90 Years of Stage Magic: San Antonio's Best-Kept Secret

**[00:00:00]** Hello everyone, my name is Amando Prescareno and welcome to the web talk show. Today with us is Adriana Cars from Wenger Texas Scenic. How are you Adriana? >> I'm good. Thank you for asking. >> Well, I'm really happy that you allowed us to have you on the show today because Texas Scenic, as you very well put it in our conversations before, is a hidden gem. I had no idea this type of company existed, especially here. So before we get into it, let's ask you a little bit about who you are and what Texas Scenic is as well. >> Okay. So my name is Adriana Cars. I am a mom of two boys. I'm married um been working here at Texas Scenic since I was 19 years old. So I've been with the company um 32 years basically. But uh just a little background, my mom worked here. It was a family-owned business. So yeah, I grew up in this place since I was two. >> So I've been around this company. Yeah, I've been around this company for many years. >> What is the age of Texas Scenic? >> Uh we are we were incorporated in 1936. We're 20 26. We're 90 years old. >> That is impressive. And that's one of the reasons I really wanted to have you on the show because these type of longlasting companies, I can't believe your mom worked there, you worked there, and you've been there for so long. It's amazing, but it speaks to the quality of the business. >> Yes, definitely. >> What brought you apart from your mom working there to Texas Scenic? Like not everyone decides to just follow whatever their parents are doing. >> Yeah. So, part of it was I needed a **[00:02:00]** part-time job while I went to school. I was um pursuing a teaching degree. Um and right before I graduated from college, I realized I did not want to be a teacher. But I had worked here for throughout my college career and the um owners of Texas Unique said, "If you don't want to be a teacher, that's okay. You have a job here." And so I stayed. I I invested, you know, four years of my life here. Um, I enjoyed what I did. I'd learned, mind you, I have zero theater background. I went to a magnet school um, here in San Antonio that focused on the medical field. Um, so we didn't have a theater program. Um, I never I was in theater arts in sixth grade, you know, that was it. That was the extent. So everything I learned about technical theater happened in these four walls of this building, you know, everything. Um, so I loved it. I started out here as um just helping the front office which dealt with counter sales basically. Back then we sold makeup, we sold um lighting gels, goos, um lamps, all basically was supported the local theater community, high schools, um the San Antonio Little Theater, um Jewish Community Center, all the small community theaters here in San Antonio. So I was forward- facing to the customer. I enjoyed it. I learned a lot. Um, so I wanted to stay. Uh, that's that's really what kept me here, >> at least in these early days. >> And let's talk about a little bit of what Texas Scenic does. You mentioned some of the equipment that you used to work with back then and most of our listeners have no idea what a gobo or gels are. So, **[00:04:00]** can you talk a little bit about what they are and what Texas Enc was providing to these theaters? >> Sure. Um, so back in the '9s, technology has changed. So, I'm going to step back for a moment. Um, back in the '9s, um, and 80s, a lot of the fixtures that were provided were tungsten fixtures, so white light basically on a stage. And gels are these filters that go in front that change the color of your lights. Um, and then you've got the lamps, you've got a lamp that fixture or what we call light bulb. Um, and goos would allow um, projections to be made onto a stage. So, if you needed, you know, a tree, a fence line, a cityscape, that's what goooos um, are. So, they're these little metal patterns that you drop into the fixture and it allows you to um, put a projection on stage. So, >> Oh, any of those. >> Yes. Are those like you mentioned they were the tungsten lights. So would the same tungsten lights be used and then use these types of things to adjust what their patterns are and Oh. >> All accessories basically you bought the fixture and then you could add these accessories for different features. >> Okay. So, >> so what people see I I have a picture here in your in your beautiful website with there's a theater all the seats and then you always see those railings and there's all these fixtures attached to the railings and there railings here and there and in the back there's a ton of them. So, what are those and why do all these theaters have them? So the the department I worked in originally was a small itty bitty fraction of what Texas **[00:06:00]** Scenic does. The bulk of our business were basically a contractor. We work with general contractors. We go into new um construction and renovations. Think of a high school. Any high school that's built in San Antonio, we've pretty much outfitted them. But what you're asking is you're asking about all the rigging equipment, >> the battens, which is basically a light, >> pipe that goes um on top of the above the stage. We install all of that. >> So all the motorized rigging, um counterweight rigging, nowadays it's more motorized, you know, but back, you know, guess basically during the 50s and 60s is when counterweight rigging really came into play. um you know loft blocks, mule blocks, head blocks, that's all part of the the rigging system. Um so nowadays technology has advanced so much that we have a whole department that does automation, makes that rigging go up and down with a push button, you know. So >> it's it's pretty crazy. um the amount of motorized rigging we did when I started in the 90s um it was more counterweight versus motorized. Motorized was expensive. Nowadays it's more motorized over counterweight. You know the pricing has kind of leveled off. Um all the new schools in North Side District at least you know in Northeast um have motorized rigging. San Antonio school district they're putting in motorized ring >> the schools even. >> Yes. because this