A Pile of News - August 2019

 

A Pile of News August 2019

A briefing on news and information from the pile driving contractors, associated manufacturers and suppliers and affiliated engineers who comprise the PDCA.
by Matt Bisbee, PDCA
 
Houston, we have a BIG problem Think It, Sink It, Reef It Contractor wins high-stakes game of Jenga
Important announcements from PDCA: Congrats to awardees at the 22nd Annual PDCA Conference. Read the News Release that lists Project of the Year and other winners; it also introduces The PDCA Store, now available with branded PDCA merchandise, PDCA-produced educational materials, and other PDCA products. If you are interested in presenting at or attending DICEP 2019, November 56 in Cleveland, click here. PDCA launches a New Member Campaign this month please encourage your non-member colleagues and associates to enroll online. PDCA of South Carolina hosts its quarterly dinner meeting on August 6th, the Gulf Coast Chapter hosts its dinner meeting August 22nd. Full event list here.
Where's the smoky back room? If everything is bigger in Texas, just imagine the size of the potholes on Oates Road, the main route to Lodge Lumber in Houston. Company VP J.W. Lodge is not sitting idly; he testified about the problem before the City Council twice and has now launched a media blitz to expose what many consider municipal ineptitude. Mr. Lodge has appeared on local news and talk shows and was recently featured in a Channel 2 investigation, which concludes that the pothole-riddled road he navigates to work is the most egregious in the city. Let's hope the "squeaky wheel gets the grease"...or at least a little gravel! Watch news segment.
It was a Convoy to the Capital: Not without significant grassroots opposition, the Oregon Legislature has passed a measure aimed at reducing diesel emissions from medium heavy-duty trucks. Although, PDCA does not offer a political position, some of our Oregon members say that the law will negatively impact businesses that rely on equipment powered by diesel engines. Got hammers? See the news story.
All hands on deck: Florida frequently makes headlines for harmful algae and other waterway hazards. Two separate efforts from Florida PDCA members address growing concerns of unhealthy waters around the peninsula. Naples-based Island Piling volunteers in a regional effort to clean coastal waters by installing mini reefs. Owner Kena Yoke said it is "critical that marine contractors give back to the community" in this regard. More from the News-Press. Simultaneously in Northeast Florida, Gate Precast donated significant amounts of precast concrete to Think It, Sink It, Reef It (TISIRI), a non-profit leading an artificial reef installation project in that region. See a video from TISIRI
Can we parachute in? The Land of Lincoln Honor Flight flies Illinois Veterans of U.S. wars to Washington, D.C., for a day trip to view the national monuments. Participating in the program this year was Darin Werts of MKT Manufacturing who joined his dad, Don, a Vietnam Vet. PDCA salutes you Mr. Werts! Photo.
 
Acquisitions, Transitions, Elevations and Recognitions...
Valard Construction in Calgary, AB, becomes the operating name for sister company Northstar Sharp's.
Aldridge Electric announces new co-CEOs, Steve Aldridge and Alex Aldridge, who take the helm at the family business. Ontario-based Samuel, Son & Co., Limited names Colin Osborne president and CEO. Robert Tabb is the new VP and CFO and Austin Shanfelter is interim COO at Orion Marine Group. Mary Emily Slate becomes executive vice president at Nucor. MotoCut Ltd. names Sami Palo area sales director. Heather Kugler of Mason Construction in Texas graduated Leadership Beaumont. After 40 years with Houston-based Lodge Lumber, Joe B. Housson has retired and Eric Green is the new operations manager; also, Andrew Harris and Cory Hartman have joined the sales team. Congratulations to Sally Soper on retirement after 40 years with Link-Belt Cranes in Kentucky; Carmen Dessenko becomes the service parts supervisor. The U.S. Coast Guard recognized Brian Royak from L.B. Foster as Sailor of the Quarter and presented him a USCG Achievement Medal. Kiewit names Mike Johnson senior VP and adds Army veteran of two deployments Chris Hart to its Offshore Services Unit. Ron Smith retires from Hal Jones Contractor, Herman Edge named new field engineer. ECA promotes five in North America: Gordian Ulrich, Anthony Sciortino, Chris McCune, Peter Kassaris and Trey Carver.
The 2019 S&P Global Platts Metals Awards recognizes Nucor with the Steel Industry Leadership Award and the company's CEO John Ferriola as CEO of the Year. See the full list. Additional note from Nucor Skyline: You are invited to participate in a free webinar examining Steel Solutions for Storm Protection to be held August 8th at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Geostructures, Inc. of Purcellville, VA, earns the Gold in Construction Trade Contractor award from Virginia's Chesapeake Region Safety Council and recognition from The National Safety Council. The company was also a Project of the Year award winner from PDCA.
C.D. Perry, LLC from Troy, NY, wins a 2019 Project of the Year award from PDCA.
Great Lakes Construction Company in Ohio won Best Overall Safety Program by Business and Legal Resources (BLR) and employee William Hocevar earned the Lifetime Achievement in Safety Award. 
The City of Rogers, MN, and the Rogers Lions Club honored Veit & Company, Inc. with the 2019 Rogers Community Spirit Award, recognizing the company as a significant local employer and a generous community partner. Check out the photos here.
Cajun Industries, LLC took a 2019 PDCA Project of the Year award back to Baton Rouge.
Utah's Sunroc Corporation introduced a new logo this summer and was named Business of the Year by Dixie State University in recognition of its consistent financial support, thought leadership and employment opportunities for DSU grads.
Another prestigious award in Utah, Best of State 2019 for Heavy Construction goes to Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction. The company also takes home a PDCA Project of the Year award.
Anchorage-based PND Engineers, Inc. earns a PDCA Project of the Year award for 2019.
 
