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About

Colorado Springs'
most iconic wedding venue

Our History

Mitchell Yellen, owner of Altitude Hospitality Group, had an idea for an all-inclusive wedding and event venue in Colorado Springs. One day, he was driving on I-25 and noticed the old, run-down building that was located at 775 W Bijou St. He drove up to the property and walked around the building as he prayed, similar to the biblical story of Jericho. At that moment, he felt God guiding him to build the venue at that location.

Though people doubted his decision, he went through with purchasing the building. Then, economic recession hit in 2008, but that didn’t stop Yellen from bringing his vision to reality. Demolition and renovations began, and The Pinery at the Hill opened in October of 2013. Since then, the surrounding area has followed suit and seen growth and rejuvenation, and The Pinery has become the city’s most-loved wedding venue.

Year Built: 2013

22,000 Square Feet

Our Team

Kelsey Horwitz

Executive Chef

Liese Butler

Executive Floral Designer

Karson

Entertainment Director

Michelle Benson

Director of Weddings and Events

Randi O'Neal

Wedding and Event Coordinator

Kelsey Horwitz

Executive Chef

Kelsey has been with Altitude Hospital Group for 9 years; Five of them as the Executive Chef of The Pinery at the Hill. She has degrees in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management with over 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry. She is driven by her love for nourishing guests through the art of food! She loves curating new, creative & innovative dishes. Outside of work she is found with a book in hand and a notepad in reach for whenever a new recipe is just begging to be tried.

Liese Butler

Executive Floral Designer

Liese has been in the floral business for over 35 years. She started out working in the Chicago area and specialized in wedding & event work. After marriage, she moved to the San Francisco area and managed a high end floral shop. Six years later, she and her husband moved back to the Chicago area and took over her parent’s International Orchid Nursery for 16 years. They were one of the top growers and orchid experts in the country. Liese continued doing floral design on the side; specializing in the wedding industry. In 2012, they sold the business and moved out to Colorado Springs. Liese has been the head of the floral department for The Pinery since they opened in 2013, and has thoroughly enjoyed designing the floral and décor for all of the weddings, parties, and events.

Karson

Entertainment Director

All Star DJ’s is Colorado’s premiere entertainment. Karson operates a successful DJ company in Southern Colorado and surrounding areas. He and his team have more than 20+ years’ experience in the entertainment industry, where they specialize in weddings & events! You can rest assure that you are in the hands of dependable, professional entertainers with a history of excellence. Our goal is to relieve you of stress at your event, allow you to have fun with your friends and take control of the event to ensure it’s a success.

Mitchell Yellen

Owner

Owner Mitchell Yellen is an entrepreneur, author, investment banker and financial engineer whose honesty and integrity has led to success both in his professional and personal life. He owns many successful businesses in the Colorado Springs area, including Garden of the Gods Gourmet Market & Café, Garden of the Gods Gourmet Catering & Events, Till Kitchen, Sprig Eats and has exclusive partnerships with the U.S. Olympic Training Center, the U.S. Air Force Academy and many other well established businesses in the Colorado Springs area.

Michelle Benson

Director of Weddings and Events

Michelle is our general manager as well as one of our Wedding & Event coordinators. Michelle has been with the Pinery at the Hill in various capacities since 2014. She also has a degree in Hospitality and Event Planning. Michelle has an incredible eye for detail and desires to help make your event as special and tailored to your expectations as possible. She truly loves taking care of people and is passionate about guest experience. When not at work, Michelle enjoys running, hiking, walking (just being outside), reading, and spending time with friends or serving at church.

Randi O'Neal

Wedding and Event Coordinator

Randi is our newest addition to the team as one of our wedding and event coordinators. She is energetic, creative, client focused and ready to plan your next event or wedding. Randi has a background in sales and marketing and comes with 9 years’ experience in event planning. Outside of work, Randi can be found flipping/renovating houses and hanging with her kids.
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