is how we look at it. Um, if you start in high school, those those technical students, the background they get in high school, they take that on to college. So, when you're going to UT Austin,&M, um, Texas TCU, any of those schools, really all across the United States, they're in motorized rigging. Now, a healthy balance is **[00:08:00]** a little counterweight and some motorized rigging going into into one facility. But, um, yeah. So that's >> that's where it starts. >> Wow. So when a theater is being built or renovated, that's where Texas Enix comes in and then you consult with that organization to help them design. Is it is do you work in the design? Do you work in the building part of it? >> So we used to have a sales and design team. Um, but like most things I'm seeing in our industry, that talent is retiring. There is a group of great theater consultants in our industry. Um, quite a few of them. There's here locally, there's a theater consulting firm called WJHW. Um, we have Schuler Shook out of Dallas and they have a main office in Minneapolis. They're all across the country. But basically, these schools or the architects reach out to the consultants. They do the designing. um they come to Texas Scenic and say, "How much is this going to cost?" >> Um >> so we kind of give them some ballpark pricing sometimes and then like anything else, this goes to a contractor and it goes out for bid. Um so we're in a in the bid market, you know, we're we're competing against companies across the United States. Um but Texas is our backyard, you know, so some of those people have come into our backyard. We don't like it too much, but you know, it's the nature of the business. So that keeps us competitive. Of course. So you provide the actual rigging equipment that is installed in these theaters. >> We are a manufacturer as well. So we build it here in San Antonio. Yes. >> So you have a factory here. >> We have **[00:10:00]** a full metal fab um shop here. If ever you want a tour, I'm happy to give it to you. >> Oh, for sure. I'll take you up on that. >> Yeah. Yep. So we have different divisions. I mean, you walk into Texas Scenic, the first thing you see is our counter cells, like I was telling you where I started. >> Where you started? >> Um, Yep. But, uh, we have a full engineering team here. Um, drafters, engineers, mechanical engineers, we have electrical engineers. Um, we have a project management team. We have a sales team. Um, and like I mentioned, we have an automation group. You take all of that plus our shop that fabricates this material or these this equipment. We have a sewing department that sews our stage curtains. Um we order raw milk >> curtains as well. >> Yes. All your theater curtains that you see in in those um auditoriums. That's us as well. So we um we have a sewing department that's about 12 individuals um that do a phenomenal job sewing our stage curtains. Um custom curtains. No two curtains are ever the same, right? it's always, you know, >> height and width that changes from one facility to the next. >> Um, and then on top of all of that, we have a group of guys that go and install this equipment. So, we have an installation team that is amazing. Those guys are on the road all the time. So, we're doing work um like I said, mostly here in Texas in the surrounding states, but we've gone as far out as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago. Um we did some work some years back in Florida. Florida was building schools like crazy and we would go in **[00:12:00]** and and build this equipment and install it. >> Wow. There's so so many routes I want to take this. But let's talk about curtains. This is something I I have a little bit of experience with. Not with the curtains themselves, but I had a funny experience. Let's people see the curtains in the theaters and they look wonderful. They're they're magnificent curtains. And then you might want to decorate in your home or you have a home studio or something and you I want to have a curtain like those in the theater. I could just maybe grab some cloth or sew it. And it's not that simple. The the curtains in the theaters are tremendously heavy, right? Yes. >> So, what Yeah, tell me about the the curtains in the theater. I want to know. >> So, most of the curtains we sew, we sew from a 25 ounce um velour, which is 25 ounces per linear yard. Um so, they're heavy. They're thick. You can't sew you you might be able to push it through a regular sewing machine, but you're probably going to break your needles. Our group here uses industrial sewing machines. So, I will tell you, it has been a challenge. again an aging um you know group of of individuals or employees that Texas Enic has had. They've retired. So happy for them. But replacing those people, first of all, sewing is is a an art form and it's difficult to find um talent, you know, um that skill set. It's something different. Plus, you have to know how to work with an industrial sewing machine. They're powerful. Um, but like I said, we sew uh most of our curtains out of a 25 oz velour. There's also a 32 oouncez velour, **[00:14:00]** which is heavier. Um, because you want that richness. You know, you those colors are just they're they're beautiful. They're deep. They're not, you know, muted. Um, >> because you've got those fixtures >> pointing down on them, right? But even at that, the the technology of the lighting has changed. We're all LED now, you know, and I saw that. That was pretty incredible to see the transition from tungsten over to LED fixtures was was pretty cool because it didn't happen overnight. When LED was first introduced, people were skeptical. They were like, "Never will you reach that 3200 Kelvin temperature, that warm, beautiful light you see on stage." It's happened. You know, >> it it has and and people speaking of tungsten lights have no idea the power of those lights and the heat that those lights generated because a you can have a bulb this size for those who are watching in video. That's 250 watts, right? like it you you can you see it a little bulb but if you plug it in it's going to get hot in a millisecond >> and