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Image Source: Frakenmuth CVB
Even before her husband asked her to be his bride in a horse-drawn carriage in the Bavarian town of Frankenmuth, Michigan native Jamie Furbush loved the city. They held their wedding reception at the Bavarian Inn, and they moved to town permanently a few months later.
“Now it’s been 24 years, and it’s the only home my kids have ever known,” said Ms. Furbush, the President and CEO of the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau. “I’m very proud to now call Frankenmuth my home. We’re really rooted in values around here.”
Frankenmuth, located an hour and a half north of Detroit and a stone’s throw from Lake Huron, was founded in 1845 by German settlers. Known as “Michigan’s Little Bavaria,” the town is built in a classic European architectural style that gives visitors a sense of being far away without leaving the state.
“Many of the families here are multi-generational descendants of the settlers, so there are a lot of deep-rooted, vested people who live here, go to church here, and own businesses here in town,” she said.
And she should know — in her position with the CVB, she’s tasked with supporting local business owners while working with other community leaders to shape the future of Frankenmuth.
Thanks to this collaboration, a lot is going on in Frankenmuth these days. Around three million tourists come to this little town of 5,000 residents annually to experience their official Munich-sanctioned Oktoberfest, the world’s largest Christmas store, and famous chicken dinners. New water parks and a planned sports complex are making it even more popular with families who already love its distinctive feel.
Furbush, having grown up in southeast Michigan, started her career in hotel sales, banquet planning, and tourism. So, when her husband’s job was transferred in 2002 and they were looking to move, it was a dream to work as the Meetings and Convention Sales Manager with Frankenmuth’s CVB.
Six years later, she took over the role of President and CEO and became even more invested in promoting the town’s festivals, attractions, and events.
“The Convention and Visitors Bureau, we’ve been in the marketing business for our entire existence. We help tell the story, and we help fill in the gaps so people can work together,” she explained. “If the community is successful, the businesses can be confident enough to expand.”
Her team works closely with the city manager, elected officials, and the school superintendent. Ms. Furbush and her team sit on a variety of city committees, including the parks and recreation department, for example. In turn, the mayor and the city manager have seats on the CVB’s board of directors. This creates a relationship built on transparency and a willingness to consider different perspectives and priorities.
“I like to think we’re like two sides of the coin,” said Bridget Smith, Frankenmuth’s City Manager. “She makes me move faster, because she always thinks the government takes too long, and I make her slow down a little bit to consider all the potential impacts.”
The result is a measured and exciting future. One that community leaders can envision as natural growth on the town’s already-strong economic and cultural foundation.
Over the next three to five years, Ms. Furbush and her team are focused on a big project: enhancing sports tourism.
“We’re a small town with three or four baseball fields. Most weekends of the summer, we have tournaments,” she said. “People love coming here, but we never had a facility to target bringing more people in.”
In 2024, the town succeeded in attracting the Memorial Cup, a Canadian hockey league championship. Ms. Furbush wants that to be just the beginning.
By focusing on attracting more tournaments by building a sports complex, she hopes to fill some of the slower shoulder seasons, keep hotels full, and even support the growth of surrounding towns through the overflow of tourists.
Ms. Smith said the city was on board with the plan because it creates opportunities for residents to use world-class facilities during the week for Little League games and adult sports events alike.
“Our three million friends who visit us each year allow us to have amenities that a community of 5,000 could never have,” Ms. Smith explained. “From the city’s perspective, it’s all about how we balance what is best for the residents while providing exceptional service for our visiting friends in terms of things like public safety, waste treatment, and sidewalks.”
Ms. Furbush said she expects to see private developers building more hotels in the area in the coming years. The Mill at Zehnder Park, a boutique-style hotel and new landmark lounge in a renovated historic mill, is scheduled to open next year.
“It’s nice to offer, in a small destination, something for everyone,” Ms. Furbush said. “We have an affordable, limited-service Frankenmuth Motel, water park properties, and now an exclusive boutique hotel for the special events in your life.”
Image Source: Frakenmuth CVB
While Ms. Furbush is proud of her team at the CVB, she said the community’s long-term success only happens when they work together with all stakeholders.
“Collaboration is a superpower in Frankenmuth,” she said, echoing the same mantra that Ms. Smith shared.
“We always have all the partners at the table,” Ms. Furbush continued. “We don’t always agree. We want to make sure we have the checks and balances to grow with intention and caution, in a way that works.”
An example she gave was the town’s efforts during the height of the COVID lockdown. Area business owners held Zoom meetings to reimagine ways to keep the popular Christmas season while staying safe.
“Our current Christmas experience was born out of COVID. We used the time to position ourselves to improve the future,” she said. “We didn’t have an ice rink or a 40-foot singing tree before the pandemic.”
In her leadership role, she often takes the bird’s-eye view to see what’s missing or how tourism-focused businesses can improve. She said she shares requests she hears from visitors, such as consistent signage or extended restaurant hours, with local entrepreneurs.
It’s a warm relationship. Everyone in town is happy to work together for the future, as the effort builds on a long history started by their German ancestors, she explained.
“We are hard workers with high expectations,” she said. “Our business community contributes together. They want things done nicely, and they’re willing to pitch in to make sure it’s done well.”
