A Pile of News - September 2020

 
 
A Pile of News: September 2020
A briefing on news and information from the pile driving contractors, associated manufacturers, construction suppliers and affiliated engineers who comprise the PDCA.
By Matt Bisbee, PDCA
From the Association & Chapters
Despite the challenges 2020 has presented, PDCA continues to provide a full slate of education and professional development opportunities, many in virtual format. Please plan to participate in these upcoming events:
 
Event: The PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series, a five-part event offered through Zoom, continues September 2nd, and the first Wednesday each month through December. Registration is FREE to PDCA members; non-members' registration is $100 per session (ask about applying the registration to a new PDCA membership). Each of the following programs offers Professional Development Hours (PDH) credit:

• Webinar Series #2 (click to register) Sept. 2, 2020 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
Dedicated Pile Driving Certification Requirements by Toya Brown of NCCCO
• Webinar Series #3 (click to register) Oct. 7, 2020 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Working Platforms Update and Panel Discussion by Peggy Hagerty Duffy and Terry Holman, ADSC; Gerald Verbeek of Allnamics USA moderates panel comprised of PDCA, ADSC and DFI members)
• Webinar Series #4 Nov. 4, 2020 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
You Stopped Getting Paid, Now What? by Ryan Maloney, Esq. of Jimmerson Birr
• Webinar Series #5 Dec. 2, 2020 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM EST
Tilting at Windmills: Don Quixote Meets the International Building Code by Dale Biggers of Boh Brothers Construction
 
Event: Virtual DICEP 2020 takes place Sept. 16-17 and again Sept. 23-24, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM (EDT) each day. Courses will focus on Steel Sheet Pile and Wave Equation. Up to 7.5 PDH available.
 
Event: At this time, Deep Foundations Dynamic Testing & Analysis (DFDTA) is scheduled as a live event coming Nov. 11-13 in Orlando, FL. It is in partnership with PDI, Inc. Early bird rates available until Oct. 16. Special thanks to ASCE-Florida Section, Florida Marine Contractors Association and Florida Transportation Builders Association for marketing support.
 
Read: Watch for the next PileDriver magazine, commemorating the 25th anniversary of PDCA! It features new and unique content including technical analyses, nostalgic conversations and a recently unearthed time capsule.
 
Welcome: Meet new PDCA committee chairs: Rick Kalson, Esq. of the Contracts & Risk Committee and Chris Normand, P.E. of the Safety & Environmental Committee.
 
Join: Sept. 30 is the deadline for your company to be included in the 2021 PDCA Membership Directory, a critical industry reference book. If you are not already a member, join PDCA today; click here to enroll online and ensure your directory listing.
 
Congress: An extension of the current surface transportation law by September 30th may be the last option to continue road and bridge projects in the U.S. Many insiders point to the health crisis as thwarting hopes of a bipartisan reauthorization in 2020.

Help: September is Suicide Prevention Month; PDCA joins with the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention to raise awareness of the issue and hopefully help companies avoid a tragedy. Learn what steps you can take in your workplace.
News from PDCA Companies
Recognitions:  
Expansions:  
Anniversaries:
  • Marking 50 years in the U.S., Liebherr USA unveils a new headquarters. Take a virtual tour of the Newport News, VA facility signifying the company's "long-term focus," according to director Torben Reher.

Governmental relations:
  • U.S. Reps. John Katko (NY) and Joe Wilson (SC) lauded Nucor operations in their respective states during an International Trade Commission hearing where company designee Don Barney advocated keeping trade remedies on some steel imports.
  • Elsewhere, Indiana Congressmen Jim Banks, Drew Ferguson tour Nucor facility in The Hoosier State.
  • Also, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts names Nucor a recipient of a Developing Youth Talent Initiative grant to introduce manufacturing, engineering careers to students.
  • Eustis Engineering gets a nod from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in a proclamation commencing construction on the Bayou Chene floodgate structure.
  • Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan spoke at the virtual graduation of Clark Construction's unique, 2020 Strategic Partnership Program, a program for commercial construction and engineering businesses in seven U.S. cities.
  • Local officials recognize two projects of Thibodeaux, LA-based Sealevel Construction; a lock improvement with 290 timber piles and a flood mitigation job