you don't expect it you think oh it's like a little Christmas bulb but imagine that in an actual theater bulb it gets hot so I imagine that transition from having those really hot lights into LED not only does the dynamic change but also cooling in the theater and everything that comes around >> definitely yes it's definitely a ripple effect, right? And we saw that um I remember the days when we used to sell um park cans and all it was literally was like a a can light and you plug a,000 watt PAR lamp into it. So we used to have them hanging in our demo room here **[00:16:00]** back in at our other location and it was only a what 12t ceiling, 10ft ceiling and so we'd put those park cans on to put like a gel in front of it to show a customer. I felt like a rotisserie chicken, right? cuz you were like baking under that fixture. It was just so hot. >> Yeah. People don't realize it. I heard a story once from someone in the museum space that there was this place where they accidentally left a light on relatively close to a jade mask. >> Yeah. >> And it melted the mask >> like an like a 2,000-y old mask. >> Yeah. don't really see it. Fortunately, with LED, they're they're much less hot. There they still get warm, especially the highowered ones, but not at all compared to what you had before. And you don't have to be like a rotissery when you're showing off the product. >> Exactly. But you think about all the fixtures um just kind of going back to lighting, you know, follow spots. Years ago when the Alamo Dome was built, um we provided 10 follow spots to the Alamo Dome. Those were 30,000 watt um fixtures because if you think of the size of the Alamo Dome and they've got them in the corners, they've got to reach, you know, make a like a 300 ft throw from where they're positioned down to the floor. So, and you need that punch of light. So, they would get hot. >> Yeah, I bet. The safety on those also like training and everything to make sure like you can you can do some damage up. Yeah, you've got to have some training and so forth. >> For people who don't know, these are when you go to **[00:18:00]** a theater, are those the ones that people see on the corners in the back sometimes and there's someone actually holding them? >> Yes. Someone actually holding it, you're following usually the talent on stage. So, >> Okay. Okay. Yeah. And what you're saying is if you had a not so powerful bulb, then yes, you might get some light across, but it wouldn't be as narrow of a beam that far off because you wanted to follow someone. Yeah, because they're normally in the back of the stage, usually in a booth or somewhere, you know, so you need a punch. >> There's so many things involved. And then all the there's the lighting, you have all these bars, right? And then you have all the fixtures on them. Why so many? Like if I go to a theater, I and it's a relatively decent theater, they won't have four or five. They'll have 50, 100 different fixtures of all sorts. And some are in use and some aren't. Why? Why? What? Can't they just use the same ones or >> Well, you're trying to light a lot of this um these spaces. You're trying to light like a, you know, 40 by 50 area. Um and there it all I'm not a lighting designer by any means, but I I do know that you to cover an area well, it also has to do with the position of the light, how many lights you've got going, because if not, you're going to you know, if your talent is standing there, you're going to cast shadows. So, you want to create some depth and dimension. So, at least that's what I hear from the lighting designers. Um, you know, so and and to your point, I mean, we a **[00:20:00]** typical lighting package for like a new construction high school, we're looking at maybe 150 fixtures. Um, and part of that is because it's not just a theater. These days with schools that we're building, there's an auditorium that everybody uses, you know, choir, band, theater, arts, and all that, but there's also normally a black box, which is like a classroom theater, right? And, you know, that's something where you can literally, it's definitely a more versatile space. Um, they call it a black box cuz usually it's, you know, it's painted black. Um, and there's like riser seating in there, so you can make it in the round. You can do three/4ers of it. There's tracks all above the uh what we call a pipe grid. Um because you can now mask off certain areas if you don't want to use the entire space. It's a more intimate setting. Um but normally we're new construction the high schools some of them you know most of them have a theater and then some will have a black box. Some have more than one like you know your bigger schools. We did a school over in Houston um in Cypress Fairbanks ISD and or we actually did their performing arts center and they've got you know a large auditorium they've got the smaller theater spaces and then they have blackbox they have dance rooms. We we did all that work. >> Yeah. >> Wow. I didn't know schools had so many performance arts venues or spaces. >> Yeah. So that's I've seen the movement to that. Years ago when we would go to regional shows, we would go and the every high school was different, right? Um within a district and so to bring continuity to grow the space, a **[00:22:00]** lot of these school districts said, you know what, we need to build a performing arts space just for the performing arts for the district. And that's what you see a lot in Houston and in Dallas, San Antonio. Um, I don't think we've really I don't know if they've they haven't really moved in that direction. I'm not really sure why. Um, I think we Judson has one. Um, East Central has one. East Central Performing Arts Center. I don't I don't know that North Side has one, which is odd to me, but um, you know, yeah, Edgewood even has one. Edgewood has one. the smaller districts have them, but I'm not sure why the bigger ones have not have not built one. But um or maybe I'm going I'm drawing a blank right now. But that is yeah I remember my my high school did have a theater and a blackbox and it was nice that you had that availability as a student to be able I