As with anything in life, the more engaged we all become, the more our teams become energized. I have always found that the more interaction I have with my team and the more we emphasize our company's strategic goals, the greater the benefit for us, our clients and even our suppliers. Coming out of PDCA's strategic planning, I feel renewed listening to members from contracting companies, just like mine, who want to get all the benefits out of working together with PDCA and its members.
Being involved and interactively discussing common ground can and does produce a positively charged energy. I want all PDCA members to discover this type of energy by getting involved. There is no better time for all member companies to be active with PDCA. One of the easiest tricks to get involved starts with logging into your PDCA web portal. If you don't know how, it's easy:
Type in your company email address (not a generic email address such as info@yourcompany.com your own email address at your company) and click "recover password." If that doesn't work, call the PDCA office at 904-215-4771, and they can take care of you it will be completed in the time it takes you to make your coffee.
And, of course, for those of you reading this message in PileDriver magazine, there are numerous opportunities outlining how you can get more involved in PDCA in the pages. One of the most important opportunities includes attending our 2019 PDCA ExPEERience:

Read more about this year's PDCA ExPEERience starting on page 55 of this issue of PileDriver.
PDCA's 2019 vision: Where you fit in
PDCA is quickly diving into 2019 with an outstanding strategic plan that focuses on engagement, education and outreach.
Our Board of Directors has been working diligently to find the best ways to interact with other organizations involved with the driven pile industry and that are in need of our expertise to enhance their programs.
In keeping with that plan, the PDCA Communications Committee will be working hand-in-hand with the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI)'s Driven Pile Committee on several projects; and the PDCA Education and Safety Committees are considering a much-needed ground safety program to be adopted by certain training organizations.
The above efforts, when more developed, will undoubtedly pay dividends when it comes to strengthening the driven pile industry. But one PDCA committee has overwhelmingly taken the lead as far as cross-organizational outreach, and has already had a direct positive impact on our industry. The PDCA Technical Committee has been engaged in a collaborative effort with DFI to improve the IBC 1810 Foundation Section (International Building Code 1810).
This has been an ongoing partnership since 2012 and deserves more recognition than it has been given. This project continues to gain strength, again via partnerships, and the participant group has taken to calling itself the 1810 GeoCoalition Code Committee. The partners on the 1810 GeoCoalition Code Committee come from strong groups of contributors and are lead by the committee chairman (and the chair of PDCA's Technical Committee), Dale Biggers of Boh Bros.
The 37 members participating in the 1810 GeoCoalition Code Committee are from the following groups:
PDCA Technical Committee
DFI Code and Standards Committee
DFI Augercast Committee
DFI Helical Committee
ADSC Drilled Shaft Committee
ADSC Micropile Committee
If updating building codes and discussing future safety qualifications and accreditations are not what speak to you as you venture into becoming a more engaged PDCA member, there are myriad other options available to you.
All of PDCA's active committees would love your ongoing involvement, and at the very least would be thankful for your input to identify like-minded organizations that PDCA should be partnering with. Help PDCA by telling our committees what you think the most important association initiatives should be. Find a list of PDCA committees and the contact information for each chairperson on page 18 of this issue of PileDriver. And you can always reach out to me or any of PDCA's staff members to discuss your options!
PDCA Project of the Year Awards
For members looking for some more immediate engagement gratification, the PDCA Communications Committee is accepting submittals for the PDCA 2019 Project of the Year Awards. The Project of the Year Award program is open to all PDCA membership categories contractors, associates and engineering affiliates. The deadline to submit your project is April 26 and the winners will be announced at the PDCA 22nd Annual International Conference & Expo 2019 in July. You and your company automatically benefit by sharing your project; all entries will be published in PileDriver magazine.
PDCA Member Engagement Campaign and Awards
For the PDCA members that are already actively involved in our rapidly growing organization, we have something new for you. (The opportunities for PDCA members to become more involved in the organization seem to grow on trees!)
The Associate Member Council, which helps grow our organization and whose members sponsor our events, has created the PDCA Member Company Engagement Campaign and Awards! This program is a very straightforward involvement campaign whereby PDCA members evaluate their own company's engagement with the association. Check it out on the PDCA website and see if your company is a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum member!
Again, to log in, just type in your personalized company email address and click "recover password," or log in if you've previously done so. If you encounter any difficulty, call the PDCA office (904-215-4771) and they can get you access in no time.
Once you've logged in, go to the Member Engagement content and check off the boxes you have completed.
Active members will be honored at the annual conference in July, so complete your evaluations ASAP! The deadline to have your activities considered for an award at our annual event is May 1, so don't delay. This is an easy way to get you and your company recognized at PDCA's largest meeting!
