Page 58 - BCM June 2024

COVER STORY

Springfield in 1982.
“My dad and I were working all
of those centers,” Wiemer — whose
two siblings grew up in the business
but followed different career paths
— recalls.
The modern iteration of R.
Wiemer Inc. began taking shape
in 1991 when Cherokee Lanes
was sold to Bass Pro Shops so it
could expand its massive Spring-
field campus (which includes the
original Bass Pro Shops store as
well as the Wonders of Wildlife
Museum and Aquarium) and the
family opened the 40-lane Enter-
prise Park Lanes. Two years later,
they acquired Sherm Lollar Lanes,
a 32-laner with which its namesake,
a noted Chicago White Sox catcher,
was involved, and changed the
name to Sunshine Lanes.
Today, those two centers are
operated by what one might call
Wiemer’s “bonus family” — a story
that speaks not only to his business
acumen but also to his character.
“I had a manager named Roy
Martin,” Wiemer says. “He had Enterprise Park Lanes Manager Chris Taylor (left) informs Greater Ozarks Open Tourna-
been at Cherokee Lanes, and then ment Director Matt Standage that’s he’s just a little too tall to utilize the center’s bumpers.
moved over to Enterprise Park.
But he got sick with leukemia and ever lost their dad at a young age,” married Matt Standage in 2017 —
passed away when he was 40.” she observes. “But by bringing serves as general manager of both
Martin left behind a wife and two us into their family — and their Enterprise Park Lanes and Sun-
children, the 12-year-old Keegan extended bowling family — it shine Lanes, and Matt is the tourna-
and her 9-year-old brother, Kyn- helped a lot. The bowling commu- ment director of the Greater Ozarks
dall. With no children of their own, nity is a big family, and we didn’t Open, a team, doubles and singles
Roger and his wife Carla stepped in, miss out on anything.” event that attracts more than 1,400
with the blessing of the children’s Tears appearing in her eyes, teams annually and now is its 66th
mother, Vickie, to help. They did it, Keegan adds: “Roger and Carla year. Kyndall Martin manages Sun-
Wiemer says, because “it was the have always provided parental love shine Lanes, and his counterpart
right thing to do.” for us. And now, they’re also won- at Enterprise Park Lanes is Chris
Keegan, now 32, says her father’s derful grandparents — filling a void Taylor.
death had a profound impact on without trying to replace [my dad].” “Chris came here to go to school,”
her. Kyndall, now 29, says that Steve Wiemer says. “He has been with
“I think as soon as my dad has been “the father figure that me for 15 years. He’s one of the few
passed, I grew up,” she says. “I every boy needs growing up. I think people who has worked for me that
knew that I needed to help take care every kid needs both parents in I couldn’t outrun. He was a track
of Kyndall and support my mom.” their lives, and even though we lost star and punt returner. You could
And having the Wiemers around our dad, we ended up with three describe his management style as
to lean on helped a lot. great parents — and grandparents.” chaos, while Keegan is extremely
“We’re not the only people that Today, Keegan Standage — she organized, so they had to learn to

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