A Nashville businesman who heads a 250-employee medical payment company has been tapped to head economic recruitment for the state of Tennessee.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced that Bob Rolfe, head of a Nashville equity firm that owns Medical Reimbursements of America, will join the governor's cabinet on March 1 as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development . He succeeds Randy Boyd, who stepped down as the state's top economic recruiter at the end of January and is considering a run for governor.
Rolfe, 56, has more than three decades of experience in business and investment banking in Tennessee.
"Bob Rolfe has spent his career growing companies and creating jobs, and he will bring incredible experience and energy to our work of making Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs and ensuring that success is felt throughout the state," Haslam said in a statement today. "Bringing someone of Bob's caliber to this position says a lot about the momentum we have right now in Tennessee, and I know that will continue to flourish under his leadership."
n 2011, Rolfe co-founded West End Holdings, a Nashville-based private equity partnership that acquires and manages underperforming companies, transforming their operating and financial performance. He spent the first 18 years of his career as an investment banker at J.C. Bradford and Co.
"As a lifelong Tennessean, it is an honor to have the opportunity to serve our governor and the citizens of our great state," Rolfe said in a statement. "After spending many years working in the business community, I look forward to applying my energy and efforts toward recruiting additional capital investment and jobs across the state of Tennessee."
A native of Nashville, Rolfe received his executive MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt and his bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama. An active member of the Nashville community, he currently serves on the advisory board of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.