Michelle Yelton Email and Phone Number

I am a senior marketing and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience working with regional, national and international companies across multiple industries. I specialize in brand development and ensuring that a company's vision and voice are aligned in all marketing and communications practices. At present, I own and operate Michelle Yelton LLC where I provide contracted marketing and communications services to a variety of clients in diverse industries such as The Carolina Foothills Foundation, Tryon Riding & Hunt Club, Foothills Humane Society, Equine Sport Group, the Town of Spindale, NC, International Show Jumping Officials Club, Trion Coatings, and more. Most recently, I served as the Director of Communications and Marketing at Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort (Tryon International), a 1,600-acre equestrian lifestyle and competition destination in Mill Spring, NC that attracts 400,000+ visitors a year and hosts weekly events year round. One of my most significant accomplishments in this role was spearheading marketing and communications for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ hosted by Tryon International. This Olympic-scale, two-week event attracted more than 200,000 attendees from all 50 states and 68 foreign countries, and generated 4.7 billion media impressions and 4.5 million unique TV viewers.During my seven years with Tryon International, I served as a member of the executive team and, at various junctures, assumed leadership of several other departments including sponsorship, vendors, printing and signage, ticketing, volunteers, and event production.Prior to Tryon International, I was the founder and president of McConnell Group Public Relations, an award-winning public relations, marketing and event production company catering to small businesses, non-profit organizations, and tourism industries. McConnell Group was a 2016 winner of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce “Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award,” an honor given annually to only 100 small businesses in the United States. During my tenure at McConnell Group, I co-founded the Dirty Dancing Festival in Lake Lure, which has been featured in worldwide media outlets such as PEOPLE Magazine, New York Times, O Magazine and BBC News.Before founding McConnell Group, I worked in marketing, communications and event production roles in Washington, DC and Los Angeles, CA.