The Mill City Times Interview: Stephanie Meachem, VP of Operations, Landmark Creations
Saturday, December 5, 2020 at 11:45AMArticle by Becky Filllinger
Sea turtle and seahorse, part of the MN Zoo's Nature Illuminated drive-thru experience
Stephanie MeachamLooking for new drive-through neighborhood holiday displays this year? From the safety and warmth of your car, check out Nature Illuminated at the Minnesota Zoo. We talked to Stephanie Meachem, VP of Operations for Landmark Creations, the local company which designed and created the jaw dropping collection of illuminated animal inflatables, on display until January 17th.
Q: How much lead time does Landmark Creations need to complete an order on the scale of Nature Illuminated?
A: Our standard lead time for custom shapes is 4-6 weeks. It can be 6-8 weeks or more during a busy period, but since we rely so heavily on the event and trade show industries, COVID-19 has made 2020 a very tricky year for us. We were fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with the Minnesota Zoo on their project this winter, as it allowed us to stay busy in a precarious time while being able to perform a large number of shapes more quickly than would otherwise be possible.
Q: How many inflatables did you create for Nature Illuminated?
A: We created over 32 displays for the Nature Illuminated exhibit, and the project happened over the span of three months, the majority happening in October and November.
Red panda from Nature Illuminated
Snow monkey from Nature Illuminated
Q: Are the inflatables recyclable?
A: Inflatable materials are not recyclable per se, but they tend to last for many years when taken care of. We’ve heard of some customers repurposing the material from their displays (e.g. backpacks), but the freezing techniques that would be required to break down the material itself in order to recycle it is prohibitively expensive. The fan systems and installation hardware can certainly be reused for other displays/needs.
Q: I watched the online video of the production of the red panda inflatable. How are the pieces put together?
A: Our inflatables are sewn together using industrial sewing machines. It can take weeks to create one animal.
Dala horse at the American Swedish Institute
Q: Do you have a favorite inflatable from the commissioned work you’ve done?
A: We’ve made over 7300 different shapes since I’ve been with Landmark Creations (it’s been 30 years!), so trying to pick a favorite is like picking a favorite child - and they’re all so different. I can’t even pick a favorite from this Minnesota Zoo group! I’ll share some other inflatable works that we’ve done.
Q: What backgrounds do your employees have - art, design, engineering?
A: Our team of 22 employees has very diverse backgrounds, as you can imagine. We have 3D designers, artists, tailors, fabricators, and a host of other talent. While we don’t have any full-time engineers currently on-staff, we’ve had to learn many engineering disciplines on-the-job. We typically partner with an engineering firm when a customer has a project that requires complex rigging outside the scope of our normal displays.
Q: What’s next for Landmark Creations in 2021?
A: I sure hope a wide-scale distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, so the event industry can get back to business. In the meantime, we're open to working with organizations and event coordinators who need to find creative ways to promote to or entertain the masses safely. Because inflatables are easy to transport, they’re a great fit for outdoor events that need to travel, or for stores/brands who need to catch attention from a distance. You can easily stay up to date with the happenings at Landmark Creations by:
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Editor's Note - For more photos of Nature Illuminated, check out this recent MPR article: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/12/03/photos-its-lit-minnesota-zoo-illuminates-nature-for-drive-by-exhibit?fbclid=IwAR04sTgSMCjbnqxxNL4o3amQ7CpTD6IrG3fG3e7FGWgyZJO-UHaOsiNI6Kg
