleton, Co. Over the last 7 years the Chatfield Challenge has been recognized and One of Nike's Best and received the Colorado Coaches Award for race course setting, race organization, and timing/scoring innovations. Since its creation the Chatfield Challenge has grown in participation to fifty-five teams and over twenty-five hundred runners.
Even with all the success of the John's Cross Country Invitational he is most proud of the fact that all the financial earnings from the Chatfield Challenge is used to support the cross country scholarship at Chatfield High School. Each year a member of the Chatfield High School Cross Country team is awarded a college scholarship due to John's tireless efforts. Because of John's contributions to his community he was honored in 2006 by the Lt. Governor of Colorado with the State Volunteer Service Award.