wasn't related to theater or anything at that time and but I but I remember still being very interested to see that the students had the possibility of learning how to manage the rigging behind the scenes and the curtains and the maybe the sound equipment or the lighting board And it just gives you that hands-on experience and something that like you were saying, maybe you can use in college or maybe down the line if you want to go that route. But I I really like performing arts and I think everyone should get a taste of it just because there's so many aspects of it. It's not just, oh, I'm going to go on stage and sing or act or dance. >> It's not the acting, right? **[00:24:00]** There's what we do is more on the technical side. we want those, you know, the technical students. Um, so, you know, it's it's a cra it's crazy how you can take these two paths at least in theater. Um and then at the college level, you know, our former president, Steve Serat, has gone and done lectures at Texas State um to their theater department suits to tell them about this whole other aspect, not just related to technical theater, but there's this whole another business out there like Texas Scenic where you can if if you're not going to be a lighting designer, you're not going to do costume and so forth. There's a whole another business out there of construction. Theat's being built and you know we it helps. I will tell you it helps when you have that background. It's not required to get a job here. You don't have to know theater, but it sure does help if you know the lingo. If you know upstage, downstage, stage left, stage right. Um you understand what a baton is. You know, you understand um what um a jerbo is on a curtain. Um you know, a rigging wall. and so forth. If you know that lingo, you already have a good foundation. We'll teach you the equipment. We'll teach you all that, but if you at least understand the space, it's so helpful. It helps you um as a project manager, as a salesman, you know, just kind of talk to theater consultants, end users, and so forth. You make a very good point. I hadn't thought about the business aspect of it. Like there's Yeah, there's actually a big construction space all around the country and and you see these performance centers popping up and **[00:26:00]** then not even only performance center like mixed use venues, right? You know, like at area 21, it's called the Boing Center where they where they did that. >> Yeah, that's that's amazing. they have the the gaming arena which is really a mixed venue where you can do concerts where you could do smaller events right and so I think especially that one I think that's a a unique example of they made this space thinking about gaming professional gaming esports and one wouldn't have thought of building something like that they're spending all that money for something like that a few years ago but now it's like it's an you see it on ESPN and other places. It's It's a big deal. And so, yeah, to your point, it it makes a lot of sense that >> just having a little taste of that as you're growing up is is good because there are and they're going to be more and more jobs in that ecosystem. >> Yep. Definitely. And you look at those places, I mean, they they're re they're generating revenue, right? Because like you said, it's a multi-purpose place. You can have a gaming event. You can host a concert, a small concert or a midsize concert, right? Um you can have a gayla there. It all depends on the space. And when we we did some work there, I know we sewed curtains for them. We did some um rigging work there. You know, that's the whole purpose is you you kind of have to look at these spaces and that's the job of the consultancy. They look at these spaces and say, "What kind of equipment can we put in this place to make it versatile for the end user, you know?" So, **[00:28:00]** it it's there's a whole I mean, when you think about Texas Scenic, I you know, I like I said, I've worked here a long time. We're off of Petrinkco. We're we're not flashy. Most people don't know that we're here and what we do. Um, you're absolutely right. People think places like this are going to be on the East Coast or on the West Coast, right? because you've got Broadway on the east coast, you've got the movie industry on the west coast and so forth. We're here in San Antonio, you know, it's crazy. >> I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I And the the lifespan of the company, I it just blew my mind. And the fact that you manufacture as well like I would have thought nowadays where I don't know people just get Chinese lamps, right, if they want to go cheap or they or they get German lights or right, it's I wouldn't think like US would have their own fixtures built here and much less here in town. >> Yes. No, >> it's that's that's impressive. >> Yeah. So, you know, the lighting fixtures we buy from dealers from around the United States, but all the rigging equipment, this the curtains. I I didn't even touch on the fact that we have a banner shop, you know. Um we sew acoustical banners. We Texas Scenic acquired a company out of the South Bronx um nine years ago, company called PDIO. Um and we merged the two companies. We acquired them and they had a banner division. And these guys, you know, they're a great group of guys. The talent in that small group is amazing. But here we take these guys and we said, "Hey, you know, we want to **[00:30:00]** move this manufacturing down to San Antonio." And they did it. I never thought in a million years these guys from the South Bronx would be like, "No, we're not moving to Texas." They did and they love it here. So, I'm so happy for them. >> That's great. Well, it's a great town. It's a great state. Uh we >> Yeah, it's there's so much to do. And there's so much in the art space as well. Some people, if you're not from town, even a lot of people >> from town, they haven't explored as much, but there's so much to do. I mean, you have a lot of very good professional venues like the Majestic and the Tobin, the ones people know, but there's there's many other theaters in town and performance