Jim Kennedy started out as a teacher and ended up in marketing, but he has parlayed skills learned along the way to become adept at asking people the kinds of questions that help them learn what they need to do and where they need to go. Hence a business card that now reads “Planning Consultant.”
After a successful ten-year stint as an advertising agency creative director, Jim went on to become director of public relations for the RiverCity Company, where he was involved in the pre-opening marketing for the Tennessee Aquarium as well as the establishment of the Chattanooga Downtown Partnership, for which he was the first executive director.
In 1992 he was named president of the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. During six years with the CVB, he implemented and coordinated a cooperative destination marketing program that spurred unprecedented growth for the local tourism industry.
After leaving the CVB, Jim spent three years as chief executive officer of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, where he worked with Harvard Business School Professor and internationally acclaimed business strategist Michael E. Porter to create the Chattanooga Regional Growth Initiative.
In 2001 he formed Kennedy & Associates, where he built an impressive client list, ranging from the local university to commercial real estate developers to regional tourism and arts agencies. He also developed the funding case statement for the $120 million 21st Century Waterfront Plan.
In July 2005, Jim joined forces with three other Chattanooga planning veterans – Ann Coulter, Christian Rushing and Stroud Watson – to form Kennedy, Coulter, Rushing & Watson. Collectively they have more than a century of experience in planning for cities, businesses and organizations.
Jim is a native of Rochester, New York and holds a bachelors degree from Hamilton College. He serves on the boards of the Memorial Hospital Foundation, the Greater Chattanooga Sports and Events Committee, the Chattanooga Rotary Club, and St. Peter’s Episcopal School.