Newsmakers
CZM relocates to Georgia, brings 75 new jobs to Bryan County. More from WTOC-TV Savannah.   
The Chicago Tribune features a story on the flourishing "Field of Dreams" on the city's south side, made possible in part through 4,000 hours of donated labor from McHugh Construction.  
Ron Zornes of Canal Barge Company discussed with Accuweather how sustained high waters along the Mississippi River are impacting the marine industry and the broader economy.
Coastal Bridge helps clear a stranded barge from a Louisiana backyard. Baton Rouge TV 2 On Your Side reports on the bizarre eyesore that has obstructed one woman's river views since last August. 
Dustin Troutman of Pennsylvania-based Creative Pultrusions is featured in Composites Manufacturing Magazine and speaks to pultrusion products specific to the Infrastructure market segment.  
The Austin American-Statesman reports on the latest addition to the Texas city's skyline; a Balfour Beatty project team collaborated in the development of the new "Jenga Tower," now the tallest residential building West of Mississippi River. 
New Jersey radio staion 102.3 WSUS-FM  serving the Lafayette area helped find an adoptive family for a stray kitten that was rescued near Sparwick Contracting, Inc. They even named the spunky kitten Sparwick!
 
Shaping our communities
LG Barcus and Sons, Inc. sponsored PULL for Young Life Kaw Valley, a sporting clay shooting event that raises money for Christian-based youth programs in the Kansas City area.
In collaboration with Loma Linde University Health in Southern California, McCarthy has helped develop a safe and kid-friendly virtual reality therapy program for the region's only pediatric hospital. More.
Kiewit has donated a learning facility to Huntington Beach, CA. Wetlands Conservancy in conjunction with its work on modernizing the nearby municipal natural gas power plants. Read more.
The Urban Village at 2+U in Seattle, an office development by Skanska, will be home to The Studio, the city's first free public art space, which will offer free arts and cultural programming. Read more. 
Samuel, Son & Co. VP and treasurer Rob Stanley raised more than $14K for prostate cancer awareness as he participated in the annual Grand River Ride for Dad motorcycle tour of southern Ontario. Photo.
New Jersey-based Hoffman Equipment donated an excavator to an Eagle Scout who raised money to purchase materials and build a walkway and patio for his parish Our Lady of Consolation. See photo.
 
Sports Can someone call Kent Tekulve?
The PDCA Annual Conference featured a golf tournament. Ten foursomes participated in the "shamble" style competition at the Tranquillo Golf Course on the property of the Orlando Four Seasons Resort at Disney. Tournament and contest winners were: Closest to the Pin: Cary Hazard, Darren Werts; Longest Drive: Hunter Arrighi, Jonathan Carroll; First Place Team: Scott Webster, Hunter Arrighi, Rich Anderson, Mike Elliott; Second Place Team: Brian Land, Brian Rogers, Dennis Gleason, Steven Mathers, Tom Connor; Third Place Team: Scott Callaway, Karl Higgins, Doug Keller, Brian Heck; Women Golf Awards: Inger Darling, Tina Peters. Photo of several winners.
Thanks to Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc. in State College, PA, a nearby Little League is able to expand its ballpark facilities using donated engineering, design and other site prep. More.
For every strikeout thrown by a Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher this season, Koppers Inc. is donating $100 to a local charity. In July, all donations went to JDRF International.
Edgen Murray apparently employs a versatile array of athletes; the company put forth a rodeo team in the Calgary Stampede and participated in a charitable Dodgeball Tournament in Clarksburg, WV.
The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs gripped Middle America in June as the historic baseball town, St. Louis, traded its Cardinal red for Blues blue. The unlikely 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues established a ubiquitous presence in the Gateway City; Alpha Pipe Company joined the fun by hosting "Blues Day."
 