Scanning other media:
  • The Manitowoc Herald-Times quotes Erich Pitz in a story about Wisconsin's maritime history. Through their work in and around Lake Michigan, McMullen & Pitz Construction has preserved key marine artifacts and prominently display them on company grounds and at nearby public spaces.
  • Engineering News Record details the foundation construction on a Brooklyn, NY building poised to become the Big Apple's tallest building outside Manhattan; Linde Griffith performs the construction with Nucor steel. (h/t Buck Darling)
  • Dixie Contractor magazine examines the Georgia DOT I-85 expansion; among firms credited for involvement in the massive effort is Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering of Columbia, SC.
  • 11 KTVA-TV, Anchorage updates progress on a new terminal at the Port of Alaska. Among the contractors involved the construction is award-winning Pacific Pile & Marine of Seattle.

More News:
It could buy me a boat Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman brought the "stage" for the fourth annual Charles Island Music Festival. They dusted off a spare barge and pushed it into Long Island Sound. The time, labor and resources from the Branfield, CT contractor helped the organization raise $10K for Yale New Haven Children's Hospital while music fans on 500 socially distanced boats enjoyed a daylong concert.

Frontline Heroes In its company publication The Boh Picture, Boh Bros. Construction of New Orleans features a touching tribute to COVID-19 first responders who have family connections to the company.
 
September means back to school Not every student physically returns to a campus, but a Foundation Constructors, Inc. crew from Oakley, CA was spotted diligently working in an outdoor lab at Sonoma State University as they performed a compression test on a grout-injected pile.

Not a summer vacation A crew from Koppers put in long (and hot) hours this summer to rebuild a 500-foot-long rail bridge after the previous one spanning the Kansas-Oklahoma border burned down.

Just another cog in the wheel There's an improved supply chain for U.S.-produced oil leaving Texas; Orion Marine Group assisted in the construction of the newly completed Port of Corpus Christi Gateway Terminal.
 
Floral piles...what? Coming spring '21, Little Island at Pier 55 in New York City. Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers performed extensive geotech and marine engineering services to preserve the bulkhead built in the 1890's and designed the concrete piles that look like "tulip pots," which form a unique, elevated park space.
People on the Move
The monthly round-up
  • Leading off, John King makes it a "dirty thirty" at Piledrivers, Inc. in Charleston, SC congratulations on the 'workiversary' to the esteemed PDCA past president!
  • Elsewhere, Orival Thompson, a retired Florida highway patrolman, joins Balfour Beatty as USDOT compliance manager.
  • Steve Henderson is the new director of operations at Cajun Industries, Houston.
  • Dr. Jussara Tanesi joins the Saint Paul, MN office of American Engineering Testing, Inc.
  • John Magnavita named office manager in West Palm Beach at ECS Florida, replacing Corey Nees who transitions to the same role in Baton Rouge; Jason Adams joins the firm's Sunshine State offices.
  • L. Inman Hodges Jr. named to Savannah-based EMC Engineering Services' board of directors.
  • Sean Walsh promoted to engineering manager at New Orleans-based Eustis Engineering. Also, senior inspector John Oubre retires after 29 years, which included missing vacations and working on his 25th wedding anniversary.
  • Neil Churman named senior vice president at TRC Companies' Houston office.
  • Tiffany Harrod, shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC, becomes the new chair of the Houston Bar Association Construction Law Section.

Safety first:
Tracie Bergeron and Jake Woods, both of Patriot Construction and Industrial in Duson, LA, are recognized for their ongoing commitment to workplace safety.
 
Jonathan Perou, a crane operator at Sealevel Construction Inc., wins a company poster contest focused on workplace safety. Click here to see his work.

While Aggregate Technologies of Houston received recognition for safety practices, employees Chris Mitchell and Ronnie Thompson, who are veterans, were saluted for their military service.
 
Reading, writing and arithmetic:
Scott Webster of GRL Engineers and a PDCA Executive Committee member co-authored Driveability Analysis Techniques for Offshore Pile Installations with GRL colleague Brent Robinson.
 
Bill Camp of S&ME dispels a preconceived notion about the occurrence of earthquakes in his published article, Earthquake Engineering: How to Design for Earthquakes.
 
Other notes of interest:
Dave Mahoney, executive VP at Dewberry in Fairfax, VA, is appointed to the Construction Industry Round Table's (CIRT) Board of Directors.

Laura Register of Terracon is named the Engineer of the Year by the Nashville Business Journal.
 
