Frank Weigand
President
As co-founder and President of the TWT Group, Frank Weigand provides strategic direction and oversees the company’s operations. He is responsible for managing client, strategic partner, and key vendor relationships. Frank works closely with clients to define the scope of work, assign appropriate TWT Group resources, and ensure expectations are exceeded. In this role, Frank is a key participant in internal and external design reviews and tests.
From 1996 until co-founding the TWT Group, Frank provided consulting services for all the major themed entertainment companies. As a sought after consultant, Frank was typically retained to problem solve or supervise highly challenging rides or shows, including Jurassic Park (rides and animated figures), Mission Space (ride), and Men in Black (ride and animated figures).
Frank was Vice President of Engineering at Kenetech, the world’s largest utility-scale wind turbine manufacturer from 1994 to 1996. While at Kenetech, Frank and his team went from drawing board to successfully testing a 500 KW wind turbine in nine months.
Frank spent eight years at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) as Principal Engineer and Manager of the Mechanical Engineering department. In this role, Frank managed the work of up to 97 engineers and designers who were developing shows and rides for Disney parks worldwide. Most notably, Frank shepherded the creation and installation of the following attractions: Indiana Jones Ride, Epic Theater Stunt Show, Splash Mountain, Star Tours, Space Mountain, Toon Town Spin, Monorail, and Tower of Terror.
Before entering the themed entertainment industry, Frank spent just over a decade as an engineer with Honeywell. As a Project Engineer, he managed a team of 20 engineers who were responsible for designing, building, and testing actuation and power systems for various airborne and land-based vehicles. His work at Honeywell included developing high-speed ground transportation systems such as the Linear Induction Motor Research Vehicle, which achieved a record speed for a train at 256 mph. Frank also developed rocket-fuel-powered emergency power systems for jet aircraft, which have saved numerous aircraft and pilots’ lives.
Frank holds 13 patents in the areas of propellant power systems, off-road vehicles, amusement rides, and wheels.
Education
- Master of Science Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
- Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame
Aidan Bradley
Chief Technology Officer
As co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of the TWT Group, Aidan Bradley creates cutting-edge industry-specific solutions to bring a client’s ideas from concept to production. Because of his unique technical expertise, Aidan is often specifically retained by companies such as Universal Studios and Disney to solve some of their most difficult technical challenges. Additionally, Aidan manages the TWT Group’s R&D and growing technology portfolio.
Prior to his work with the TWT Group, Aidan co-founded Things and Ideas, Inc., a design firm dedicated to inventing, creating, and developing diverse products, such as four patents for high performance roller coaster wheels. In addition, Aidan was retained as a consultant to provide advanced engineering and feasibility studies for both Disney and Universal Studios.
Prior to Spectra F/X, Aidan served as the Vice President of Engineering for Show Motion Design where he was responsible for creating stunt equipment and special mechanical effects for television commercials and designing illusions and various show effects. Aidan was most notably responsible for the design of the Mayan Temple sets for Disney’s Indiana Jones Stunt show.
Aidan began his engineering career at early age in England working as an indentured apprentice toolmaker in a local machine shop. After graduating from college, Lero Telecommunications hired Aidan as a System Design Engineer to design governmental emergency communication systems. After obtaining his MOD security clearance, Aidan designed electromechanical guidance controls for the Panavia Tornado fighter. He was then hired by Britannia Row Productions to do production management, mixing, live recording, safety engineering, special effects engineering, stage design, lighting design, inflatable vehicle design, and fly and rigging design for numerous touring and stage acts. Aidan’s clients included: Pink Floyd, Billy Idol, James Brown, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, and The Rolling Stones.
Aidan holds numerous patents in the entertainment and technology fields ranging from vehicles to special effects.
Education
- Higher National Diploma Mechanical Engineering, Lanchester Polytechnic (Coventry University)
Daniel Coats
Chief Operations Officer
As Chief Operations Officer of the TWT Group, Daniel Coats is responsible for strategic initiatives, corporate planning, legal services, human resources, and administrative services. Daniel also oversees the TWT Group’s day-to-day engineering services and product development operations.
Daniel attended the Pepperdine University School of Law and focused his studies on entrepreneurship, finance, business planning, and taxation. Daniel was a Fellow in the Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship, Technology, and the Law. While in law school, Daniel co-founded CG3D, LLC with a former Walt Disney Imagineer, which catered to the themed entertainment industry by providing specialized design and modeling services.
Before attending law school, Daniel was a Ride Mechanical Engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) assigned to the Global Ride Enhancement program. Daniel’s responsibilities included designing and developing safety systems, proposing and implementing hazard mitigation strategies based on safety evaluations, fault tree studies, failure modes, and failure effects analyses for various rides, attractions, and show mechanical figures.
Prior to WDI, Daniel was a Technical Director at Landmark Entertainment Group and provided comprehensive management of entertainment productions from schematic design through to show opening. In this role, Daniel drafted scopes of work, evaluated and selected vendors, managed project schedules, and supervised the theater installation of Hershey’s Really Big 3D Show in Hershey, PA.
Education
- Juris Doctorate, Pepperdine University School of Law
- Master of Science Mechanical Engineering and Masters Minor in Materials Science, University of Missouri-Columbia
- Bachelor of Science Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia
Brad Borgman
Director of Project Engineering
As the Director of Project Engineering, Brad Borgman provides day-to-day team leadership during a project’s design, development, installation, testing, and reporting. Brad is also responsible for managing a project’s budget, schedule, and deliverables.
In 1995, Brad started his own consulting business for the theme park and entertainment industries. His clients included Universal Studios Hollywood (Jurassic Park), Universal Studios Islands of Adventure (Spiderman), and Universal Studios Japan (Back to the Future, Stunt Show), Warner Brothers, Sony Development, Apple Computer, and numerous ride system manufacturers.
Prior to consulting, Brad was a Ride Systems Engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) coordinating stateside ride equipment for the Euro Disney project installation in Paris. Most notably, Brad was the Ride Project Engineer for Disneyland’s Indiana Jones ride.
Brad spent 8 years at Sunkist Growers, eventually becoming Chief Engineer of R&D after receiving patents for robotic packaging and developing optical sorting equipment. Brad began his engineering career at Ford Motor Company working on vehicle prototype development, driveline and hydraulic systems, engine engineering, and telemetry at Ford’s test track outside of Detroit.
Education
- Bachelor of Science Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University
- Masters of Science coursework in Electrical Engineering