In closing, thank you to every PDCA member for your support and participation. I'll see you in July in sunny Orlando, Fla. at the PDCA 22nd Annual International Conference and Expo 2019!
Pile on!

Every new beginning has to start somewhere. A road trip starts long before we get in the car. A building project starts well in advance of the first shovel being placed in the ground. A plan, no matter how well conceived, starts before the pencil is put to paper. So it is that we have ideas, we solicit input, we challenge alternate views, we refine the process and we come up with a plan that, we hope, will take us where we want to go.
The Pile Driving Contractors Association held its annual Strategic Planning Meeting Jan. 9 to 11, 2019, in Atlanta, Ga. The PDCA Board of Directors, along with several past presidents, held intensive discussions, strategy sessions, break out groups and continued discussions during lunch and dinner in order to draft what is now referred to as the 2019 PDCA Strategic Plan. This document, comprised of core values, started far from where it ended.
You could call it the "kitchen sink approach" where everything and anything is put up for consideration. Some items might represent pet projects, some could be standing principals, while others are timely and should be considered. Regardless, they are all considered, discussed, dissected, pared down, refined, tested and, finally, put on paper to be discussed and refined even more. This process is not for the faint of heart or for someone who is easily offended. The conversations can be direct, but it is with good intent and for the purpose of challenging whether what is being discussed is something that is believed or simply there as a filler. If it is something that is believed, it will be supported and could make it to the next level.
This process continues until certain ideas rise above others and the strategic plan starts to take shape. At this point, the Board is ready for action. They dig in for the final leg of a marathon meeting to simplify all that has been discussed into workable ideas that will form the foundation for the organization's efforts over the next 12 months. That is the goal and is why the meeting is so important because the impact it will have on the organization and the services provided to members will have long-lasting effects.
The product of this extremely important meeting could not happen without the dedication and commitment of the people involved. They are to be commended for their work and the time they took away from their own businesses to devote to this important task. It is no small effort.
This year's Strategic Plan is constructed with three values: Education, Membership and Visibility. Three words that by themselves could be disregarded but in context make up the foundation for PDCA.
Education is probably one of the most important services that a trade association can provide for its members. This one value is so important that without it, the organization may not have a reason to exist. The programs and information that are provided have to address the issues and concerns of association members. These programs have to be timely, accessible and, in most cases, repeatable. PDCA has a unique challenge due to the fact that members are located in all parts of the United States, Canada and other countries around the globe. PDCA is an international association of pile driving contractors and those associated with the industry. And while the majority of members are located in the U.S., the organization has to be mindful of how its programs and services impact these other areas.
PDCA depends on its Education Committee as a primary means of vetting education ideas, programs and activities. This work never ends because education needs are always changing.
It is obvious that without members in the organization, there would be no PDCA. The importance of membership is often easy to overlook. Membership is vitally important for the support it provides to the organization. As the second priority in the Strategic Plan, we need to work harder to develop members, to nurture member growth and to provide members a reason to renew their commitment and support year over year. Understanding why a company would join the organization as well as why they won't renew their membership are both important metrics that have to be developed. Only then can PDCA make the adjustments necessary to ensure the highest level of participation.
Visibility is the final point to the 2019 PDCA Strategic Plan. This is no small task and while it may seem less important than Education or Membership, Visibility provides the branding and continuity that helps the other two points. This effort can take many forms. Using the PDCA website as the base for visibility opens many opportunities. The fact that just about everything we use to represent the association can be digitized means we are able to push all these resources to the website for access by PDCA members, other interested individuals and groups and the general public. Everything we do can and should encourage website participation. The ability to branch out to social media and other related channels is always an option and, at some point, a necessity. By using the available technology, PDCA will have the ability to track current web usage and compare that over time to determine which programs are working, what new initiatives should be started and what resources should be shelved for newer, more effective offerings. This is a dynamic, active, ongoing, continuous process. We have to begin somewhere in this effort and once started we have to continue for it to be effective. And we have to be consistent. We cannot start this effort and then stop mid-stream. It has to be done over time in a purposeful way. Visibility helps every aspect of what PDCA is doing to represent the driven pile industry. Our message that a "Driven Pile is a Tested Pile" gains more traction with increased visibility.
The 2019 PDCA Strategic Plan: Education, Membership, Visibility. PDCA members must be part of the process. Members need to tell the organization what programs, information and activities should be developed. Then when they are developed, members need to attend programs, use information and support activities. This success will breed its own success.
Members need to be active about their own membership by utilizing all the services that the organization offers and by renewing their membership each year. But members also are the best voice in telling non-members why they should join PDCA. Members have to be active in the organization to maintain a vital, healthy and growing community.