Nathan Scalla of Clark Construction, a lymphoma cancer survivor himself, is the 2020 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society National Capitol Area Man of the Year.
  
The future looks bright:
Sara Fayek is awarded the Shannon & Wilson Inc. Richard Frueh Memorial Scholarship to continue her graduate work at Missouri S&T.

Mike Juneau at Premier Geotech and Testing shows students that tests can be fun.

Dermot Fallon of Foundation Constructors is committee chair for the 43rd Annual Construction Industry Boy Scout Lunch-O-Ree; an Eagle Scout himself, he invites your support of the event benefiting Scouts in the San Francisco Bay Area.
 
Babies!
Congratulations to Cecil D. Gassiott, LLC employees Clay and Amy Langston on your baby boy, also Kelly and Lizzy Thompson on your baby girl! What's in the water there? Elsewhere, Panu at Junttan welcomes a baby girl.
 
Condolences:
PDCA sends its deepest sympathies to the family of Mary-Alice Zepeda in Houston. She was a joy to co-workers at Lodge Lumber. A GoFundMe supports her surviving family.
Random notes from the field
The secret of their success "A good contractor is only as good as his/her truck," said no one, ever... except maybe the salesman at this Portland, ME truck dealership who proudly advertises that they have created a "purpose built beast" for H.B. Fleming, Inc.
 
Flotilla for science Someone warn this Universal Engineering Sciences crew to watch for raucous, political boat rallies when drilling pilot holes for a future bridge connecting Tampa and St. Pete. Happy Election Season!

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take ECS Limited principal Alexis Herr authored the proposal for a comprehensive facility upgrade to Hogwarts beginning with ground penetrating radar, up to roof consulting. While still awaiting an agreement, the proposal to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, made famous by J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series, has no expiration.
 
Quotable: "The more we work together to build up our industry, the better it is for everyone." Mike Moeller of Atlas Foundation Company in Osseo, MN in PileDriver magazine. We couldn't say it better!
Thanks for reading 2020's ninth installment of A Pile of News; please keep sending and posting your company announcements. And don't forget to include #PDCADriven on your social media, you might be randomly selected to win PDCA logo merchandise from The PDCA Store.
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Posted in A Pile of News PDCA Monthly e-newsletter.

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Meet the New Chair of PDCA's Safety & Environmental Committee


Deep Foundations Practitioner Normand Cites Working Platform Safety as Priority Issue

Orange Park, FL (August 24, 2020): So far, it has been a "great, enjoyable 14-year run" for Chris Normand, P.E. (pictured) who took a job as Project Manager at Cajun Industries, LLC in Baton Rouge in 2006. Since then, he has developed significant expertise in the pile driving industry and currently is Director of Operations for the Cajun Deep Foundations division. New to Mr. Normand's resume is his August 2020 appointment as the Chair of the PDCA Safety & Environmental Committee for which he has already devised a working strategy to bolster the panel's impact on the industry.

"The S&E committee can play a key role with DFI and ADSC on the development of an industry wide set of best practices and guidelines for Working Platform safety," explained Normand. "This issue is of key importance to stakeholders in the deep foundation industry.  Having a consistent, industry-driven document could form the national discussion at many levels regarding expectations for deep foundations operational safety."

Expecting "continuity" in the transition, Normand credits his Cajun Industries colleague Senior Vice President Scott Callaway for getting him involved in PDCA; he will now succeed Scott at the helm of the Safety & Environmental Committee.

"The S&E Committee will continue to build on its past efforts to provide reference documents such as pre-job plans, lift plans, JHAs and similar best practices could help others in the industry form a culture with safety at the top," added Normand.

Safety culture for companies and organizations everywhere has taken on a new, yet necessary dimension in 2020. When asked about the ongoing health crisis impacting America, Normand said, "PDCA can serve as a forum for peer input and shared solutions for COVID-19 related challenges.  Examples could include challenges with implementing site-specific COVID-19 safe work plans, transportation and site access solutions, specialized PPE use, employee screening protocols, and other general safe work practices."

A Baton Rouge native, Normand is a double graduate of Louisiana State University from which he holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and an M.B.A. He and Jennifer, his wife of 18 years, are raising their three children in his hometown where he has become involved with his son's scouting organization. Chris enjoys opportunities for professional travel and is active in the Deep Foundations Institute, among other industry groups. In his free time, he enthusiastically supports LSU athletics and is a self-proclaimed "outdoors enthusiast" who likes backpacking in the mountains, participating in triathlons, and distance running opportunities.   

