For the PDCA 22nd International Conference and Expo 2019, PDCA introduced a new award into the annual awards program. The PDCA Associate Member of the Year Award was created to acknowledge PDCA associate members who work toward the greater good of every other associate member and who strive to make the organization as a whole stronger and more unified.
The inaugural award was presented to Gerry McShane, the director of piling sales with Service Steel Warehouse, after multiple PDCA members nominated him to be the recipient. Service Steel, a PDCA associate member since 2014, is a structural and foundation steel distributor specializing in the distribution of steel from stock nationwide.
McShane's commitment to PDCA is obvious: he chairs both the PDCA Education Committee and the PDCA Steel Sheet Pile Committee. He and his fellow Education Committee members worked tirelessly to organize the PDCA 22nd International Conference and Expo 2019, resulting in an agenda packed with expert speakers and relevant topics. The Steel Sheet Pile Committee has spent countless hours updating outdated documents relating to steel sheet pile installation, corrosion and cost comparison. Those three documents the Steel Sheet Pile Installation Guide; the Steel Sheet Pile Corrosion Guide; and the Retaining Wall Cost Comparison Guide are now available through PDCA by visiting www.piledrivers.org.
McShane was not thinking about earning an award when he signed up for his various roles with PDCA.
"I was very surprised!" he said of receiving the award. "It was a great surprise."
"Gerry is absolutely deserving of this inaugural award and is a tremendous role model for members striving to follow in his footsteps," said Scott Callaway, PDCA president. "He's 'all in' with PDCA and I am extremely happy to see him be recognized for his commitments to this organization."
McShane attributes his active role in PDCA for some of Service Steel's success in the deep foundation construction market.
"The foundation sales distribution team [at Service Steel] involves engineering, sales and providing all the accessories that sheet piling demands, like fabrication, coating facilities, galvanizing, in addition to supplying a broad range of sheet piling, pipe piling and H-piling," said McShane. "[Being involved in PDCA] gives general exposure for the company. Service Steel is a relatively new company in the foundation sector, so getting exposure to the name and getting the community to know our people and service offering is a big asset."
McShane also has advice for other PDCA associate members who want to become more active participants in PDCA.
"I think they should be very involved in the committees," he said. "It's a great way to get familiar with PDCA's activities, it's a great way to get their name out there and it's a great way to be involved in an active community."

John T. Parker, Jr. of Parker Marine Contracting in Charleston, S.C., was, by the standards of anyone who knew him, an amazing person. Parker passed away at the age of 50 in January 2015.
Parker was an active member of the pile driving community for nearly three decades and his passing greatly affected members of the industry, especially in the South Carolina region. To honor his memory, PDCA created the John T. Parker, Jr. Industry Ambassador Award for a person who positively impacts the driven pile community through their own passion and promotion of driven piles.
At the PDCA 22nd Annual International Conference and Expo, the John T. Parker, Jr. Industry Ambassador Award was bestowed on John King of Pile Drivers, Inc., to resounding applause.
King is a well-known face at various PDCA events and an exuberant proponent of the driven pile. He was also a close personal friend of Parker's and was touched to win this award.
"I can't wait to show [John Parker's] wife," said King. "John Parker was a once-in-a-lifetime guy. He never met an enemy; he never said a bad word about anybody."
King highlights how much Parker cared for the employees of Parker Marine Contracting to emphasize the type of person he was.
"I've never met anyone who loved his employees more than he did," said King. "John could tell you the names of all of his employees' wives and children, and even knew where those children went to school. He knew so much about each individual employee. He was just a great ambassador for Parker Marine."
As much as Parker was an ambassador for his company, King has been an ambassador for the driven pile industry at large. He is a past-president of PDCA, the current president of the PDCA of South Carolina Chapter and an active member of several PDCA committees. For King, it all comes down to believing in the driven pile.
"I believe it's the best product on the market," said King. "Driven piles have very few flaws. People think we vibrate, but we don't. People say we're noisy, but we've worked on that with modern equipment. I'm always promoting piles. I think it's the best product for deep foundations, especially in [the South Carolina] market."
