Who Runs Hillside
Family-led, with a tight crew that's been at Hillside through more than one chapter. Luke and Ben Fortney took the keys in 2024; the people below keep the place running every day of the season.
Family + Leadership
Owner
Third-generation South Dakota builder. Luke owns Empire Building Construction in Sioux Falls — a seventy-person commercial GC founded by his father Ercell in 1983 — and bought The Hillside from the Luthers in 2024 with his son Ben.
Operations
Luke's son. Runs day-to-day at the resort — the marina, the fleet booking, and the weekend pace. Signs off on every milestone delivered under the property's improvement plan.
Operations + Strategy
Brought in to keep the venues humming together — front-of-house, events, and the small-business mechanics that make a multi-venue resort run. The connective tissue across the Steakhouse, BluCabana, Hemingway's, the Sea Store, and the marina.
On Property Every Day
General Manager
Runs day-to-day resort operations across lodging, dining, and the marina. Owns guest recovery, schedules the team, and keeps the property on standard when the Fortneys aren't on site. Some of the staff she leads have been at Hillside through multiple ownerships.
Marina · Kitchen · Front of House
Captains on the marina, line cooks and servers in the Steakhouse and Hemingway's, hosts at BluCabana and the Sea Store. Some have been here through multiple ownerships. They are the Hillside.
Reach Us Direct
Booking + reservations route through (605) 838-7953 or lodging@hillsideresort.com. For weddings, events, and group bookings, ask for Teasha or Ben.