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September is Suicide Prevention Month - How You Can Help

As a stakeholder in the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP), PDCA asks you to read and consider the following encouragement from CIASP Chair Greg Sizemore (pictured, left):

"September is National Suicide Prevention month, which is why I am asking you today to please remember to look up from the bids, books, plans and contracts to think about the men and women on our jobsites or working from home that need us, now more than ever. I am asking that you put the resources in place on your jobsites and across our industry to proactively engage our employees--who are our best resources--beyond their physical health and safety, but their mental health and safety as well." 

The CIASP website provides a tremendous resources for employers who are working to implement a plan to avoid a suicide related tragedy in their workplaces; in particular is this comprehensive list of Integration Resources. For more information and additional resources, visit CIASP online.

You might recall PileDriver magazine's Issue #1 of 2020 which featured an in depth article about some of the causes of workplace suicide as well as some of the prevention measures that employers can take. Outgoing CIASP Chair Michelle Walker (right) is quoted throughout.




 
 

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Announcing Virtual DICEP 2020

PDCA is excited to announce that the Design & Installation of Cost-Efficient Piles (DICEP) 2020 program is going virtual! The Virtual DICEP 2020 event will focus on Steel Sheet Pile and Wave Equation. This technical educational series is open to PDCA members and non-members. All attendees can earn up to 7.5 Professional Development Hours (PDH) after completion of the full course.

The conference is primarily designed for general and sub-contractors, geotechnical, structural, and civil engineers, and other firms or individuals who conduct business, support or are associated with the deep foundations, earth retention and/ or driven pile industry. Licensed PE's can earn up to 7.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs). 

This educational event is offered live over four days in September, each day will be comprised of two hour sessions.The dates for Virtual DICEP 2020 are September 16-17 (Steel Sheet Pile presentations) and again September 23-24 (Wave Equation courses). These dates are two consecutive Wednesdays and Thursdays during the hours of 3:00 - 5:00 pm ET (12:00 - 2:00 pm PT). Utilizing the Zoom platform, attendees can attend sessions, engage with presenters, earn PDH's and connect with other industry practitioners. For more information or to register for Virtual DICEP 2020, click here.

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PileDriver Magazine: Advocacy, Revisions to 1810 of the IBC

International Building Code: Louisville

 

(Pictured, left to right; Garland Likins, Dan Stevenson, and Dale Biggers)

It all started innocently in the spring of 2012. An engineer from California proposed a change to a load testing section of the International Building Code. Lori Simpson of Langan Engineers, Dan Stevenson of Berkel and Company, and I attended the IBC hearings in Dallas, Texas. We convinced the engineer to withdraw his proposal because it caused conflicts with other sections of the code.

"Let's change lots of the code," we said. [Note: Garland Likins of GRL Engineers called and got me involved in this Dallas trip, but no hard feelings.]

Unexpected at the time, that cavalier comment started a seven-year odyssey.

We formed the GeoCoalition, which became a collection of 37 structural engineers, geotechnical engineers and foundation contractors from across the country. The PDCA Technical Committee was an important part of the effort. It also included other groups, such as several DFI committees and ADSC. We knew that a well-rounded industry effort would be more respected by the International Code Council (ICC) than any individual proposals.

Every two weeks or less, we had a web conference set up by the PDCA office. The computer screen was controlled by Garland Likins or Anna Sellountou of PDI. They put up a paragraph and the peanut gallery on the phone made suggestions. Changes were done in the ICC format deletions were shown by strike outs, and additions were underlined. Sometimes consensus was difficult as we looked at each and every sentence, one by one.

The interaction of people from various parts of the country in different disciplines mixed with regional variations of rules, foundation types and viewpoints was a wonderful learning experience. We made more than 40 changes to the code. So confident of success, we marched to the ICC hearings in Louisville knowing that our hearts were pure, and our cause was just.

