Jeffrey Beers International

Partner and Architect Michael Pandolfi joined JBI in 2000 and his deliberate, precise, and thoughtful approach to design has been a significant asset in growing our hospitality and entertainment portfolios. He has been the lead on a number of our impressively large projects ranging from the 200,000 square foot vibrant entertainment center, Texas Live!, the dramatic Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and most recently Sun Princess, Princess Cruise’s newest and largest ship ever built. From an intimate restaurant to a grand casino, Michael imbues our hospitality and entertainment work with our firm’s signature elegance and warmth.

Partner Nora Liu-Kanter’s work marries technical precision and creative inspiration. Over 20 years, she has been a leading force behind JBI’s most iconic work, including the beloved and timeless luxury resort, The Cove at Atlantis Bahamas; the studio’s first residential tower, One West End in New York; and most recently BONDST Hudson Yards restaurant. Nora has completed dozens of projects during her time at JBI, leading countless teams, and helping grow the next generation of designers for the industry. A talented ceramicist with a background in Fine Arts, Nora exemplifies our studio’s creativity and diversity across experiences, skillsets, and viewpoints.

Partner Tim Rooney is a focused leader and gifted communicator, whose balanced approach to client relationships has helped grow JBI’s luxury residential, commercial and mixed-use portfolios over the past 20 years. His leadership was instrumental for the planning and design of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation multiple award-winning offices, subtly balanced our design spirit with Boston’s culture for the $950 million development Echelon Seaport, and oversaw the $1.6 billion Atlantis Sanya in Hainan, China with 2.55 million square-feet spread across 153 acres. Most recently completed a 22,000 square-foot residential estate for one of our private VIP clients, Tim carries the warmth and collaborative spirit that embodies our firm’s ethos.

As Chief Operating Officer, Julia Choi oversees all of JBI’s business operations and strategy implementation. Julia has over 20 years of experience in the A&D industry, working with world renowned architects such as Peter Eisenman and Diller, Scofidio & Renfro before moving into the hospitality field with industry giants such as Rockwell Group, having previously served as Managing Director of Roman & Williams, and Director of Operations at Wilson Associates overseeing multiple offices. Julia studied architecture at the prestigious The Cooper Union and holds a Bachelors of Architecture degree.

On her rare days off, Julia flies single engine planes to see the world from a different perspective.

As CFO Jeff oversees all financial aspects of JBI. He has over 30 years of experience in the A&D field most recently having worked with Champalimaud Design and Rockwell Group.

Jeff studied both Fine Art and Finance and maintains creative practices as a musician and photographer. Jeff worked as a fine art conservation framer in the 1980’s, did retouching for the Diane Arbus estate, worked on Andy Warhol’s last show, and loved handling works from Davinci to De Kooning. A devoted dog rescuer he has adopted 7 dogs to date, many were senior and abused rescues.

Born in NJ he spent 18 years in Hoboken, NJ before moving to the Hudson Valley in 2004.

As Executive Director, John joined Jeffrey Beers International with an impressive background of design leadership spanning more than 30 years. He is an award-winning architect and design director with expertise in high-profile hospitality, residential, corporate, institutional, and commercial fields. Most recently, John held the position of Managing Director at Morris Adjmi Architects, where he successfully expanded the firm’s interior design practice. He also served as the Director of Interiors at SHoP, Studio Director at Clodagh, and Associate Principal at Studios Architecture in New York. John holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University and is a registered architect in New York State.

Edward “Teddy” Acero, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, graduated with Highest Honors from Pratt Institute with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture.  Upon earning his architectural license, he then worked at Rockwell Group for 10 years before joining JBI in 2006.  He also worked briefly as a Design Manager for Starbucks and as a Project Manager with Cooper Carry in building several cafés for Google’s new NY headquarters.

With hospitality design fully ingrained in his blood and a self-proclaimed comic book/animation geek, Teddy feels very fortunate to have been able to design and manage high profile projects both local and abroad that have given joy to lots of people.  From restaurants with famous chefs like Geoffrey Zacharian, Lidia Bastianich, Daniel Boulud, and Lydia Shire; cruise ships with Carnival, Costa, Disney and Princess Cruises; to hotels with Kerzner, Disney, Marriot, Hyatt and Hilton, Teddy loves collaborating with clients, colleagues and consultants seeing these projects come to fruition and having fun doing it.

Hee Seung Lee AIA NCARB, is a Senior Project Manager and Architectural Designer, who holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute School of Architecture. With over 20 years of professional experience, Hee Seung has worked with notable design firms including Champalimaud Design and Tihany Design. Prior to joining Jeffrey Beers International, Hee Seung oversaw the interior design development and construction of Four Seasons Jakarta hotel project in Indonesia which opened in 2016. Other notable hospitality projects in his experience include Hotel Bel-Air, Waldorf Astoria New York, and Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas.

At JBI, Hee Seung led award winning projects such as 277 Fifth Avenue, a high-end residential tower in Manhattan designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, and Sequoia Washington DC, an American cuisine restaurant w/ site-specific collaborative art installations. His latest project under construction is a large-scale integrated entertainment resort complex in Incheon, South Korea.

Nikoletta Stagias AIA, Interior Design Associate, received her Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and her Master of Architecture from University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining JBI, Nikoletta worked as Project Manager and Interiors Associate for Stonehill Taylor in New York. Notable projects include Raffles Boston, InterContinental Barclay Hotel New York, Park Terrace Bryant Park and Nomad Hotel (NYC). While at JBI, she led the design of projects for Hilton and Omni Hotels.

Keiko Matsumoto has joined JBI to execute and develop design strategies, build new relationships with clients, and help lead teams as well as mentor the next generation of JBI’s design talent. She has extensive experience in luxury hospitality and has worked closely with high-end developers and operators on both domestic and international projects. She is currently leading several exciting projects at JBI and counts the Ritz Carlton properties as her favorite.

Keiko was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan, and holds a Master’s degree in Architecture. She has lived in NYC for more than 18 years and proudly qualifies as a true New Yorker.