Rising Star
Ben Benavidez – Whiskey Thief Distilling Co.
Kirstie Adanick – The Vista at Origin Park
Mackenzie Boyd – The Whiskey Row Hotel Collection
Merrin Adams – Kentucky Performing Arts
Trinity Grimes – Moxy Louisville
Victoria Carrier – Muhammad Ali Center
Rose Award Voting will begin at 12:00 am on October 8th and end on October 16th at midnight on louisvilleroseawards.com.
Only one vote in each of the 11 categories will be counted from an individual email address.
Please share on your social media channels and encourage your family, friends, and colleagues to read about these inspiring finalists and vote.
Ben Benavidez
Whiskey Thief Distilling Co.
Ben makes sure every visible detail, and every behind-the-scenes need is ready for guests. He supports mixologists and barrel tenders, maintains the property, and approaches every shift with a calm focus and willingness to help wherever needed.
His range is unusual: operational support, property presentation, and guest experience all receive the same level of care. From maintaining the tasting room and grounds to supporting teammates during busy shifts, Ben helps ensure every guest experience is ready from start to finish.
Kirstie Adanick
The Vista at Origin Park
Kirstie helped open a new event venue by finding solutions before guests saw the problems. She adapts setups, accommodates changing needs and approaches every challenge with one question: how can we make this work?
Opening a venue requires constant adjustment, and her strength is finding a workable answer before uncertainty reaches the client or guest. Her instinct is simple and powerful: find a way before the guest sees the problem.
Mackenzie Boyd
The Whiskey Row Hotel Collection
Mackenzie supports the distinct event-sales needs of an entire collection of hotels and restaurants. Leadership trusts her judgment, colleagues count on her collaboration and she consistently helps move challenges toward solutions.
Supporting multiple properties requires judgment and adaptability, and she has become a dependable connector across a complex collection. Her judgment and collaboration help a complex collection move challenges toward workable solutions.
Merrin Adams
Kentucky Performing Arts
Merrin is the steady hand behind the ticketing experience at Kentucky Performing Arts. As the longest-tenured coordinator, she is trusted to guide the office, support staff and make sound decisions when management is away.
When the Box Office Manager was absent for three weeks, she kept daily operations moving seamlessly without disruption. Her calm judgment, deep knowledge and dependable leadership ensure patrons feel supported before they ever take their seats. Merrin makes every ticketing challenge feel manageable and every interaction feel welcoming.
Trinity Grimes
Moxy Louisville
Trinity moved from catering and sales into front desk leadership and immediately clicked. She challenges the team to create meaningful guest experiences, not simply complete service transactions.
Her transition into front desk leadership has sharpened the team’s focus from completing transactions to creating lasting impressions. She asks the front desk team to create memories, not simply complete transactions.
Victoria Carrier
Muhammad Ali Center
Victoria keeps the events team structured and the guest experience elevated when timelines tighten. Her steady coordination helps the team deliver polished events while ensuring guests remain welcomed and comfortable.
Her coordination becomes most valuable near the deadline, when structure and calm allow the team to maintain quality without losing warmth. Her coordination keeps both the team organized and the guest experience elevated under pressure.