Little did we know how little we knew. [Continue reading in Issue #3 of PileDriver]


by Dale Biggers of Boh Bros. Construction and Chair, PDCA Technical Committee

This is the first of a multi-part review of the changes to 1810, the Deep Foundation section of the International Building Code

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New Chair Seated for PDCA Contracts and Risk Committee


Veteran construction lawyer and PDCA Conference presenter Kalson elevates from Vice Chairman

Orange Park, FL (August 5, 2020): With nearly 30 years of construction law and litigation experience behind him, 22 years exclusively as a full-time construction lawyer, Richard D. Kalson, Esq. is named the new Chairman for the PDCA Contracts and Risk Committee. Mr. Kalson is a Partner at national firm Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP and practices from Columbus, OH and Pittsburgh, PA. The PDCA Board of Directors ratified the new chairmanship with a unanimous vote in June 2020.

[Mr. Kalson (pictured) presented "Effects of Substance Abuse on the Construction Industry" for the opening program in the PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series on August 5, 2020. The Series resumes September 2nd, and again the first Wednesday of each month through December.]

"Through my experience serving as Vice Chair for the Contracts and Risk Committee, we have worked to build a framework to provide necessary information to PDCA members so they become equipped to help themselves navigate the variety of legal risks they face every day,"  stated Mr. Kalson. "I look forward to collaborating with all PDCA members on formulating a list of key contractual provisions for their consideration when negotiating a subcontract."

In his law practice, Mr. Kalson provides counsel to subcontractors, contractors, suppliers and project owners in litigation and business consultation matters, including many ENR 400 contractors and ENR 600 specialty contractors, on all phases of the construction process on projects throughout the United States. He has represented clients in construction disputes involving infrastructure, bridges, petrochemical plants, commercial buildings, hotels, and government buildings, among many others, before courts and arbitrators in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, New Jersey, Wisconsin, New York, Maryland, Virginia, California, Minnesota, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Georgia and many other states across the country.

A construction lawyer for 27 years, Mr. Kalson earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota School of Law following a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Wisconsin where he continues a relationship as a visiting lecturer and loyal fan of Badger athletics. He also holds prominent positions in the construction industry including a Board seat with the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors and a Vice-Chairmanship at the Deep Foundations Institute.

He enthusiastically concluded this interview; "This Committee has delivered educational presentations at almost every major PDCA event in recent years and we will continue providing instruction to PDCA members at future events, both live and remote."

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A Pile of News - August 2020

        
 
From the Association & Chapters
Please join us for the PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series, a five-part event coming to you via Zoom on the first Wednesday of the next five months, beginning this week. Registration is FREE to PDCA members; non-members can access the professional development content for $50 per session (ask us about applying your registration to a new PDCA membership). Following completion of each program, you will receive Professional Development Hours (PDH) credit.
  • Webinar Series #1 (click to register) Aug. 5, 2020 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
    3:004:00 PM Effects of Substance Abuse on the Construction Industry by Rick Kalson, Esq.
    4:005:00 PM Are Ethics Ruining Your Business? by Dr. Brad Allenby
  • Webinar Series #3 Oct. 7, 2020 (time, TBA)
    Working Platforms Update by Peggy Hagerty Duffy, ADSC
  • Webinar Series #4 Nov. 4, 2020 (time, TBA)
    You've Stopped Getting Paid, Now What? by C. Ryan Maloney, Esq.
  • Webinar Series #5 Dec. 2, 2020 (time, TBA)
    Tilting at Windmills: Don Quixote Meets the International Building Code by Dale Biggers
Cue the Rocky theme song. If you haven't already, read the latest issue of PileDriver magazine, which goes in-depth on the winning entries in the 2020 PDCA Project of the Year Awards.
Will it be on the test? The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) Pile Driver Exam Management Committee welcomes two tenured practitioners with significant operational experience: PDCA members Tim Dutton, VP at Junttan USA Inc. and Joe Kinworthy, manager at Equipment Corporation of America begin service when the committee next convenes in October.

New member shout-out: Welcome Poydras Logistics Group, LLC and managing member Robert Lloyde. The New Orleans-based, non-asset carrier provides logistics services throughout the continental U.S.

