Tess Rollins pushes Chattanooga downtown revitalization through community-centered design

Tess Rollins is expanding her role in Chattanooga through River City Company and her consulting firm Simply Enhance, focusing on placemaking, branding, and civic engagement. Her work aims to strengthen downtown, support small businesses, and train the next wave of community event leaders.

Why it matters: - Rollins is working at the intersection of downtown development, small business support, and civic programming in Chattanooga. - Her approach links public space activation with branding and community engagement, which can shape how residents and visitors experience the city. - Her mentoring work also builds local capacity by training emerging placemaking event producers.

What happened: - Tess Rollins serves as Creative Strategist, Founder of Simply Enhance, and Director of Programs & Events at River City Company. - Her work in Chattanooga focuses on placemaking, strategic branding, entrepreneurial leadership, and civic engagement. - Rollins was acknowledged by Influential Women and profiled for her community-centered leadership. - Rollins relocated from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to Greater Chattanooga and later expanded Simply Enhance into the city.

The details: - At River City Company, Rollins leads programs that support downtown revitalization, cultural programming, public space activation, and small business engagement. - Her work spans public, private, and nonprofit collaboration. - She designs experiences meant to be welcoming, accessible, and aligned with long-term economic development goals. - Through River City Company’s Emerging Producers cohort, Rollins trains aspiring placemaking event producers. - The curriculum now includes event planning, placemaking, sponsorship development, budgeting, logistics, marketing, public safety, accessibility, community engagement, and collaborative leadership. - Rollins also provides classroom instruction and one-on-one mentoring. - She has more than one track record of leadership across graphic design, advertising, brand strategy, corporate sports technology, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit work. - In fewer than two years after relocating, Rollins was selected for and graduated from Leadership Chattanooga. - Simply Enhance is a brand identity and marketing strategy consulting firm. - The firm began as a public access television program highlighting creative entrepreneurs and small businesses. - Rollins now works with entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and small businesses to clarify brand identity, strengthen marketing strategy, and develop audience-focused messaging. - Her broader background includes multiple U.S. Soccer Federation coaching licenses, Soccer Referee certification, youth coaching credentials through the Tackle Coach Certification and Heads Up Football program, nonprofit and youth sports board service, work as a wrestling commissioner, and service as a U.S. Olympic Development Program player evaluator. - Rollins’ leadership philosophy is shaped by her mother, an entrepreneur who immigrated from the Philippines and built a career in healthcare and residential care home development. - She encourages young women in creative, marketing, and community development fields to build relationships intentionally and maintain balance between ambition and well-being. - Rollins also favors handwritten notes, which she calls “paper hugs.” - More information is available through her Influential Women profile.

Between the lines: - The profile frames Rollins as a connector who uses branding, storytelling, and event design as tools for civic growth. - Her emphasis on listening first suggests a leadership style built on trust rather than transaction. - The combination of nonprofit work and private consulting gives Rollins influence across both institutional and entrepreneurial circles. - Her focus on consistent branding points to a common challenge for small businesses: translating good ideas into clear, recognizable messaging.

What's next: - Rollins plans to keep helping small businesses address inconsistent branding and fragmented messaging. - She also sees continued opportunity in community development projects that activate public spaces and strengthen neighborhood identity. - Her work is likely to remain centered on mentoring, downtown programming, and brand strategy for local organizations.

The bottom line: - Rollins is using design, storytelling, and civic engagement to help Chattanooga grow in a way that is both economically useful and community-centered.