If your company has news to share with the pile driving industry, please email matt@piledrivers.org. We look forward to distributing your unique stories, personnel changes, charitable efforts and recognitions.
 
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2019 Project of the Year Award Winners

2019 Project of the Year Award Winners

The PDCA Project of the Year Awards program is one of PDCA's most prestigious initiatives. Open to any driven pile project completed by a PDCA member, the awards are dedicated to acknowledging the ingenuity, hard work and commitment that goes into each driven pile project, and recognized excellence in construction projects completed by PDCA members. All PDCA members - whether a contractor, associate or engineering affiliate - are eligible to submit their projects for consideration.


Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction wins the 2019 Project of the Year Award in the Contractor (Land, Greater than $5 Million) Category

PND Engineers, Inc. wins the 2019 Project of the Year Award in the Associate/Engineering Category



Cajun Industries, LLC wins the 2019 Project of the Year Award in the Contractor (Land, $2 Million - $5 Million) Category

Geostructures, Inc. wins the 2019 Project of the Year Award in the Contractor (Land, $500,000 - $2 Million) Category

CD Perry, LLC wins the 2019 Project of the Year Award in the Contractor (Land, Less than $500,000) Category

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners in the 2019 PDCA Awards program. You will find additional information, including detailed project articles on all 2019 Project of the Year winners in Edition 4 of PileDriver magazine which becomes available in late August. Don't forget, those projects you are completing now could eventually compete for 2020 Project of the Year Awards; submission details will become available later this year.

Posted in PileDriver Magazine.

Congratulations to our 2019 PDCA Award Winners!

Orlando, FL (July 11, 2019): The PDCA Annual Conference featured the annual Awards Reception and Dinner as part of a Latin, Carnival-inspired celebration. The following PDCA members were recognized for the significant contributions they have made to the organization over the past year. Congratulations to all the winners!

Committee Chair of the Year

Presented to the PDCA Committee Chair for outstanding dedication and commitment to the PDCA & exemplary leadership.

The 2019 Committee Chair of the Year is Pollyanna Cunningham of International Construction Equipment (ICE).

Associate Member of the Year

Presented to the Associate Member of PDCA who has demonstrated a consistent contribution of time, resource and expertise to a specific and critical function of the organization.

The 2019 Associate Member of the Year is Gerry McShane of Service Steel Warehouse.



John T. Parker, Jr. Industry Ambassador Award

Presented to a PDCA member who shares the late John Parker's passion for pile driving.  Recipients are selected by a collaboration of PDCA leadership and a representative from PDCA of South Carolina Chapter.

The 2019 John T. Parker, Jr. Industry Ambassador is John King of Piledrivers, Inc.

Professional Engineers Service Award

Presented an engineer who has made a significant contribution to the PDCA, the driven pile industry and the engineering profession from the Geotechnical, Civil or Structural engineering disciplines.  

The 2019 Professional Engineers Service Awardee isScott Webster of GRL Engineers.

Presidential Award for Distinguished Service

Pays tribute to an individual who has made long-term and significant contributions to the PDCA and the pile driving industry through effective leadership, support and participation. The PDCA President selects this honoree who has demonstrated valuable personal and professional service to PDCA.

The 2019 Presidential Award for Distinguished Service was presented to Stevan A. Hall, retired Executive Director, PDCA.

Posted in 2019 PDCA Awards.

A Pile of News - July 2019

A Pile of News July 2019

A briefing on news and information from the pile driving contractors, associated manufacturers and suppliers and affiliated engineers who comprise the PDCA. 
by Matt Bisbee, PDCA

 
It's not Batman, it's the "BRRT" Now to accessorize those safety vests Were platform shoes acceptable workplace footwear on day one?

