A vendor leaves.
A partner stays.
I'm Chester Hood. I'm an ordained minister. A higher education professional. A certified facilitator. And the founder of ICU Designs.
I built this company on one belief: the moments that matter most in your life — your wedding, your pastor's anniversary, your father's retirement — deserve more than a vendor who shows up, drops off equipment, and leaves. They deserve a partner who treats your day like their own family's.
Hear from Chester.
ICU Designs was born out of a frustration I kept watching unfold inside my own community.
Every weekend, somebody in our family or church was hosting a major moment — a milestone birthday, a graduation, an anniversary banquet — and somebody had to be the unsung hero who set up tables, ran sound, hung balloons, and broke down chairs at midnight. Usually it was an exhausted volunteer. Sometimes it was the family member who should have been a guest.
And when a family did hire a vendor, the vendor often missed the assignment. They didn't understand the culture. They showed up late. They disappeared during the program. They charged for things they didn't deliver.
I built ICU Designs to fix that. To be the company that shows up early, sets up cleanly, runs quietly, and tears down completely — so the people who matter can stay fully present in the moments that matter.
Today, we serve faith-rooted families, churches, and businesses across Middle Tennessee. We've styled weddings, pastor anniversaries, retirement banquets, baby showers, graduations, and corporate galas. And we've earned the trust of pastors, parents, and planners who refer us by name.
We're not the cheapest vendor in the market. We don't try to be. What we are is the most trusted — the team your family member can recommend without hesitation, because we'll treat your event the same way we treated theirs.
Why this matters.
Ministry & Community
- Ordained Minister — Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church
- Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. — Illinois State Director
- Certified Financial Peace Facilitator (Dave Ramsey)
- Active in faith communities across TN, IL, and FL
Education & Professional
- M.S.Ed — Workforce Education & Development, SIU Carbondale
- Senior Associate Director of Admissions — Vanderbilt University
- Former Director of Admissions — Florida A&M University
- 15+ years of higher education leadership
