08/19/2026
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Frank Simotics, Tiki Rancher
Designer, Builder, Bamboo Architect
Polynesiacs Artist Interview No. 116
Roswell, Georgia
“I'm the only Tiki guy that builds with bamboo that I've met.”
“I wanted to go to Bali and do the two-week immersive course in bamboo construction, but during the pandemic, they stopped doing it. Nobody was traveling. So they offered, for the first time, a twelve-week online immersive course. And I'm like, that’s a lot cheaper than flying to Bali, right? Although it was costly, I jumped at it, and I’m so glad I did.”
“I started the course, not thinking it was gonna be that serious or that intense, but, man, I had homework every week. It was like I was back in school, which made it more fun, you know? Had to do a bunch of models. It was really intense. I learned everything from propagation to building. It was so cool. Now, I believe I’m the only Tiki tropical builder that does structures using bamboo, and I've had them permitted and engineered.”
“I use Guadua - Guadua angustifolia - which is the most highly engineered bamboo in the world. There are 2,100 varieties of bamboo, but only three are construction-green. You’ve got Guadua, Asper - Dendrocalamus asper, and Gigantus - Gigantochloa apus, which grows in South America a little bit, but not like over in Indonesia. That's what the green school usually uses more than anything, because it's what they have.”
“I’ve now built six structures using bamboo. After I took the class, I got so much better, and I did the one that had the swim-up bar here locally. Then, of course, I had to re-do my own home bar, The Porthole. I had to make mine better than it was, because now I knew how to do it right.”
Frank Simotics, also known as Tiki Rancher, grew up on a farm in Ohio. Raising animals and growing things was second nature to him. On a farm, he’d have to know how to fix or make anything needed to keep the homestead going. Horses, chickens, and pigs don't take vacations. When Frank left the farm many moons ago, he started raising tikis out of nowhere. So, when people ask him why he took the Tiki Rancher name, it’s obvious - farming tikis is his game.
Tiki Rancher is an Atlanta-based licensed commercial general contractor specializing in tropical theming for hotels, bars, and restaurants. In addition to creating one-of-a-kind carvings from palm, cedar, cherry wood, or large-scale EPS foam, his team offers turnkey solutions for the hospitality industry and home enthusiasts, from concept to build-out. Frank is a custom designer who builds and fabricates props in a variety of materials, with a specialty in synthetic bamboo and thatch products.
Find him at tiki-rancher.myshopify.com, (IG), or Frank Simotics (FB).
