PDCA of South Carolina Awards "Mac" Nigels Scholarship

Charleston, SC (November 14, 2019): The thirteenth recipient of the coveted "Mac" Nigels Scolarship is Cadet Hunter Hutton (pictured below), a sophomore at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. The annual award is presented to a civil engineering student from The Citadel who, according to his/her professors, demonstrates strong character, integrity and grade point average. Cadet Hutton currently maintains a 4.0 GPA and receives both a commemorative plaque and a $2000 monetary gift. He was presented his award by Scott Nigels (pictured, right), son of the late McLeod "Mac" Creighton Nigels during the PDCA of South Carolina Chapter's Quarterly Dinner Meeting at the Town & Country Inn in Charleston on November 14th. Nearly 60 practitioners in the pile driving industry attened the event. "Mac" Nigels was a highly respected civil engineer in Charleston following his 1955 graduation from The Citadel; the Chapter has honered him through the scholarship program every year since 2007.



In other business at the Dinner Meeting, Dr. Steven C. Jaume from the College of Charleston presented "Getting Under the Surface of the Charleston Peninsula to Predict Earthquake Ground Motion." Chapter members were updated on planning for the Annual Oyster Roast which will take place January 17th at Palmetto Pile Driving. Additionally, they received updates concerning the biennial PDCA of SC Driven Pile Technical Seminar to be held in March; it is that event which helps make the "Mac" Nigels Scholarship available each year.
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A Pile of News - November 2019

                               
 
Don't eat the worm! - Going out on top -         Spider-Man lives in Pittsburgh, he's a CEO
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: With cleaner waters come new marine construction considerations. As detailed in a recent story from The New York Times, "shipworms" are to blame for millions of dollars in damage to NYC piers. We contacted Eric Lincoln of American Pole and Timber in Houston who noted of the evolving environment, "Conventional methods in timber piling don't have the longevity." He strongly encourages builders to use preventative and mitigation products on the market that very effectively combat damage. A comprehensive description of various of marine borers is in this blog post

A Job Well Done. Reigning PDCA Committee Chair of the Year Pollyanna Cunningham from International Construction Equipment (ICE) in Charlotte brought unmatched levels of passion and enthusiasm to her voluntary role as PDCA Communications Committee Chair. Her accomplishments include increasing the frequency of PileDriver Magazine to six times a year (up from four), modernizing PileDrivers.org and launching the new PDCA App. Thanks to the inspiration and infrastructure she leaves us, the publishing team will continue to deliver your communications while awaiting the appointment of a new chair to bring in new ideas and contacts. We sincerely thank Pollyanna for her monumental efforts. 

Could the Village People have Existed Without It? As we highlight in each edition of APON, several entities in the pile driving industry celebrate significant birthdays in 2019. However, one common denominator in all construction also reaches a notable milestone this year; that important and integral piece of safety equipment, the hard hat came into the world 100 years ago. As his company celebrates a century in business, Herlihy Mid-Continent Co. in Chicago, president Doug Schultz circulates a fascinating history of the iconic safety essential in "The Evolution of the Hard Hat."
 
Events and News from PDCA and the Chapters 
PDCA members by now have received notice that the PDCA Board of Directors unanimously approved an organizational dues increase. This measure was passed to 1) Achieve PDCA dues parity with similar industry organizations; 2) Ensure adequate and prudent funding for all PDCA programming; 3) Continue expanding and improving PDCA offerings. PDCA sent all active member written notice of the overdue adjustment to the membership dues in October; the document provided greater detail including descriptive graphics highlighting the necessary, organizational reappointment of finances. Thank you for your continued support of PDCA.\

For the non-members considering PDCA (and you should), you have exactly two months to take advantage of the Introductory Rate, currently offered through the New Member Campaign.

DICEP kicks off Tuesday at the Westin Downtown Cleveland; registration will be available at the door.

The Northeast Florida Chapter of PDCA has launched! The news came during The PDCA Florida Georgia Blitz; and event held in Jacksonville, FL in advance of the highly anticipated college football game. A former Gator football player was even in attendee at the October 30th event!

PDCA Chapter events this month: PDCA of the Northeast hosts a Meet and Greet on 11/13 at Iberia Restaurant in Newark, NJ; quarterly dinner meetings take place for PDCA of the Gulf Coast (Messina's in Kenner, LA) and PDCA of South Carolina  (Town & Country Inn) in Charleston, SC; both are 11/14.

Don't forget to visit The PDCA Store as you begin your holiday shopping.


Around the industry: Pile Dynamics (PDI) hosts State of Practice: A Deep Foundations Seminar in Miami on 11/11 and New Orleans on 11/15; each worth 6.5 Professional Development Hours.
 
People, Partnerships and Prizes
Ron Brylski named new VP of Boh Bros. Construction, following 28 years in its piling and marine dept. Former Idaho division manager Mark Elder promoted to VP at Sunroc. American SpiralWeld names Scott Murphy AVP Finance. Samuli Salmela appointed president and CEO for MotoCut LtdNucor announced retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Nadja Y. West joins its Board of Directors. Pittsburgh-based L.B. Foster changes: Sara Rolli is the new managing director of quality, Steve Spragale is general manager of fabricated bridge products, Greg Goad, vice president of piling, assumes responsibility for steel construction business. NOLA's Eustis Engineering names Bryan Connelly director special inspections. Group Industries promotes Eric Fauveau to project estimator. Russell Hulse joins McCarthy as business development manager. 

Another job well done...after 30 years as a crane operator, the last 11 as manager at Hoffman Equipment in NJ, Gary Hopf has retired.   
American Cast Iron Pipe Company in Birmingham recognizes engineer Lindsay Hamner on her completion of Upward, an intensive women's leadership development program.