sensors. And once you get into it, you start seeing, oh wow, the Broadway shows come here all the time. And you've got show like there's this will this will be funny, but one day we have two young daughters and we were we're here in the house and suddenly my wife says, "Oh, the Wiggles are coming to the Majestic." >> Like, "Oh, you mean like someone's acting like the Wiggles?" like, "No, no, the the actual Wiggles from Australia." I'm like, "What? Let's go." And we like bought tickets that moment and drove over through the theater. So, I couldn't believe it cuz they watch it on the TV, right, on YouTube or whatever when they don't watch a lot of TV, but when they do uh shows like that that are sort of educational and I couldn't believe it. Again, that's that's a sort of it's not Yeah, I know we get Aladdin and we get Wicked and we get everything, right? **[00:32:00]** But still, even those types of things that they would stop here from the choices, right? So let's talk about something that I think is very interesting as well in the venue space which is seating. You touched on it briefly uh earlier. So seating I find very interesting because we assume as the audience that a venue has fixed seating many times because that's maybe what we see. We get there seats are there. We don't think that they're not necessarily there, but that's not the case, right? There are seating arrangement that can be adjusted. Is that correct? >> Yeah. So, we if you look at the Tobin Center, we did that project that was, you know, Yeah. So, and if you've been into the Tobin Center for like a concert, a general admission concert, you go, you walk in and the seating's gone. It's an open floor. Um there gosh the guys are going to kill me if I use the wrong terminology but we bought a system from a company um that basically it converts the floor. You've got seating a traditional theater and there's some mechanics that happen and that seating goes underneath. It literally like flips. So, the whole space turns from a traditional auditorium into a flat floor where you can have general admission come in. And what you don't know is all that seating is underneath your feet. So, it's pretty cool, you know. Um, we work with >> Yeah. So, we don't manufacture the seating, but we work with, you know, other people here in the United States that do that, you know, but we go and install it all, you know. we integrate it with our system and you know the the end user the you know the technical director **[00:34:00]** in the space or whomever you know we train them and they learn how to operate their system so it's crazy right I mean you look at a like I said the um the Tobin was you know our like proud moment because it was um an multi- you know purpose venue beautiful space all the curtains we did we sewed every single curtain in that that facility We did all the rigging um when it first opened that year. We had our Christmas party there um on purpose because we wanted our employees um to go see their finished product. You know, the people in the sewing room, the guys that install, the guys that are building the rigging equipment. And we arranged for a tour for our employees um with the personnel at the at the Tobin Center. So that cuz a lot of these guys, you know, the from the drafters who are drawing these to the project managers to the guys in manufacturing, they don't see their end product, right? A lot of times or at least the project managers will, but the people in manufacturing don't. So it's a great opportunity to um show the employees, look at look what you did, you know, be proud of of the product that we put out because it's pretty incredible and not many companies in the United States do what we do. >> Yeah. No, it's it's a niche market. And that was really nice of you because That's right. There's so many staff that work on things behind the scenes. We were talking off camera how how funny it is that we the show is all about the behind the scenes of the businesses, but you literally work behind the scenes. This there's people who work **[00:36:00]** behind the scenes of the behind the scenes, right? There's there's those people who don't even >> go and see what it turned out to be. Even if it's behind the scenes because they're working and they're designing, they're sewing, etc., they might not go and install it. Maybe it's installed in another city or another state. And >> yeah, >> and that's they just see pictures. So, the fact that you had your party there and had them be able to experience that. >> Well, and it's funny >> because most of the people who work here when they do go see a show, they joke, right? Because they say the first thing they do is they start looking up because you're looking at the rigging, right? And then you're looking at the at the curtains on stage and you know, you're looking at the lighting fixtures and you know the catwalk, what's up there and and all this stuff that you don't think about those things, but when you're in our business, you can't help but start looking up above instead of what's going on on stage. So, it's pretty cool. You know, it kind of opens your eyes to a whole different aspect of of the theater. I do the same thing. I'm always looking and see what things they have and what they've installed and what neat features they have. It's it's always been a c curiosity of mine like how all this stuff works. What is the catwalk? You mentioned it and a lot of people probably have seen it, heard stories about it, seen chases in movies up on it, but have no idea what a catwalk really is for. That's a biodegra typically in theaters and there's more than one, you know, depending **[00:38:00]** on the size of the theater that um allows you to get move around up above, right? And you usually there's railings on there. There's fixtures hanging from those railings. Sometimes um it at least for our crews, it allows us to work in higher, you know, the spaces higher in the theater. Um it's again, it's just a behindthescenes spot where you can um make magic happen. So, it allows you to move while the action is happening. Maybe you need to adjust something up there or