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Frankenmuth draws more than 3 million visitors every year to a community of just 5,000 residents. But what happens when a community decides its next big investment is not for the tourists? Jamie Furbush, president of the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, shares the vision behind the Frankenmuth Sports Complex. What they are building might surprise you, but who they are building it for will surprise you even more.
Links
Frankenmuth Credit Union Sports Complex: Website
Sponsor:
This episode is sponsored by the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau: Website
Inside the Frankenmuth Sports Complex with Jamie Furbush
Frankenmuth draws more than 3 million visitors every year to a community of just 5,000 residents. The Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce, celebrating its 120th anniversary in 2026, has spent decades helping shape what Michigan’s Little Bavaria means to the world: chicken dinners, Christmas at Bronner’s, festivals, and now two of the state’s top indoor waterparks. But the next chapter for this small town is not about the visitors. It is about the people who live there.
The Frankenmuth Sports Complex: What It Is and Why It Matters
The Frankenmuth Credit Union Sports Complex is a 100,000-plus square foot indoor facility breaking ground on October 1, 2026, with an expected opening by the end of 2027. The Frankenmuth Sports Complex will feature six basketball courts that convert to 12 volleyball courts and 18 pickleball courts, with drop-down curtains allowing multiple sports to run simultaneously. Beyond tournaments, the facility will offer daytime senior programming, youth leagues, fitness opportunities, and flex rooms for community events. The project is the result of nearly a decade of planning by the Frankenmuth Chamber and Convention and Visitors Bureau, led by President Jamie Furbush.
Sports Tourism and Regional Economic Impact
The complex is projected to generate more than 19,000 hotel room nights and over $10.5 million in annual direct spending. Because Frankenmuth does not have the hotel capacity to absorb that volume alone, neighboring communities like Bay City, Saginaw, Bridgeport, and Midland stand to benefit directly. Jamie Furbush describes the facility as a regional asset, one designed to share economic impact across the Great Lakes Bay Region rather than concentrate it in a single zip code.
Destination Development Beyond Tourism
Frankenmuth has quietly been practicing what the tourism industry calls destination development for over a decade, advancing the Cass River Greenway and Water Trail, launching festivals like the World Expo of Beer and Oktoberfest, and watching its food scene expand with newer spots alongside the iconic chicken dinner restaurants. The Frankenmuth Sports Complex continues that trajectory but with a different focus. The facility is owned by the Frankenmuth Growth and Development Foundation, meaning proceeds flow back into the community through grants, scholarships, and free programming. For Jamie Furbush, the real vision is not packed tournament brackets. It is a place where new residents meet their neighbors, where young families connect, and where a small town invests in the depth of its own community.