Chapter events
  • Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the PDCA of South Carolina has canceled its third quarter dinner meeting scheduled for August 13
  • Gulf Coast: Likewise, the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter has also canceled its third quarter dinner meeting scheduled for August 20
Latest legal resources from PDCA member law firms
PDCADriven Winner - August 2020
News from PDCA Companies
Expansions:
  • Shannon & Wilson, Inc. opens Chicago office; Jason Buenker and Jason Funk lead operations
  • Universal Engineering Sciences acquires Georgia-based Contour Engineering, LLC
  • Samuel Roll Form Group sister-company Associated Tube Group nears completion of 284,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Birmingham. Operations expected before December 31st.
Anniversaries:
  • 1910: New York City was America's biggest city with almost 5 million. A few of them got together that year to form Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers. Happy 110th birthday, MRCE!
  • 1980: As a Californian won the White House, a California pile driving company was born. Join us in congratulating Stroer & Graff, Inc. of Antioch, CA for 40 years of building deep foundations!
Recognitions:
  • Massman Construction gets national accolades for a Louisiana lock and dam repair project
  • Cape Romain Contractors is recognized for work on "Connecting the Creek" in Mt. Pleasant, SC, which has been selected as the 2020 Public Works Project of the Year
  • Clark Construction earns a "first place" from the National Association of Women in Construction
  • NOLA.com names Canal Barge Company to the list of 70 Best Workplaces in New Orleans
  • The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report names the 2020 Top 100 Private Companies list in the region; PDCA members on it are Boh Bros. Construction and Cajun Industries, LLC
  • GROUP Industries of Baton Rouge is a ConstructSecure, Platinum Safety Award winner
Ongoing COVID-19 response:
  • GRL-Pennsylvania has practiced social distancing and still advanced ongoing projects with an uncommon tool remote testing technology. "We are uniquely capable of adjusting and assisting our clients at any time due to our unmatched experience, even with late notice or for an emergency repair with limited time and information," said branch manager Alex Ryberg.
  • Pipe supplier AMERICAN collaborated with a Birmingham City Councilor to distribute food to families in need in Hooper City, AL
  • Kiewit team members in Kansas City donate masks to Children's Mercy Kansas City
Other news:
From NJ.com Rebuilding from 2012's Hurricane Sandy continues in Jersey. George Harms Construction of Farmingdale has begun the first of a three-phase, federally funded bridge replacement project.

From NBC-15, Mobile, AL Road trippers tooling along SR-41 in Alabama will navigate Conecuh River bridge construction through December as Scott Bridge Company completes the ALDOT project.

In their own words WATCH Travis Schonacher and Kevin Passman of Sealevel Construction discuss the recent award winning floodgate project, among other critical infrastructure issues in southern Louisiana on HTV 10.

Partnership The Sullivan County Business Edge has published a story highlighting the New York county's ongoing relationship with Tectonic, which it directly ties to recent economic growth.

Long, hot, summer days Canal Barge Company is counting donations to the Power Up the River campaign, which closed on Friday. The effort benefits Louisiana families in need of food assistance.

Giving back Chair The Hope is dedicated to aiding disabled people with independence and mobility. It celebrates the completion of an Idaho project on which Sunroc was a labor and materials donor.

Is it a farm team for the Braves? In a display of community commitment, EMC Engineering Services, Inc. in Georgia is supporting the Lincoln County Rec Department and one of its 2020 T-ball teams.