Members become the first line of visibility for the organization to the rest of the deep foundation industry. Keeping the PDCA logo visible is one way to help develop a successful brand. Using the PDCA website on a consistent and strategic basis will provide "visible" results. Helping others learn how to use the website and all the information available there is an important step. When a social media feed is posted for PDCA, a repost or tweet or Snap goes a long way.
Members have to be involved in every aspect of the association. With your engagement and active support, the 2019 PDCA Strategic Plan will be meaningful and successful.
The work begins. Let's get to it.

As we begin a new year, PDCA has taken the steps to aggressively pursue an ongoing and important priority: membership development. This has traditionally been a function of the PDCA national office, often supplemented by existing members. However, the efforts put forth by members and staff have previously been described as "passive" in nature, and many believe we can do even better.
Some of the methods for membership development that we have employed to date include advertising through PileDriver magazine and other publications; pitching audiences at PDCA events; circulating membership applications at industry functions; and promoting our newly redesigned web-based application system, which is now a very quick and user-friendly tool for interested parties to submit dues and enroll in the association. Collectively, all of this has grown membership. However, our leadership has determined that an additional PDCA staff position dedicated to identifying and enrolling new members will lead to further and faster association growth. Effective in January, the PDCA Board of Directors created a new position in the national office entitled director of member services, which has a defined scope of membership retention and development while also providing support to local PDCA chapters.
After a thorough interviewing process with PDCA's incoming and outgoing executive directors, I am pleased to announce that I have committed to expand the membership, become a greater resource to our chapters and assist the organization as needed to support, strengthen and grow PDCA. I offer many thanks to the board for making this important position available, to the staff for welcoming me into the office and to the entire membership for recognizing that the pile driving industry can improve and flourish when we all band together behind our common interests and mission to "effectively communicate the benefits of the driven pile through education and continuous improvement of methods, material and equipment to the industry."
A little bit about me I come to PDCA with an expansive and diverse background in the association and non-profit sector. Some of the associations for which I have worked include the National Federation of Independent Business, the Florida Public Defender Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, the Merchant's Payments Coalition and the Dirksen Congressional Center. Functions I have performed in some or all these associations include new membership development, member retention, communications, marketing, legislative advocacy, member education and coalition building. Outside of the non-profit sector, I have also worked as a broadcaster, a congressional communications director, a public information officer and as a political/marketing consultant with an agency. My career to date has been split between Illinois and Florida.
Away from the office, I enjoy spending time with my family, which includes plenty of time on the sidelines of youth sporting events and taking in all the adventures we can find in the great outdoors. And while I presently live in North Florida, the convergence of SEC and ACC country, I remain loyal to the wonderful University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where I earned a B.A. in history. Through all my experiences, I have learned that non-prejudicial networking and strong relationship building are critical components of a healthy growth strategy for any coalition. I very enthusiastically bring this philosophy to PDCA.
My first months on staff have been anything but dull. Through the training and work completed so far, I have solidified my belief that I can be successful in delivering upon the expectations of my new position. It has quickly become apparent that this is an opportunity to continuously learn and understand a fascinating, competitive and traditional but constantly evolving industry all while doing what I believe I can do well build a deep and strong foundation of support that will enable ongoing growth of PDCA membership and ultimately succeed in promoting a healthy and sustainable pile driving industry.
It is very important that I include this invitation to all readers of PileDriver magazine I want your input and guidance when you believe it is advantageous and appropriate for the association to pursue new members of PDCA. And to those who participate in local chapters, I want your ideas and desires for achieving a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship with the PDCA national office. Communication is a critical piece of success in the growth of PDCA and I am very eager to collect thoughts and suggestions from all industry practitioners and strategically adopting those to the organization's advantage.
In my role as director of member services, I am eager to work with PDCA's Communications Committee as their staff liaison. A major function of this member committee is the develop­ment of content for PileDriver magazine. The committee is always actively searching for industry news and events to help our membership stay current. I will try to bring to this committee more legal or regulatory changes in your specific markets but am looking for member input to accomplish this successfully. The committee is open to all members who would like to participate and welcomes all pile driving job stories. The committee's main goal has always been and will continue to be to promote the driven pile industry and our members. I am eager for this experience as the active involvement of our members has proven very successful and I am offering to be a resource to this type of energy.
The PDCA national office would like you to add news@piledrivers.org to your company's public relations department contacts and email distribution list. This will enable our PDCA national office to better support you, our members, in your exciting endeavors. The idea is that PDCA will collect and republish news and happenings on your company as a member benefit within our member email blasts and publication options. Again, I am eager to work with PDCA members and their regional chapters while engaging new members to join us in promoting the driven pile industry.