Chuck Tessier
President and Broker-in-Charge
Possessing a BS Engineering and a Master of Urban Design from NC State University, Chuck was the Director of Planning for Buncombe County for 12 years prior to establishing Tessier Associates in 1985. As planning director, Chuck created the county's first community-based planning program, helped create the Asheville-Buncombe Water Agreement, crafted the county's sub-division ordinance, rehabilitated land-fill sites, and facilitated expansion of the Asheville airport. As owner of Tessier Associates, he is widely recognized for his key role in the redevelopment of downtown Asheville. He has planned, developed and brokered numerous new and rehabbed projects across the region and has served as a planning and development consultant in the Southeast for cities in North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. While broker-in-charge, Chuck spearheads the development and investment services divisions of Tessier Associates.
ctessier@tessierassociates.com

Karen Tessier
President, Market Connections
As owner and president of Market Connections, a full service marketing, advertising and public relations firm, Karen plans and executes the marketing programs for Tessier and its client properties. She holds a BA Psychology degree from Mary Washington College and has completed extensive graduate work in education and art at the University of Virginia and UNCA. As former Executive Director of Asheville-Buncombe Discovery, she has been intricately involved in the public/private planning, investment and revitalization of downtown Asheville. Noted for her ability to engage pro-active public support of projects, Karen has participated in numerous National Main Street, State Downtown Development, economic development, and urban design/public visioning conferences and has served as a consultant to cities and organizations in the Southeast. A licensed real estate salesperson, Karen combines her hands-on knowledge of real estate and marketing experience to coordinate Tessier's marketing programs.
ktessier@mktconnections.com

Lynn Hoechstetter
Chief Financial Officer
Lynn handles all financial reporting, tax records, and trust and escrow accounts for Tessier Associates, as well as multiple property management accounts. She has 20 years of experience in real estate financial management, including residential, commercial, hotel-lodging, and industrial with companies located in New York City and Atlanta. Lynn has a BA in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh and has completed the Financial Accounting Curriculum at UNCA and is planning on taking the CPA in the next year. Desiring a change of scenery, Lynn relocated to Asheville and joined Tessier Associates in September 2000.
hoechstetter@tessierassociates.com

Amber Ammons
Property Manager, Grove Arcade Building
Amber Ammons joined Tessier Associates in September of 2006 as the Property Manager for the Grove Arcade. She comes to us from the Washington DC area, where she was the Director of Training and Regional Property Manager for Edgewood Management Corporation. Amber gained most of her experience in the property management industry from ten years at Gables Residential, where she held positions in leasing and marketing, training, and asset management and operations. She was the Director of Business Development and worked to acquire new third-party contracts and joint-venture development deals at the end of her tenure with Gables. Amber attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and received a Masters in International Business from American University in Washington, DC in 1996. When not working, Amber enjoys spending time with her 2-year old son, Graham, as well as her other family in Western North Carolina, a place she fondly considers home.
aammons@tessierassociates.com

Craig Mariani
Property Manager

Craig joined the Tessier team in 2007. He has over ten years experience in management, systems development and customer service. Most recently Craig worked as Corporate Systems Manager for Campus Crest Real Estate Management based in Charlotte, NC. While there, he was responsible for building systems for company-wide replicable performance by developing operating database systems, standardizing operating practices and asset management reports and training property managers. Before Campus Crest, Craig oversaw the physical plant management of over eighty (80) million in residential and commercial properties during his three-year tenure at another local real estate company. He has an AAS in Adventure Sports, a BA in Economics and Business Administration from Warren Wilson College and an MBA from Western Carolina University. Craig loves the outdoors, is active in several intramural sports and enjoys volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. cmariani@tessierassociates.com

Patrick Temple
Sales & Leasing Agent
Patrick joined Tessier Associates in 2004 and brings a wealth of experience to the Brokerage Services division. Patrick holds an AB Science degree and MS Science & Technology degree from East Carolina University and UNC at Chapel Hill, respectively. Patrick also holds 2 US patents and was a developer of surgical equipment in the 1970's for Kimberly Clark. During the 1980's, he worked at Mills Manufacturing Corporation. Patrick was a top producer with Gatewood Real Estate in 1999 and worked in the Accounting Department for the Grove Park Inn until 2004. Patrick also was a Scout Master for 24 years, holds Commercial Pilot license (non-active) and is a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Bluffton, SC. In addition, he is a Certified Aquatic Therapist, and Certified Mold Inspector. Patrick lives in North Asheville
with his wife.
ptemple@tessierassociates.com

Trip Huxley
Senior Art Director, Market Connections
Trip has a design degree from the University of Colorado. He brings more than a decade of graphics experience and twenty years of photographic expertise to Market Connections and Tessier Associates. Trip has worked as a designer and/or taught graphics in Prague, NYC, Greenwich and now, Asheville. He has worked for O&M, Golden Books, Young and Rubicam, Hyperion (Disney) Books, Weight Watchers Magazine and a host of others. Trip joined Market Connections in February 2004.
art@mktconnections.com

Catherine Creighton
Art Director, Market Connections
Catherine comes to us from New York City with over 13 years experience in the design field. After graduating with a BFA, she spent several years designing the prizes inside cereal boxes, followed up by Art Director positions in the music industry and product promotions in Connecticut before heading to the City. Here she took a position with a top rated promotions agency. Then opportunity knocked and she joined a small travel marketing firm as Art Director/ Designer. Within 5 years she had been named Creative Director and helped double the company's staff and client roster to include names like American Express and Seabourn Cruise Line. After the arrival of her son, she and her husband packed up the Volvo station wagon and moved to Asheville, with baby, a dog and four cats in tow. The rat race left behind, Catherine now applies her broad range of experience and talents to her projects here at Market Connections and Tessier Associates.
ccreighton@mktconnections.com

Sara Fields
Marketing Coordinator, Market Connections
Sara Fields is the Marketing Coordinator for Market Connections. Having worked for more than three years in the field of marketing and special events, she has held such titles as Special Events Coordinator at Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern, Marketing Assistant for The North Carolina Ballet and Project Coordinator for The Independent Weekly Newspaper. Prior to that, she was employed for 18 months as the Events/Marketing Assistant to the CEO of Capital Area Preservation, Inc., in Raleigh. With a BA in Communications and newsroom internships with two North Carolina Sinclair Broadcast affiliates, she has a diverse background in communications, including work with two advertising agencies while in college. A native of Asheville, Sara is pleased to be back in the area. sfields@mktconnections.com