Meet our Jurors
Best of LaCantina 2024 contest finalists will be determined by LaCantina Doors for the following categories: Best in Show, Best Commercial, Best Rural Residential, Best Urban Residential, Best Suburban Residential, Best Planned/Concept, Best Compact and Most Innovative. We are excited to welcome guest jurors Kelly Ladwig, Jillian Bader, Ben Waechter, Josh Cole and Paul Keskeys, who will assist in selecting the winners.
Kelly Ladwig
Kelly Ladwig is a renowned realtor and home design influencer. Kelly came into real estate after a long and diverse career in corporate branding and television news. She uses her storytelling and branding skills in social media to help talk about Nashville-area real estate, and her home-related account @homeonanashvillehill currently has 233,000+ followers and weekly impressions of more than 1mm+. Kelly is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with degrees in journalism and economics and is a rabid Badgers football and basketball fan. When she’s not helping families find or build their dream homes, Kelly is working on building a new home for her own family — and yes, she’s documenting it on social media!
Ben Waechter, FAIA
Benjamin Waechter, FAIA, is an architect and educator based in Portland, Oregon with over 25 years of experience on a range of significant projects across the Pacific Northwest, the US, and internationally. He is the founder of Waechter Architecture, which was established in 2008 after working for critically acclaimed firms including Allied Works in (Portland, New York City) and Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa, Italy. Waechter is an award-winning and published designer whose principles lie in providing bold forms arrived at through exercises in concept definition, distillation, and intelligent programming.
Notable works include the Society Hotel Bingen in the Columbia River Gorge, which won Best in Show in the 2023 Best of LaCantina Competition, as well as Furioso Vineyards in Oregon’s famed Dundee Hills AVA, Milwaukie Way Mixed-Use and Origami Multifamily in Portland, Oregon. Most recently, Waechter led the design, development, and construction of the Mississippi Workshop, a pioneering mixed-use mass timber building on a prominent commercial street in Portland.
Brendan and Jillian Bader
Brendan and Jillian Bader are the husband and wife design + build duo behind the firm Modern Nest in Scottsdale, AZ. Dedicated to designing, building and furnishing luxury custom spec homes and luxury custom homes for clients, the pair is supported by a deeply talented team of build and design specialists. Modern Nest is known for creating homes that are comfortable and livable while featuring stunning design and modern amenities. Their use of natural materials such as woods and stones creates a sense of warmth and comfort balanced by clean, modern lines. Their work has been featured in Luxe Magazine, Phoenix Home & Garden, Phoenix Magazine, and HGTV. Also the owners of Market by Modern Nest, their retail space is a curated collection of vintage pieces, handcrafted home goods, and timeless treasures for Modern Nest living.
Paul Keskeys
Paul Keskeys is Editor in Chief and Publisher at Architizer. An architect, writer and content creator, Paul graduated from UCL and the University of Edinburgh, gaining a Masters in Architectural Design with distinction. Paul has spoken about the art of architecture and storytelling at many national industry events, including AIANY, NeoCon, KBIS, the Future NOW Symposium, the Young Architect Conference and NYCxDesign. Besides Architizer, Paul has had features published in Architectural Digest, PIN—UP Magazine, Archinect, Aesthetica Magazine and PUBLIC Journal.
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