How Eric Engelbarts and the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance Turn Events and Entertainment into Economic Vitality
By Greg Woodman | Publisher, Connect Happy Valley
Why This Matters
The State Games of America, coming to Penn State July 24–August 2, 2026, will bring more than 8,000 athletes and thousands of fans to Happy Valley. Tens of thousands of room nights and millions in visitor spending are expected. For the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance (HVSEA), the small nonprofit that helped land the event, it is proof that measurable, visitor-driven growth works.
Founded by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, the HVSEA was created to enrich quality of life, raise regional visibility, and drive economic results through sports and entertainment. Its mission is simple: put heads in beds and heat in seats.
Unlike many nonprofits that rely on grants, the HVSEA runs on a performance-based model funded by the 5 percent hotel-occupancy tax. The more people who stay overnight, the more resources the Alliance has to attract new events. When visitors fill hotels and Airbnbs, tax revenue rises, allowing reinvestment in more experiences that bring people back. It is a self-reinforcing cycle, the little engine that not only thinks it can but does.
A Second-Floor View of the Future
I met Eric Engelbarts II, STS, the Alliance’s executive director, in his second-floor office inside the Beaver Avenue Parking Garage. The windowless space feels more like a strategic bunker than an executive suite, a place built for getting things done.
“Every community has shelves of strategic plans,” he said. “What they don’t always have is execution.”
Engelbart’s came to Happy Valley in 2023 from Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and three sons. With more than two decades in sports management, he previously led the Michigan Sports Alliance and held roles with the West Michigan Sports Commission and the Alabama Sports Festival. He holds the Sports Tourism Strategist certification from the Sports Events & Tourism Association, a credential that recognizes national expertise in events that generate measurable economic impact.
“Our revenue rises when the community thrives,” he explained. “When we bring visitors here, everyone benefits, from hotels and restaurants to retailers and residents.”
Confidence You Can See
At the Nittany Residence Club groundbreaking, Engelbarts reminded the audience that tourism is not a luxury but a foundation for growth.
“Tourism is families filling restaurants, alumni reliving Penn State memories, and first-timers discovering our culture and natural beauty,” he said. “To keep welcoming them, we must continue investing in quality lodging and experiences.”
The 70-unit condominium-hotel at Beaver and Atherton, developed by Penn State alumni, shows that confidence. Nearly half the units were sold before construction began. “It’s not just a building,” Engelbarts said later. “It’s a statement of belief in our future.”
Delivering a Four-Season Economy
Under Engelbarts leadership, the Alliance has built a year-round calendar of events. The IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship, scheduled for June 14, 2026, will bring more than 3,000 athletes. The All-Women’s Sports Festival, launching Memorial Day Weekend 2026, will celebrate female athletes and open the summer season.
HVSEA also owns and operates the Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest, a growing entertainment event that fills hotels and restaurants, while supporting the PIAA Golf State Championships, Nittany Valley Half Marathon, and Happy Valley Film Bootcamp. Two more major events are in discussion for 2027 and 2028.
“These events keep the local economy moving between football weekends,” Engelbarts said. “Our goal is to make Happy Valley a true four-season destination.”
Business Entertainment
The HVSEA is expanding from hosting events to owning them. By producing its own festivals and tournaments, the organization captures ticket sales, sponsorships, and vendor revenue that can be reinvested in future growth.
“We don’t just host events; we build them,” Engelbarts said. “Each new festival or championship creates its own economic ripple. The more we own, the more we can reinvest right here in the community.”
In addition to the hotel tax, future funding will come from corporate sponsorships, ticketed entertainment, and event licensing. The goal is a diversified structure that stays strong even during slower tourism periods.
A Model Built on Accountability
Every event must justify itself through measurable results. Because the Alliance’s funding depends entirely on the 5 percent hotel-occupancy tax, its success rises and falls with visitor activity. When rooms fill and guests stay longer, that revenue grows, powering the next round of events.
“When we measure tourism properly, we see that it’s one of the most powerful engines for local reinvestment,” Engelbarts said. “Every visitor who stays overnight helps keep the lights on for the next event, the next restaurant shift, the next local paycheck.”
That cycle of heads in beds and heat in seats is the polling booth that matters most for Happy Valley’s hospitality economy. Each booking and every ticket sold help reverse the trend of restaurants closing for extra days to survive. The goal is to see dining rooms full, shops open, and energy flowing through the community every day of the week.
This is what happens when a community moves from “I think I can” to “I know we can.”
Keeping the Rides Running
Happy Valley has often been compared to an adult version of Disney World, where sports, food, and the arts create a constant sense of motion. Engelbarts and his team are the operators keeping the rides running.
Their performance-based structure ensures that when the Alliance succeeds, the entire community benefits. Visitors become repeat guests. Local businesses gain stability. Investors and residents gain confidence in the region’s future. It is economic development powered by accountability, not subsidy, proving that small engines, when built with purpose, can drive big results.
The Bottom Line
The Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance is showing that tourism can be a long-term economic development strategy. Its model combines a 5 percent hotel-tax foundation that scales with performance, owned entertainment assets that generate recurring income, and partnerships that amplify impact.
It is a blueprint for how smaller regions can build a resilient visitor economy through focus, data, and imagination.
As Happy Valley prepares to welcome thousands of athletes, filmmakers, and festivalgoers, one truth stands out. This is not just about tourism. It is about a nonprofit that has learned how to grow by helping everyone around it grow too.
In Happy Valley, the little engine does.