maybe you need to get from this side of the space to the other side of the space. >> Yeah. And a lot of times, you know, especially when they're out in the house, right, if you've got lighting positions out in the house, um once a theater is complete, you got to think it's not real easy to get high above the seats. You can't bring a lift in. The seats are in place. So those catwalks grant you access to those remote locations in the theater, right? If you've got a, you know, focus lights or you're moving lights, um, or you're putting a, you know, I don't know, you know, an acoustical curtain in place or something, it gives you access to it because otherwise, how else are you going to reach it? You know, like I said, you can't bring a lift into the theater, you know, a lot of times in a finished theater. Uh sometimes you have to be careful in a in a on a stage, right? Because you know those lifts have a weight limit and so forth. You don't want to damage a stage floor. So that's what you know those catwalks kind of grant you access to those remote areas in a **[00:40:00]** safe way too. >> Makes a lot of sense. You mentioned lifts. So when we watch a show, sometimes people magically appear. Sometimes they disappear. Sometimes it's a slow, slowly moving thing on purpose. Sometimes it's turning. Sometimes there's something there, a whole set of scenery and then it's gone in a lighting change and then something else is up there. What's happening there? Are there are there any like are there lifts? Are there things under the stage? Yeah. So, there's companies here in the United States. Actually, one is in Canada. It's called Gayla. Um, but there are companies here in the United States that that's what they do. They build this these mechanical lifts literally. And they're pretty cool to watch. Some of them are spirals, some of them um are vertical like they look like chain. Um, but it allows you, again, versatility, right? It allows you to move areas of your stage for um more versatile performance and so forth. Texas Scenic has. It takes a a a skilled individual to to install that kind of equipment. We've got a couple of of installers that that have that. Um, but again, we work with companies um here in the United States that that's what they do. They build it and sometimes they send their installers to do it. Sometimes they'll ask us to to install it for them or they'll um we'll they'll send a supervisor and they use our guys to to help install it. It's pretty neat. Um, yeah. So, your more more of your professional theaters will have that. >> Um, yeah. And then what else is there? There's a pit lift that I can think of. Um, that's common. >> Um, and again, that brings the edge of the stage just **[00:42:00]** further out. Um, when not in use. Usually, you have an orchestra sitting there, you know, playing music and so forth, but they call it a pit filler because when it's orchestra is not there, you can literally bring the apron of the stage out. Um, so it gives you more space on stage. What needs to happen for this is it's it's a little bit of a technical question, but let's say there's a theater that has had manual um rigging and for for a long time and it works and they've used it for a long time, but then they're they're thinking about, hey, we we need to maybe automate made this make it a little easier to use. Maybe we don't need so much stuff or maybe we can assign stuff in a different way. Um, and also it'll make it easier for for more complex shows that have a lot of scenery changes and things like that. So, can a theater that was built using traditional counterweight based uh rigging move over to an automated one? How does that process work? >> Yeah. So, we can it's that's a renovation, right? And we've done plenty of those. Um, typically theater consultant is involved, right? And they get with an architect and so forth. They have to look at the um, the work. I will tell you renovations are more of a challenge. >> Mhm. >> Than new construction because you're dealing with existing structures. You don't, you know, you're having to look at structurally what's in place. That's when our engineers get, you know, get involved and start running load testing and so forth because motorized rigging is a is a heavy, right? And we have to make sure structurally that the um the building can **[00:44:00]** support this. Um, so it's those are like I said, those are typically more of a challenge because a lot of times if we can't find drawings on them, we're having to draw the whole building from scratch and so they're longer lead times and so forth. There's a lot more um manpower that goes into that. But is it possible? It totally is. And they happen all the time. >> Yeah. >> It's amazing. Yeah. because I see especially like there's there's some places that might be downtown or buildings that can't be touched because they're historic or things of that nature and you sort of have to fit yourself into that. So, it makes a lot of sense what you're saying. >> Yeah. No, so Jefferson High School here in San Antonio is one of them, right? It's a a historical building. We did some work there. Um gosh, four years ago, maybe five years ago, and that was hard work, you know, cuz again, you're limited on how much you can change. Um and you're having to work with an existing structure. So, um yeah, they're pretty cool, though. I mean, when you think about it, cuz you're looking at old sometimes some of these um spaces have old hemp rigging. Um, so it's it's it's pretty neat. You also have to make sure power requirements are there because a lot of this motorized rigging takes, you know, it's it's high power. Um, so normally, you know, electrical contractors involved because they've got to bring all the power up to code and so forth to support our equipment. Um, so there's a lot of coordination and integration that goes into a renovation. >> That makes a lot of sense. It's not as easy as one would think **[00:46:00]** to just swap over the machines >> for the ropes. >> So, yeah. So, you know, like I said, Texas has been through a lot of changes. I it's I will tell you as an as an employee, as an