ILLINOISouth tourism bureau CEO Jo Kathmann to retire

Jo Kathmann says she enjoys challenges.

Good thing, then, that she was tapped as CEO of the ILLINOISouth Tourism Bureau in 2002. At the time, the bureau covered less than half its current territory and was in $250,000 of debt. The bureau retired that debt after five years, Kathmann said, while also matching dollar for dollar the government grants critical to its operations. The bureau has grown, too, now covering 22 counties sandwiched between the Mississippi and Wabash rivers.

Prior to her time at ILLINOISouth, Kathmann worked at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville for almost 30 years.

Kathmann will retire July 1. Announcement of a new CEO has not been publicly made. ILLINOISouth is headquartered at 4387 N. Illinois St. in Swansea.

Q: How did you come to be CEO of ILLINOISouth?

A: “Having been at the Shrine almost 30 years, things were changing. I’d been in a few positions over there and helped and watched it grow over the years. And someone called me and told me about this position being open. And I kind of dismissed it. And about a week or two later, somebody else called me to say this position was open. I thought it was pretty interesting and took that as a sign. So I applied and got the job.”

Q: What was it like coming into that role?

A: “Difficult. Because I had inherited a small staff, and I wanted to see the books. I looked at the books and came to realize they hadn’t had an audit in a couple years. We hired an accounting firm, and it turned out that the tourism bureau owed a quarter of a million dollars. In all fairness to the board (at that time) they had new people who were not aware. It took some time after meeting with the board to unfold what had transpired. Apparently, not really good things had happened. We were under court supervision. That was a joy. That was a first for me.”

Q: What fiscal challenges did that present to the bureau?

A: “Half of our budget comes from the state. It’s a matching grant, and we had to match it dollar for dollar. This compounded with the debt, and I thought ‘Oh my.’ So I made a business model and started calling mayors in cities and started to ask for a second chance if they would afford me to be their sales and marketing arm for the region. And bless their heart, I guess they took pity on me. That’s how it began. To retire that debt, first we had to match those dollars. But then we had to create partnerships and relationships with the individual communities and ask for their trust. And a lot of these communities don’t have these massive budgets where they can hire marketing professionals. We could enhance their dollars. We became good friends, got in the trenches and so has gone the growth of the bureau. Five years it took us to retire that debt, and that’s on top of having to match the grant dollars first. For sure, we became aggressive marketers.”

Q: Indeed, the bureau has grown from covering eight counties when you started as CEO to 22 now. How did that happen?

A: “We don’t often see what’s in our own backyard. But by going and experiencing what communities and villages and towns had to offer, I thought ‘These people, they need help.’ They’re not like our bigger cities. They don’t have the population. That’s what drove me: This small town, then that small town, then that small town. I also came to find out parochialism is alive and well. I would talk to groups and say, for example, ‘You have this great winery.’ And they would say ‘Yeah, but we have no lodging.’ And I would say ‘But 10 minutes down the road, there’s a lovely bed and breakfast.’ And they would say ‘Well, that’s not in our county.’ Visitors don’t really care. When they’re going to go somewhere they’re not looking for a county line. They’re interested in experience, good food, wonderful things to see and experiences that they and their significant other or their families can enjoy. So that helped to sort of blend the county lines and get people to reach across them.”

Q: ILLINOISouth covers the largest geographic area of any tourism bureau in Illinois. How do you manage such a big space?

A: “Experience, a good business plan, a very competent and talented staff, building relationships in those far distances. We go from river to river. When we take trips and visit somewhere, we might stop in several communities on the way out. We’ll set it all up; it takes a lot of planning. Sometimes people from other areas will come in and we’ll do joint meetings. And of course, email. Think how wonderful the Internet is. It’s done great things — couldn’t have done this 25, 30 years ago.”

Q: What’s been most rewarding for you in your time as CEO?

A: “Certainly the people that I’ve had the good fortune to meet and developing relationships and having a very competent staff. But the sense of accomplishment to me is important. I’m a builder, I like challenges. Everybody has something that makes them tick, a passion for something or another, and mine was to build. And once it was up and running and once our debt was retired, it was ‘Let’s create something new. How can we grow it?’ So we went from eight counties to 10 counties to 18 counties to 22 counties. And there are a couple more counties that are interested in joining our bureau. If our surrounding counties hear that the county over there has had their economic impact increase because of our work, why wouldn’t they join? It’s a win-win. Now they can be part of a successful economic engine.”

Q: About that sense of accomplishment. Do you feel comfortable leaving what you’ve helped build?

A: “Absolutely. I’ve been very blessed with a very competent staff. The bureau’s growth has not happened because of me. It has happened because of us. Partners in the communities, mayors, people who were open to us. My staff does an outstanding job, they make me look good. So why in the world would I be concerned when I leave? That’s something I have no worries about. Zero worry.”

Q: What are your plans after retirement?

A: “I’m looking forward to the freedom of choice. I’m open to the mystery.”

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 7:00 AM with the headline "ILLINOISouth tourism bureau CEO Jo Kathmann to retire."