January 2017
24
www.sportseventsmagazine.com
SPECIAL FEATURE: Awards & Recognition Issue
What do you do
when baseball has
been a major part of your life from child-
hood through adulthood?
For Bryan Baar, the answer was simple:
run a baseball complex.
"I played in college at Western Michigan
University," said Baar, complex manager for
the Art Van Sports Complex in Grand Rapids,
MI. "I also ran a training facility. I ran a travel
program out of my facility. And I have boys
who played and traveled across the country,
so I have some good ideas to bring to the
table."
After his college career, Baar was drafted
by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1989 and
played four years
in the organi-
zation, moving
from Class A
to AAA before
hanging up his
cleats.
In 1995, he
opened Elite
Baseball and
Softball Training
in Grand Rapids,
and trained
more than 1,000
aspiring players
from ages 5 to
22 each year.
When the
idea of a baseball and softball complex
was spawned in 2008, Baar assisted with
the planning for the program. In 2014, he
became the facility manager.
"It started out the Sports Commission
had a vision to have a tournament-ready
complex to bring in tournaments to Western
Michigan," Baar said. "We have eight fields.
We have a championship field that is the
pinnacle of the facility. It has covered seating
for 1,000. It's a beautiful field. We have two
quads just outside of that. We also have a
Miracle field."
The complex hosted 18 weekend events
in 2016 and five smaller one-day events
scattered throughout August, September
and October, including the Game Day USA
Regional World Series that comprised 95
teams. Baar has 22 events scheduled for
2017.
Baar focuses on keeping the fields in top
condition.
"It's beautiful and it's well maintained,"
he said of the complex. "We have a great
grounds crew that does a tremendous job of
maintaining the facility and maintaining the
high level of excellence. Western Michigan
is a great draw. When teams come to play,
there is a lot of things for them to do."
Since opening the complex, Baar has
booked and managed 35 tournaments that
have brought
in 1,250 teams,
15,000 partici-
pants, 40,000-
plus spectators
and 14,000
booked hotel
room nights. He
hopes to increase
the number of
self-promoted
events.
"We hosted
a couple of
small events the
first two years,
nothing that's re-
curring," Baar said.
"The goal eventually is to hold two to four of
our own events through the seasons."
His vast experience, including traveling
with his sons, gives him insight into keeping
visitors happy.
"I coached my sons, 10u through 18u, so
I have a good idea what you need to have a
great complex," Baar said. "The two biggest
things are ease of getting in and out, and the
quality of the fields. We built top-notch fields
and we have the proper staff and equipment
to keep everything top notch throughout
the whole event. That's the biggest thing,
to keep the play-ability of the fields in top
quality throughout a tournament." n
Catulatis!
2017 Readers' Choice
Award Winners cont.
IOWA
Des Moines Area Sports Commission
www.catchdesmoines.com/sports
GO Cedar Rapids
www.gocedarrapids.com
KANSAS
Visit Overland Park
www.visitoverlandpark.com
Visit Wichita
www.visitwichita.com
KENTUCKY
Bowling Green Area CVB
www.visitbgky.com
Elizabethtown Tourism & Convention
Bureau
www.touretown.com
Louisville CVB
www.gotolouisville.com
LOUISIANA
Visit Baton Rouge
www.visitbatonrouge.com
Hammond Area Recreation
www.hammond.org
Jefferson CVB
www.visitjeffersonparish.com
Tangipahoa Parrish CVB
www.tangitourism.com
MARYLAND
Annapolis & Anne Arundel County
Conference & Visitors Bureau
www.visitannapolis.org
See Ad On Page 25
Visit Montgomery
www.visitmontgomery.com
continued on page 26
Bryan Baar
Complex Manager
Art Van Sports Complex