individual that's been here for a long time, um I've seen some changes in the industry, in the technology. Um, as I mentioned when we were offline, um, you know, we got acquired by Wanger Corporation just in October. Um, so there's a lot on our horizon and I'm so excited just because, um, you know, Texas was a family-owned business. That's how it started. Um, we always, I mean, when I started working here, we were about 50 employees. Right before the acquisition by Winger, we were up to about 150 employees. So now we've joined this organization out of Owatana, Minnesota and we're 700 employees now. So there's just more growth and for us it's great because now we have resources available to us to facilitate that growth. So it's, you know, it's been a great partnership these early days. Um, like I said, Texas Inc. has acquired other companies. We acquired PDIO, I told you, out of the South Bronx. We acquired a company called H&H Specialties out of in city of industry, California um in 2022. And that company is a small company. Again, another company that had been around for several years. Um and all they did was focus on curtain tracks and rigging hardware. That's that's what they did. And they did it they do it very well. And so we had a facility in in California. We shut down that facility and moved all production to San Antonio a few years ago. And we're busting at the seams, you know, here at Texas **[00:48:00]** Scenic. I mean, we when we built this building in 11 years ago, we had more space than we could we didn't know what to do with it. Now, we are jam-packed. >> Wow. But it's great because it's all integrated, right? It's like you have all the different pieces that that work >> Yeah. >> with each other. Like I said, I totally I invite you to come by Texas. I'd love to give you a tour. Um it's like I said, you drive up and you're thinking, "What does this company do?" There's nothing flashy about our building. Nothing whatsoever. You would never think that here at Texas Inc. what it is that what we're building here. It's pretty cool. Back in the day, people used to call us and say, you know, Texas city, I don't know how our name and number, this was before the internet, but how our name and number got out there, but people thought would call us and thought we gave tours of like the Hill Country and stuff. >> Yeah, that that was going to be my next question. Why Texas scenic senior? I I I thought the same thing. >> So, the company originally started with the Beck family and what they started back in the day in Baudeville. Okay, back in the day, they sold um painted backdrops as advertisements as advertisements. So, you would go into a theater, you know, in a small town or here in San Antonio, and the paint the backdrop served as an advertisement for some local vendor or somebody, a merchant or something. And that's what they did originally. They started sewing backdrops and painted uh advertisements and not so much scenery you know like backdrop you know scenes for for plays but **[00:50:00]** um that's how they started you know and then they moved into curtain tracks and curtains and then they moved into the rigging equipment just selling you know counterweight rigging and so forth. Um, the Beck family was the ones who originally started the company and then their daughter uh and her husband took over in the late 50s, Mr. and Mrs. Martin. They were great. I remember them. Um, and that's who hired my mom, you know, in the 70s. Um, and then Richard Mechy, uh, was a gentleman who lived down the street from the Martins, uh, over in Castle Hills, and he started working here in high school. He was going to Antonian High School. He started working here and him and Glenn, the Martin's son, grew up together and they ran the business. They were president and vice president from the 70s well into well, Richard just retired two years ago. Uh Glenn retired about 15 years ago or so. Um but it really was a family business. You know, it ran like a family business. A lot of business was done on a handshake. Um, but it's hard to do that as you grow, right? The more employees you get, the bigger you get, you know, you you gota operate like a business. And but I will tell you before the acquisition of by Winger, you know, Richard continued to run this this company as a family business. I mean, the man would give you the shirt off his back. I mean, he truly like was a father figure for many of us. a great mentor, hardest working man I've ever met in my life. He was just here yesterday, too. He stopped in to say hello. So, >> that's amazing. And that that's part **[00:52:00]** of what we want to do here in the web talk show. It's showing that there's real people behind businesses, the businesses that you transact with, the businesses that you interact with, purchase from, rent from, whatever. Sometimes it's just you just imagine this, I don't know, ethereal thing. Oh, it's a business. But you don't you don't stop and think, hey, there's all this magnificent bunch of people behind it, working hard and putting their sweat and tears into it and their love and their art to make this thing that you're using like even as a pencil, right? Most are made in a automated factory now, but there's so many things that are still done by hand. And I love that. I love seeing people who manufacture their own things and have the shop and also doing the installation and like because I don't know it it keeps us human especially with all the AI stuff and we work with AI all the time but I I really like the human part of it because that's what that's what we are and that's what what makes us >> human a funny thing to say >> you Oh, but it's true, right? I mean, like I said, our our turnover rate here at Texas Scenic, it's low. I mean, there are a lot of tenured people. I'm the second most tenure per employee here at Texas Scenic. I'm what, 32 years. The person the other person besides me is 35 years going on 36 years. Richard, who ran the company for several years, was here for 50 years. Um, we have people who have worked here 10 plus years. you know, it it's not a it's not a high turnover rate. Um, and like