Doug Weddell doesn’t stand still—and he never really has. Class of 1994 at Newton Community High School, he’s been in motion since he turned 16, the kind of kid who went straight from the classroom to the cash register at the local convenient store and never looked back.

“I started at the gas station as soon as I could work,” he says. “And just kept going.” That job, originally a high school gig, eventually led to a management role overseeing 13 stations and nearly 80 employees across the region. It was a trial-by-fire education in people, pressure, and problem-solving—and it lit a fire that’s never gone out.

He didn’t exactly plan this. After graduating high school, Doug attended Lincoln Trail College on a band scholarship. He played in the concert band, covered most of his tuition with music, and picked up an associate’s degree in business. “I liked school,” he says, “but I was always drawn more to the hands-on stuff. Working, managing, fixing things.”

So, he did what people like him do—he built. First came the gas station district management role. Then, when that company sold in the early 2000s, Doug pivoted. A family connection opened the door to a bed-liner and detailing shop, which he purchased and ran as Rhino Linings & Newton Car Care. That evolved into a well-regarded niche operation, where he sprayed truck beds, detailed vehicles, and even sold Verizon phones. He still does a bit of that on the side today, largely through word of mouth.

But things really started rolling—literally—when Doug launched his DJ business in 2008. What began as a creative outlet to supplement income during the recession turned into something far bigger. By 2015, Doug bought an old green church bus, fitted it with perimeter seating, LED lights, and a booming sound system. He called it The Old Green Turd. With that rolling dance floor, Wad It Up Transport was born.

“We figured out fast that people wanted something more comfortable and bigger,” Doug says. So, he expanded. First a 30-passenger bus, then another, and another. By 2018, after acquiring a nonprofit party bus operation from Effingham called JoJo’s Looking for the Cure, the growth was exponential. Today, Wadded Up Transport operates 12 party buses, ranging from 15 to 42 passengers, serving weddings, bar crawls, proms, business outings, and private events across the region.

But he wasn’t finished.

In 2020, as COVID shut down much of the economy—including his buses—Doug broke ground on a new project: West End Reception and Events, a 12,000-square-foot facility in Newton that can host weddings, concerts, banquets, and community events. “I called my banker that morning and said, ‘Is this the dumbest thing I’ve ever done?’” Doug recalls. “But they believed in me. We got it done.”

Despite pandemic hurdles, Doug hosted his first event by December 2020—a winter holiday vendor market that proved to be a shot of optimism at just the right time. “We didn’t make a lot of money that first year,” he admits, “but we built trust. We got people in the door. We showed the community what was possible.”

Now, Doug's companies are integral to the fabric of Jasper County. Wad It Up Rentals offers van rentals without drivers. West End remains a go-to venue for families and businesses alike. And in a bold next chapter, Doug and his sister Sara Beam (a former teacher with Jasper County Schools) and Theresa Leohr (long-time partner) are acquiring Bales Unlimited, a 30-year-old motorcoach company based in Shumway, Illinois.

The Bales acquisition will add seven full-size motorcoaches to his fleet, allowing him to serve schools, tour groups, sports teams, and more. Sarah will become the company’s operations manager, a role that marks her transition into entrepreneurship as well.

“Yeah, it’s a lot,” Doug says, chuckling. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Doug traces his entrepreneurial wiring back to family. His father, grandfather, and uncles owned an International Harvester dealership in Yale from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s. Watching them build something from scratch made an impression. So did Larry Kuykendall, his former boss at Econo-Mart, who continues to check in with him from time to time. “Larry was a big influence,” Doug says. “He taught me a lot—about responsibility, about staying the course.”

And there’s also the town itself. Doug has lived his entire life in Jasper County and still prefers Newton’s small-town rhythms to anything else. “People help each other here,” he says. “It’s a place where friends show up when it counts.”

Looking back, he admits that he was a “band kid and party guy” in high school—famous for hosting gatherings at his family’s pond. “I was the Red Solo Cup man,” he jokes. “But I also worked hard. I’ve always liked being my own boss.”

When asked what he’d say to the Newton Class of 2025 if handed the mic at graduation, he doesn’t hesitate. “Look for opportunity in places others might overlook. You don’t have to leave Newton to build a life that matters. There’s a ton of legacy businesses out there looking for someone to take the reins.”

Doug Weddell found those reins. Then he built a few new ones. And he’s still holding on—still moving forward, one busload at a time.