List of services grows

To ensure the look is realistic, Themescapes employs 40-plus full-time craftsmen, painters, installers, artists and designers. During its peak season in spring and summer, the payroll doubles, with much of the work hired locally in whatever location Themescapes happens to be working one of the six to eight jobs it has going at any one time.

“We make our concrete simulated-rock panels here in St. Paul, then ship them to the location where we’re working; we buy the rest of the materials and hire labor at the local level,” Tieu explained. “We can do jobs on a fast turnaround, meaning a few days notice to a couple weeks, but that’s rare. Typically, we have about three months from the time a design is brought to us until we are on site and ready to build. That gives us plenty of time to make all the necessary preparations. For instance, to make a realisticlooking rock face, we’ll go out to a quarry or hillside and make a mold from it. Then our artists will turn that into a final product. It’s an extensive process.”

Themescapes’ major emphasis remains in concrete works of art, but the company has expanded to include building components of a theme from other materials as well. Tieu said adding new services was in response to customer requests.

“They want more of a one-stop shop,” noted Tieu. “Customers would often ask for fiberglass props on top of a hill or a cabin built in the middle of a mountain setting. Those extra features tend to be life-size, so it became necessary to hire carpenters and lathers. We’re involved in nearly all construction trades to some extent, including painting murals.”

Potain crane saves time

That was evident on Themescapes’ recent project in the Mall of America, where the company worked extensively on the new Moose Mountain Adventure Golf course. It’s located on the third floor of the mall in what used to be a dinosaur exhibit. Tieu and his crew can look out across the center courtyard and see a good deal of Themescapes’ previous handiwork.

“We helped with the look of the Camp Snoopy ride and some of the other parts of that play area,” Tieu pointed out. “It’s nice to see one of our previous jobs, and at the same time, know we’re part of new progress in there as well.”

The new project involved making props for the 18-hole golf course, as well as pouring cement ramps, building rooms and hanging additional props the company had made through subcontractors. Themescapes worked closely with mall security to set up scheduling so that most work could be done at night to avoid excess noise and potential hazards to shoppers.

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