King is a proud supporter of the driven pile and of PDCA and commends the good work of his fellow members.
"There are so many members who deserve awards like this, but we'd be up there giving out awards for four hours," he said.
"I couldn't be happier to see John receive the John T. Parker, Jr. Industry Ambassador Award," said Jason Moore of Palmetto Pile Driving, Inc. in Charleston and the current PDCA vice president. "If it's possible to support the structure on a driven pile, John's going to ask the question. John believes in his product and he believes in the mission of PDCA. And John is going to make sure that you're aware of his product and PDCA to the benefit of all in the driven pile industry. All he asks is that we do the same. I can think of no stronger advocate for the driven pile!"
King offers advice to other PDCA members to support PDCA's cause: "Be dedicated to what you do and promote driven piles. And not even necessarily promote it, but don't hurt it. Don't go out there and try to make a quick buck and do it all."

The various PDCA committees are comprised of volunteer members and are the lifeblood of the organization. Committee members and their respective chairs work diligently every year to accomplish a wealth of activities that promote and improve the driven pile industry. While all PDCA committees and committee chairs work tirelessly to give back to the entire membership, only one chairperson can be selected to hold the honor of PDCA Committee Chair of the Year. The recipient of this award, selected by the Board of Directors, is the person who shows dedication, commitment and exemplary leadership, not only to their committee and its tasks, but to all of those in the driven pile industry.
At the PDCA 22nd Annual International Conference and Expo, PDCA selected Pollyanna Cunningham with International Construction Equipment, Inc. to receive the Committee Chair of the Year Award for her tremendous efforts with the PDCA Communications Committee and dedication to PDCA, its members and its overall cause.
Cunningham has chaired the PDCA Communications Committee for 10 years, after having been asked in 2009 to step into the role. Despite her decade-long commitment, she was surprised to hear her name called for the award this year.
"I was completely shocked; I had nominated other folks to win!" she said. "I didn't expect it. I am grateful and excited, all rolled into one."
It's Cunningham's sheer enthusiasm for PDCA that made her the frontrunner for the Committee Chair of the Year award.
"For as long as I can recall at least for the last six years that I've been on the board and in an executive committee position Pollyanna has been consistently engaged," said Scott Callaway, president of PDCA. "Either as a committee chair or as a board member, her engagement has been unwavering. She's got a lot of energy and that shows in everything she does. Out of everybody in the entire organization, Pollyanna has been consistent in her engagement and her activity with PDCA, but especially as a committee chair."
The main function and focus of the PDCA Communications Committee is to plan and coordinate the content of PileDriver magazine, the monthly PDCA e-newsletter and www.piledrivers.org. In the past year, Cunningham has also spearheaded exciting new developments in PDCA's suite of communications, including revamping the association's website and launching the all-new PDCA mobile app.
"We took a look at the website and the PDCA app, and we did get the app launched and running," said Cunningham. "We're hopeful to begin working in different and new sectors to integrate all of this technology together."
Most PDCA members are very familiar with Cunningham and her quest for articles in PileDriver, proving how effective she is when it comes to managing and representing the Communications Committee.
"I love the fact that [representing the Communications Committee] gives me a window to see and talk to other people," she said. "With this role, I feel like it gives me almost a special mask; it gives me the confidence necessary to go out and start talking to people to find out what's going on in business and help them get their message out there."
Cunningham clearly holds a passion for PileDriver magazine and is eagerly anticipating the magazine's upcoming editions.
"We are getting really excited about the steel edition, which is Edition 5," she said. "And we're going to prove that steel and concrete work together and put a full edition together on those job stories for Edition 6. For Edition 1 [2020], we're going to bust out with a full concrete edition. But we won't forget about our friends in timber or anywhere else, and we have to get a new focus on all the equipment manufacturers. I really am looking forward to that."
The Communications Committee is actively seeking PDCA members to join and participate.
"We have fun," said Cunningham. "It's a great way to meet other PDCA members and really get networked and get to know people."
To join the PDCA Communications Committee or to request more information about any of PDCA's committees, phone the PDCA office at 904-215-4771.