I said, with the recent **[00:54:00]** um acquisition by Winger, you know, it just shows the employees that were looking forward to the future. There is growth here at at the company. Um, you know, that's what we want to do. Promote growth, promote education. You know, we want you to stay here. We want you to make your career here at Texas Enick. That's amazing. And you said you were competitor to Wanger back in the day. >> So Wanger um is a company that builds acoustical shells. If you don't know who they are, check them out. It's pretty neat. They too are in the theater business. You know, any kind of um performing arts space that you go into and you see these like towers and and what we call ceiling shells come down. They're, you know, usually related to like band performances, choir performances, orchestral performances because they you want to control the acoustics in the space. If not, you've got sound bouncing every which way and it sounds horrible. Um, but they're out of Owatana, Minnesota. Um, and they acquired a company called JR Clansancy out of Syracuse, New York. I'm going to like 11 years ago. Syracuse was a major competitor of Texas Scenic. We kind of went toe-to-toe on a lot of projects. Um, so we would kind of give them a side eye, you know, we give each other the side eye at trade shows and so forth. But J.R. Clansancy, another familyowned business. They were in business for they've been in business for over a hundred years, you know, but yeah, so pretty crazy, but it was always Clancy and and Texas Scenic. >> Well, Wanger acquired them, like I said, 11 years ago, and so they became our competitor. But we were the only I shouldn't **[00:56:00]** say that I would okay on my opinion we were the only two companies in the United States that did what we did on the level that we did it um and could get bonded and so forth, right? Cuz you know when you're in the construction business, you've got to be able to carry a bond. So there are a lot of other talented companies in the United States that do very similar work but on a smaller level, right? Um, but they're growing. Don't get me wrong. They are growing. Um, but it was pretty incredible. So, when they, you know, when this acquisition happened, it was kind of like, wow. You know, it was a bit of a shakeup in our industry because now you just had the two biggest forces come together. Um, so it's pretty, it's pretty crazy. And we're early days still. You know, we're barely four months into this acquisition. So there's been a lot of stuff happening just for me here at the office trying to integrate on board working with um Owatana and you know my new co-workers but the leadership at at Wanganger you know bar none it's it is amazing you know we've got a president his name is Dave Thomas amazing human being he he reminds me a lot of Richard um he cares about his employees And that what for me was really important when this acquisition happened was that um the employees here at Texas Scenic were going to feel safe, you know, cuz most of the time you think we're being acquired, we're losing our job. >> That's not the message. So it is amazing. Very excited. >> That is that is what I love to hear. I hear so much from VCs just buying **[00:58:00]** out businesses and local shops and reducing costs and standardizing everything and getting rid of everything and moving the call centers over to another country. Yeah. >> And like it's it's not like you see it like what you just said. It's the complete opposite. >> It's someone who really cares and it's and they're acquiring familybased familyrun family style businesses and trying to maintain that and keep them together and keep them growing. which is the opposite of that other side that we see a lot where you hear it from the the business owners or franchises or whatever and they're like, "No, I hate this. They're they're just changing everything. People the parents are scared like even for the kids stuff." And I love hearing that that there's still companies that will go the extra mile and help other companies that are doing very well scale and grow, but keeping that sort of familyrun feel. >> Definitely. Yeah, it's been great. It's great. Like I said, I I'm I'm so excited for the employees. I'm excited for what's on the horizon, what's coming, you know, in a 100 days, in um 6 to 8 months, in a year, and 5 years down the road. So, it's it's good. I'm glad to hear it. And that that story was amazing. I I I really hope to hear more of those as I talk to other people. It's just inspiring, I think, to see how a company has been there for so long in in their town and that it's generational in how people are staying there. It's so nice to hear. >> Adriana, where can people find more if they're interested in Texas Scenic or any of the Wanganger companies? if they're they just want to explore what you **[01:00:00]** offer and which programs exist, etc. >> Yeah. So, we have u Texas website is still um active and available online. Um I invite people to check us out, it's Texas.com. Um you know, if anybody is ever interested in a tour of Texas Scenic, they just want to kind of see what is it that y'all do, especially theater arts, um give me a call. I'm or email me. Uh, I'm happy to to facilitate that. Um, you know, some again, people just don't know what we do, you know, and if you do, it's because you're in theater arts and your teacher's asking you to come pick up an order here or something, you know. Um, so it's it's incredible. I I I encourage young people in high school. We offer um internships during the summer. Um, you know, just reach out to me. We have a there's a page on our website um for careers and opportunities that they can reach out to. Um that email goes to me so I see them. Um so yeah, if anybody wants to, you know, check us out, let me know. >> Excellent. And I'll put that link in the show notes for people to find you as well. And you heard it here. If you want to tour, reach out to Adriana. I'm definitely going to do that because I >> it's it's going to be really exciting. Thank you so much for joining me today, Adriana, and we hope to talk to you again soon.