Once we incorporated as the Imagination Corporation we could take on much larger projects. We needed to gather better tools and train new people with each more complex project. An unbelievable opportunity presented itself in 1995 to completely re-theme Galaxyland (formerly Fantasyland) at West Edmonton Mall in Alberta. Our mandate was challenging and started with a single project - adding a kid’s play area in the center of the five-acre indoor amusement park. The owners loved this first phase and we were awarded the ‘contract’ to redo the entire project but only one attraction at a time. We relocated to Edmonton with a small crew and three travel trailers. A few months later (before winter set in) we moved to a more permanent residence in Edmonton. There was never a master plan to guide us. The operations manager would talk with me about a particular area. I’d then go back to my temporary studio and work up some concept drawings which we would present to the owners and settle on a contract. Then we would begin work. We started early (6:00 am) and worked four hours behind locked gates and then another four hours while the park was open. We were considered to be part of the show. Just before we finished our current project I would go for another walk with the operations manager to pick out another attraction. I’d do more concept drawings and then present them to the owners for consideration. The cycle would repeat continually for almost five years as we worked our way through the theme park and eventually out into the mall to other attractions. We weren’t allowed to shut down an attraction for more than one day so we had to plan our time efficiently. It was a challenging and exciting time as I learned to transfer my skills and ideas to a young and talented crew. Our mandate was to build every piece as if it came from one mind and hand. All through this time our crew, our selection of tools and our ability to tackle ever more complex projects were continually expanding. At the peak of the job, our crew numbered twenty-one people. Although I still tried my utmost to be hands-on, the reality was that I was now management and the bulk of my time was spent enabling our crew, planning projects and dealing with clients. We had indeed jumped to light speed!
