Volume 2, No. 13. July 12, 2002
Terry
Weerts, 1953-2002
Ben Jones was serving as chairman of the FEC committee with the International
Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions when Terry Weerts came on board.
The man who had guided the growth of the Celebration Station chain of family
entertainment centers offered Jones, president of Recreation Group in Rochester
Hills, Michigan, some hints to help him better fulfill his role as chairman
of the committee.
“Terry helped
me take six or seven points we were trying to accomplish and boil it down to
four points that truly encompassed everything,” Jones said. “That
was one of his strong suits. He was huge on setting goals and objectives, and
he had the ability to clearly outline objectives for his team and set goals
for the group and for himself.”
A man of balance
and quick accomplishment who readily shared his experience with colleagues and
competitors described Weerts, who died June 22 after a heart attack at his home
in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was 49.
Weerts started
fast in his career, opening a Noble Roman's pizza parlor as partner-owner shortly
after graduating from Purdue University. Before long he had opened 13 Noble
Romans. Merrillville, Indiana, based Whiteco took notice and tapped Weerts to
serve as operations manager for the company’s first FEC, a Celebration
Station in Merrillville Weerts eventually built a 15-store chain, and in January
2000 was promoted to Director of Development for Whiteco Industries to develop
hotels.
During his 11-year
tenure heading up the Celebration Station operations, Weerts established a lasting
legacy for the FEC industry. “Terry ran what was arguably one of the best
multi-chain FECs in the country and helped the industry refine operating goals
and objectives: what was a good mix, how much square footage was best, how many
holes of miniature golf to put in,” Jones said. “Without someone out
there building a dozen in a few years, we would have learned, but the learning
curve would have been much steeper for all of us.”
The learning curve
was not so steep only because of Weerts’ willingness to share. “He
met tons of people throughout the industry, and he wasn’t afraid to share
information with you or tell you his feelings to help grow this industry,”
said Dusty Day, director of operations for Celebration Station who considered
Weerts his mentor. “He promoted the idea that families who play together
stay together, and he believed that wholeheartedly”
The philosophies
Weerts expressed in his professional life he practiced in his family life with
wife Mary, and their two children, ages 14 and 12. He often took his children
along on business trips, and he used them as testers in his Celebration Stations.
“He gave all of himself to work when he was working, but when work was
over he gave all of himself to family and friends,” Jones said.
“I remember when I was a young general manager she said, ‘Use your brain and do what’s right,’” Day said. “That was his big thing: ‘Do what’s right.’”
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