APC Construction of Harvey, LA was named to the prestigious LSU100. President Keith Porta is a graduate of the LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business, which releases the list annually.   

Cajun Industries accepted an Award of Merit from the Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance; company chairman Lane Grigsby earned induction into its inaugural Workforce Development Hall of Fame

Canal Barge Company Steersman Matthew Cole received a Meritorious Public Service Award from the U.S. Coast Guard for his role in a rescue operation of a pleasure vessel last year.

Hoffman Equipment president Tim Watters earns recognition from New Jersey UTCA.  

Mason Construction benefits coordinator Heather Kugler named to Southeast Texas Young Professionals Organization "40 Under 40".

Significant company birthdays (40 years+) include THREE that are well over the century mark; beginning in 1864 in Ann Arbor, MI, McCarthy celebrates 155 continuous years in business. Iconic New Orleans contractor Boh Bros. and New Jersey giant Linde-Griffith both reach 110 years of operation. Other notables: Lawrence Construction in Colorado turns 95. Beaumont, TX-based Mason Construction celebrates 80 years. PKF in Newtown, PA turns 5-0. International Construction Equipment (ICE) in Matthews, NC reaches 45 years. Trinity Products of O'Fallon, MO is 40. Also, a special congrats to Matt Scerbak, manager at Associated Pile & Fitting, who reaches 40 years with the NJ company.


New Orleans-based Canal Barge Company has acquired five Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel (PBSG) towboats and offered employment to their 80 professional mariners. 

Condolences: Aldridge Electric mourns the loss of a dear friend and impeccable safety trainer, Steve (last name withheld), who will be greatly missed by the thousands whose lives he touched. Additionally, Deep South Construction & Salvage celebrates the life of "Mamma Cat," Ms. Cathy Violet Huff Madere, who had co-owned and operated the family business and its parent company Madere and Sons Towing.
 
Newsmakers
Construction Dive quotes VP Bevan Mace of Balfour Beatty and Director Naomi Whitesel at McCarthy on "TVD - target value design, delivery."

Construction Equipment Guide
profiles the Feiler family; all crane operators from All Crane, got that?


Piling Canada magazine
introduces the new VP at ECA Canada, Ray Kemppainen. 


Jersey Shore Online
credits George Harms Construction for the improved highway on Cedar Bonnet Island.


Jacksonville Daily Record
writes about a hurricane restoration project awarded to Hal Jones Contractor.


Defense Media Network
published a sponsored article about L.B. Foster and the USACE. 


STRXUR
profiles McCarthy project director Ileana Holguin in "Blazing a Trail to Diversity."


FloridaPolitics.com
features a brief about PileDriver magazine and PDCA in a story about a past conference presenter.


The National Center for Employee Ownership
is out with an article about America's largest, majority employee-owned companies; PDCA members Terracon, Cianbro and McCarthy all make the list.


Duluthian Magazine
features a cover story on Veit & Company; and Veit VP Steve Hosier graces the cover of Construction & Demolition Magazine.
 
Shaping Our Communities
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month during October, several companies contributed to efforts to call attention to the beatable affliction that victimizes millions of women and men each year. American Piledriving Equipment (APE) offers its social media network some sound advice and a fitting meme. Group Industries president Shane Kirkpatrick wore pink attire all month in support of the #RealMenWearPink campaign; www.shanegoespink.com chronicled his fundraising efforts. Ocean City, MD is home to the Poor Girls Open, an annual fishing tournament that benefits the American Cancer Society. The pink ladies from Rev Drill Sales and Rentals participated in this year's event; they were winners for playing, but unfortunately lost to the Hookers in the Best Dressed Contest.

Cajun Industries awards Southeastern Louisiana University student Ethan Duckworth the David Abrusley Memorial Scholarship. It was established in 2009 to honor their late, memorable employee.

Edgen Murray's Colorado team gave back to the community by hosting a customer appreciation BBQ

Junttan is cosponsoring two biathlon competitors who are training for the 2020 Youth Olympic Games

Koppers' Pittsburgh office saw 22 employees, including CEO Leroy Ball, rappel Spiderman-style down 21 stories of their building facade; the effort raised nearly $50K for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

McCarthy SVP Nate Kowallis served as Principal for a Day at the Dallas Environmental Science Academy

Patriot Construction and Industrial contributes to a coastal protection project in Louisiana; also they participated in the Ush One See, Inc. 5K/10K race in Lafayette to raise awareness for Usher's Syndrome

S&B Drilling strives to be good stewards of their hometown. Company owner John Lisle is a Cub Master for a Williston, ND Scout group and led his Scouts in the annual community clean-up.  

Sealevel Construction fielded a team in the 3rd Annual Upside Downs Golf Classic in Mathews, LA. It supports the provision of resources, awareness and advocacy for children with Down syndrome.

 
 
Fun Facts from the Field
(the Travel & Tourism Edition)
In modern business, it's important to diversify your service line. Several PDCA member companies appear to be dabbling in travel and tourism, as evidenced by their social media. You might remember back in October when APE released this collateral piece listing Chicago attractions in advance of DFI's Annual Conference.

Holes Inc. in Houston hosted a company fishing and poker event; a morale booster indeed!

Key Constructors in Madison, MS promotes a theme park that lets kids play with heavy machinery.

Link-Belt Cranes in Lexington, KY knows the Derby happens only once a year, so they've commissioned a co-branded deck of L-B/Bicycle Playing Cards for your "casino nights" to help pass the time.
 
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. Remember to include the hashtag #PDCADriven on all of your driven pile-related social media posts se we can follow along and share.
 
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