Mengel reflects on opportunity in leading St. Joseph CVB
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- On Thursday, the Buchanan County Tourism Board and the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) announced Christian Mengel as the CVB's new Executive Director.
Mengel currently serves as the Bureau's Director of Communications and Marketing. He joined the CVB in 2022 after working for the News-Press and Gazette in marketing and advertising, as well as at FOX4 in Kansas City, Missouri.
From a pool of 25 applicants, Mengel was the logical choice, according to CVB Board President Ryan Dowell.
"Christian is young. He's intelligent, creative. He's self-motivated. He's not the type of guy that shows up at 8:00 in the morning, and you have to give him a list of objectives for the day," Dowell said about why the board felt Mengel was the one. "He's going to show up at 8:00 in the morning and already have them. And he just gets to it. Just he just he's just on, new people are coming to town to maybe shoot some film."
Dowell shared that, with the growth the CVB sees in the area, now is the time to strike, and that's what they hope to continue doing with Mengel at the helm.
"Saint Joe is on the map. It always has been for people looking for history. But, with our sports commission, Saint Joe's is now on that map. We're on a sports tourism map. It used to be people from Kansas City would drive straight through to Omaha," Dowell said. "They're going to get more, and well, Saint Joe now is a contender; really easily, it's making that possible with his knowledge and his connections, like we are this weekend with the high school volleyball tournaments, and that (Mengel) and Brett are working together really well."
Mengel is a lifelong resident of Northwest and North Central Missouri.
"It was hard to believe when I learned that (I was chosen to be the next executive director)," Mengel shared Friday. "I've always prioritized doing work that I wanted to do. I always wanted a job that I'd be happy to go to. So, I never prioritized money or this or that necessarily. It was always like, what's the type of work? And would I have fun doing it?"
Mengel is a graduate of Missouri Western State University with a degree in Convergent Media, a graduate of the Southeast Tourism Society's Marketing College program and is a certified Film Commission Professional through the Association of Film Commissioners International.
Through these duties, Mengel believes he's found a new passion that has helped him get to where he wants to be.
"(People) always think of tourism is like the beaches, the mountains, big cities, national parks. You never think about tourism as something that's happening actually in our communities that we live here," Mengel said. "It wasn't until I got into it that I realized that tourism is really just a tool. To bring in visitor dollars so we can have nice things as residents."
Mengel's accolades include securing several marketing grants totaling over $800,000 for the CVB, expanding the Show Me St. Jo! experience, and earning the 2025 Film Industry Champion award from the Missouri Division of Tourism.
Mengel serves on community boards, including the Pony Express Historical Association and Main Street St. Joseph.
"It's a cool town; it has awesome history. It has so much potential. Everybody knows it. And I think that's the reason they haven't left. Everybody's feeling like we're right on the verge of something special," Mengel said about how he believes the town is growing. "If just 1 or 2 things change, and if everybody can get on the same page, it could be incredible." People are betting on Saint Joseph, even if they're not openly betting; they're betting on it just by being here."
Mengel will begin his new duties on Oct. 1, 2026.
