It takes a year-round effort to maintain St. Louis’ reputation as one of the country’s best sports towns. Schreiber and his team have consistently delivered marquee national events, from January’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships to March Madness, both at The Enterprise Center. The Sports Commission is also bidding on the 2031 Women’s World Cup and the 2032 NCAA Women’s Final Four. Last year marked the 20th anniversary of the Musial Awards, a homegrown event that’s now broadcast annually on CBS. “[It’s] putting St. Louis on the map as the home of sportsmanship in America,” he says. “That’s a pretty good thing for our community to be known for.”
Hear Sarah Fenske’s interview with Marc Schreiber on The 314 Podcast.
2026 QUESTIONNAIRE
What advice would you give to the next generation of St. Louis entrepreneurs or leaders? We need to actively be part of the solution to our region’s challenges. Don’t just sit back and gripe about our shortcomings. Educate yourself on them, have a good understanding, be thoughtful, be empathetic, and then do what you can to move St. Louis forward.
What do you do when you’re feeling stuck or uninspired? Go for a run. It’s hard to do that during the work day, but when I have the time, running is often the best way for me to reset, clear my head, and think creatively.
Who in your company (or industry) deserves more recognition for their impact? The Sports Commission’s staff deserves so much of the credit for our organizational successes. I always appreciate it when someone says to me, “Thank you for what you do for St. Louis.” But for the Sports Commission—and forgive me for the cliché here—it’s truly a team effort. That includes all of our supporters, too. But in terms of our staff, they accomplish more with less. Over time, we’ve been so fortunate to have colleagues that give their all because they care so much about their work and the impact they can have on St. Louis.
What’s a local organization, nonprofit, or initiative that more people should know about—and why? Because there are so many and I hesitate to single out one, I’ll go the self-serving route and say the Sports Commission’s very own Musial Awards. Why? Two reasons in particular. One, this homegrown event that now airs nationally every year on CBS is putting St. Louis on the map as the home of sportsmanship in America. That’s a pretty good thing for our community to be known for. Second, the event is a platform to encourage kindness, selflessness, integrity and civility—all so greatly needed in society. I’d love more people to know about—and experience—the Musial Awards because the sportsmanship moments we celebrate not only uplift, but also inspire all of us to live our lives with class, decency, and respect.
2025 QUESTIONNAIRE
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
What has you most excited about the future of your company or industry? The opportunities we have to make an impact on the St. Louis region and be a driver of activity and vibrancy in downtown St. Louis through the events that we win for our community.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? I’m optimistic we’re making progress in this area, but just looking locally, we could be more successful if we had financial support from our local public sector. Lacking that, we are at a competitive disadvantage. But with it, we can generate a great return on investment.
What’s the toughest business challenge you’ve had to overcome (excluding the pandemic) and why? Competition from our peer markets. Other communities are making significant investments in efforts to attract major sporting events. They’ve also worked to strengthen themselves as destinations. But just the numbers themselves are daunting. A couple of decades ago, an event might garner a handful of bids. Now, when we bid for a major sporting event like an NCAA championship, there may be 15 to 20 cities in the running.
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MENTORS & PEERS
To whom or where do you go for sound business advice? The Sports Commission’s board leadership, especially the members of our executive committee, have been a great resource to me for advice and perspective. There are also others who I count as professional/personal friends whom I trust and turn to. Prior to his passing a couple of years ago, it was my father, who showed me the importance of being civically engaged.
Do you have a business mentor? If so, who and why? That’s an easy one. It’s Frank Viverito, who I’ve spent just about my entire professional career working with. The amount of stuff Frank has taught me through the years makes my head explode, but I couldn’t have been more fortunate to have a front row seat watching how he built a successful organization and developed the most genuine of relationships. He gave me the ultimate gifts sharing his wisdom, his care, and his time helping me grow professionally and personally.
What piece of advice has had the most significant impact on your career? I credit Frank with two pieces of advice that always stick with me: One, it’s all about relationships, And two, how important it is to put yourself in others’ shoes and see things from others’ perspective. You may not agree with them, but at least understand where they’re coming from.
Who is the most interesting under-the-radar/emerging business leader in St. Louis and why? I’ll give the nod on that one to the Sports Commission’s chair, Mike Loynd. I’m certainly biased on that, but Mike is deeply passionate about St. Louis and has bold vision and ideas for advancing St. Louis.
What is one thing you would change about the St. Louis metro area business environment and why? My magic wand would change the regional business environment to make downtown St. Louis a civic and economic priority, no matter where their actual businesses were geographically located. It’s the heart of our region, and we can’t succeed unless it is strengthened.
BACKGROUND
Where were you born? St. Louis
What was your childhood aspiration? I wanted to be a sportscaster, specifically the next Bob Costas.
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? I was a production assistant and reporter for a high school sports TV show that aired on WGN in Chicago. Besides learning where every high school in the Chicagoland area is located, the job taught me the importance of being receptive to constructive criticism and feedback.
What educational degrees do you hold, and where were they earned? I have a bachelor’s in journalism from Northwestern University. Go ‘Cats!
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
If you were not in your current profession, what would you be doing and why? Either baseball play-by-play somewhere because that was my dream job or working in the commercial airline industry because of my fascination with flying.
What is your favorite St. Louis-area restaurant, and what do you typically order there? Eleven Eleven Mississippi. I usually can’t pass up the lunch trio (mixed field greens salad, butternut squash soup, and margherita flatbread).
What is one item you recently crossed off your bucket list? Attending a college softball game with one of my daughters at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
What is one book you think everyone should read (or podcast everyone should listen to) and why? Embarrassingly, I’m not a book reader or podcast listener, but instead a loyal—some might say obsessive—reader of the Post-Dispatch and The New York Times’ Morning and Opinion newsletters. I know I’m old school on this, but I wish more people subscribed to and digested the content from a daily newspaper. It’s a vital way for us all to stay informed and better understand the nuances of local, national, and global issues.
What’s your hobby/passion? Spending time with my family, including walking with my wife (and our dog, Alvin), helping to coach one of my daughter’s softball teams, and sharing a love of flying with my other daughter. I also, at least on the weekends, run so I can do one of my most favorite things, which is eat.
What is your most prized possession? A baseball glove that Stan Musial autographed and gave to my dad to give to me.
What would people be surprised to learn about you—a fun fact? Along with my doubles partner, I won a high school state championship in racquetball. Half-jokingly I say that after high school, I stopped playing so I could go out on top.
What is your go-to karaoke song? You won’t catch me doing karaoke. It would be painful for everyone involved.