Welcome to July, it's hot outside and many of you are making your way to Orlando where it's only getting hotter; in fact it will be muy Caliente (that's the band we have secured to entertain us on Thursday night at the conference). Onsite registration for the 22nd Annual PDCA Annual Conference at the Four Seasons Walt Disney World Resort opens Wed., July 10. We hope to see you there.
Looking ahead, two deadlines in July to mention: West Coast students interested in applying for a scholarship from PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter, you have until July 19 to complete and submit this application. If you would like to present at DICEP 2019 (Nov. 46), abstracts are due to PDCA by July 22 submit here.
Congrats to the PDCA Northeast Chapter, which hosted 72 shooters at Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays on June 14 for the 5th Annual Clay Shoot. The event raised money for the Scholarship Fund. See photos.
The glove's gonna fit:  What's going on in the deep foundations community, you ask? Lots of headlines to share, so fasten your safety belts. Speaking of safety, SKANSKA USA has changed the game. Inspired by a 17.6% increase of women in construction trades in just a year, the New York City construction giant took the initiative to test market and inspire production of a new line of safety vests and gloves designed exclusively to fit their female employees. An interested PPE leader sees a growing demand in this space and is preparing to make the female workwear lines available across the industry. See story.
Freaky fast: It's unclear if they've issued special new uniforms, but ECS Limited has established a unique new service. Called the Bird Rapid Response Team, the small but highly specialized consulting unit is equipped with the expertise to deliver migratory bird evaluations almost as fast as Jimmy Johns delivers subs. The BRRT, as it has been dubbed, will assist ECS clients on super structure projects, infrastructure developments and utility installations. Imperative in today's professional environment, the BRRT offers transferrable skills; they can apply their evaluations to turtles and marine mammals as well. Read more.
Raise a glass; no, raise a 40:  Carter was President, disco was on the radio, the Steelers were a dynasty and the first Millennial wasn't even born. 1979 was the year GEOKON opened its doors and started blazing a revolutionary trail. Happy 40th anniversary to the New Hampshire-based firm that has become a world leader in vibrating wire technology and other instrumentation innovations. See story.
 
 
Acquisitions, transitions, elevations and recognitions...
Infrastructure & Industrial Constructors USA (i+iconUSA) is acquired by Shikim & Binui, read the release. 
Midwestern powerhouse geotech firm Terracon grows its presence in the Southeast, read more.
CIANBRO gains 500 employees and expands its East Coast service area with the A/Z acquisition.
Personnel changes: hired at Intertec are John Focht, PE, in Dallas and Sean Kim, PE, in Houston. Dewberry opens a Roanoke, Va. office; hires Bahman Behzadi and Brad Ewing into its Orlando office. New to ECS are Jenna Jordan and Greg Simmons while Brandon Quinn and Brian Wyatt earn promotions. GTA, Inc. promotes Donny Sousa in the NJ office and names Shep Winckler to the Maryland office. The new Tolunay-Wong Engineers Branch Manager in Geismar, La. is Jonathan Honeycutt. Board certified construction attorney and PileDriver magazine legal contributor Ryan Maloney joins Jacksonville, Fla. law firm Jimmerson Birr. Congratulations to Scott Okelberry, recently named president of Sunroc Corp. in Utah.
During a May ceremony in New York, president and CEO Richard S. Weeks of longtime PDCA member-company Weeks Marine was inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame. See story.
The Chesapeake Region Safety Council honored Corman Kokosing with the "2019 Award of Excellence."
McCarthy's South Texas office earned distinction from the Houston Business Journal as the 2019 Healthiest Employer for a Large Company. A healthy team is a productive team!
 
Shaping our communities
While most of us consider it a vacation paradise, the Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company does significant work from its island home. In addition to the many new developments it leads, the contractor was recognized for preserving one of the state's most prized architectural landmarks. Read article.  
If summer travel takes you to Utah, visit the Timpanogos Cave, a popular National Monument. Check out the refurbished Visitor's Center, recently completed by Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction. More.
Congratulations to GeoEngineers for collaborating on the design for the Caminada Headlands Beach and Dune Restoration project near Grand Island, La. Their efforts earned a national award. Read more.
Thanks to deep foundations staff time and heavy equipment donated by Cajun Industries, Louisiana's capital city is home to a new monument erected to honor the Louisiana National Guard. Read more. 
North Dakota's S&B Drilling also gives back; the company donated materials and labor for the new Freedom Monument in Williston's Riverview Cemetery.
AET, Inc. has honored founder and former CEO Terry Swor by funding an ACEC Minnesota scholarship in his name. The now retired professional geologist was on hand to award its first recipient. See story.
 
We even have sports...
Fans attending baseball games at Rogers High School in Minnesota will now follow the action with assistance from a brand-new scoreboard. Veit & Company made the purchase possible with a generous donation to the Dugout Booster Club which supports the hometown Royals. More. 
Twenty-nine hours of running!? Cianbro staffers ran in the American Odyssey Race, which treks from Gettysburg, Pa. to Washington, D.C. Their efforts support cancer patients and wounded veterans. Read more.
 
Thanks for joining us for this installment of A Pile of News; until next month, we wish you a safe and happy Canada Day (July 1), Independence Day (July 4) and MLB All Star Game (July 9).
If your company has news to share with the pile driving industry, please email matt@piledrivers.org. We look forward to distributing your unique stories, personnel changes, charitable efforts and recognitions.
 
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