Did you know? In 2013, Sunbelt Rentals was intricately involved in both the steel and concrete pile design and equipment delivery for South Florida's largest and deepest excavation on record.
People on the Move
The monthly round-up
  • Balfour Beatty US promotes Michelle Reiner to vice president in California.
  • Cajun Industries, LLC names Stephen Chapman as new VP of mechanical services.
  • Jason S. Hertz joins GeoStructures, Inc. as a NYC-based sales engineer
  • Congratulations to Robert Krogsgaard of American Engineering Testing, Inc., who retires after 31 years serving as CFO. Filling his shoes at the St. Paul, MN firm is Kate Marcotte.
  • Dewberry Engineers welcomes Robert Victor to lead the Mid-Atlantic office, John Hoole to the California transportation practice and Nicole Hopkins to business development in Tulsa.
  • ECS Limited announces promotions, Derek Clyburn to subsidiary president in Southeast,  Chris Lopez to COO in Midwest and John Hicks to regional manager in Florida.. Additions include Ezequiel Sepulveda, Louis Hatcher, Matthew Johnson, Robert Valorio and Aiden McGregor in Mid-Atlantic and Luke Johnson in Midwest.
  • GeoEngineers, Inc. elevates 18-year veteran Lindsay Flangas to chief operations officer.
  • Don Craig named new CFO at Haley & Aldrich, Inc. in Burlington, MA.
  • Tom Muth is tapped to oversee the new tubular products division of Zekelman Industries; subsidiary Atlas Tube names 27-year company veteran Jeff Cole as its new president.
  • Myles Stallings onboards at the Calsak Plastics Minneapolis office.
Other notes of interest:
  • Andy Boeckmann of Dan Brown and Associates has co-authored a synthesis report on geophysical methods for transportation projects. Read the full publication disseminated by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program.
  • The Wall Street Journal quotes Koppers CEO Leroy Ball in a story examining a dramatic spike in lumber demand since April 1st; read "America is on a Lumber Binge" [subscriber content]
  • Steve Frost, safety manager at Balfour Beatty in Portland, is recognized for leading the company's "Need to Talk" program, which addresses mental health and wellness. Elsewhere, Earnest DeLoach, VP legal, moderated a panel for the Central Florida African American Chamber of Commerce, entitled "Emotional Impact of Racial Violence on Workplace Productivity."
  • Jimmy Bennett of Braun Intertec receives a Minnesota Young Engineer award.
  • Lucky Nagarajan of Giken America becomes the new chair of the DFI Women in Deep Foundations Committee.
  • Meghan Brassard of Haley & Aldrich, Inc. earns professional development grant
  • Shannon & Wilson, Inc. awards University of Washington student Emma Hutchinson with annual engineering scholarship.
PDCA sends heart-felt condolences to the surviving family members, CZM Foundation Equipment colleagues and friends of the late Ward Black who was a loyal parts and service representative. The company has established a GoFundMe account to assist his loved ones in this difficult time.
Notes from the Field
Current events
  • Regulation Alert: Now in effect, an Alteration of Terrain (AOT) permit in New Hampshire requires a biologist evaluation to address impacts on endangered species. Read amendment.
  • From the Courts: Read an analysis from Dane Pehrman of Haley & Aldrich examining activity in federal court on ongoing viability of NWP 12, which impacts some underground construction.
  • International Trade: Nucor and Gerdau were at the table as the U.S. International Trade Commission moved to maintain duty orders on steel wire rod imported from China.
  • Painting messages on streets isn't new to 2020, Holland LP was using this tactic back in 2019!
A proud dad moment...Congratulations to Kaia Klotzbuecher for earning a college scholarship! Her dad David Klotzbuecher is a senior foreman at Corman Kokosing Construction, which qualified his family to apply the Metro DC-area award. Good luck to Kaia a future woman in construction?

Get on the bus A Zoom chat with NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis is how employees of Koppers spent a recent Friday morning. The program, entitled Building Our Success Through Inclusion and Diversity, featured the retired Steeler running back who gave a presentation and engaged in Q&A.

It's not Dylan, Prine, Felker or Lennon...it's Stu Sanders of AMERICAN who wrote "Colorblind" after the 2018 birth of his son. WATCH the Ohio-based sales rep perform his uplifting ballad using only his pleasant tenor and a six string.

Red balloons, more than just an annoying '80s song GZA Environmental offers insight on why you road warriors might occasionally see a solitary red balloon suspended in a rural skyline.

What's old is new again. The Bedford Gazette in Western Pennsylvania writes about a collaboration of local entities, including Creative Pultrusions, which are donating labor and materials to erect a new drive-in movie theater at a nearby fairgrounds.

Quittin' time A summer libation recommendation from Baton Rouge's Premier Geotech and Testing; liven up your hard, pink lemonade by adding a special garnish!

Quotable A fixture on the homepage of D.W. Kozera, Inc. in Baltimore: "On account of the fact that there is no glory attached to the foundations and that the source of success or failure are hidden deep in the ground, building foundations have always been treated as stepchildren and their acts of revenge for lack of attention can be very embarrassing." Karl Terzaghi, Father of Soil Mechanics, 1883-1963
Thanks for reading 2020's eighth installment of A Pile of News; please keep sending and posting your company announcements. And don't forget to include #PDCADriven on your social media, you might be randomly selected to win PDCA logo merchandise from The PDCA Store. 
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Posted in A Pile of News PDCA Monthly e-newsletter.

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Annual Conference Webinar Series Launches

     Many now consider virtual events as "the new normal," therefore the 2020 Pile Driving Contractors Association Annual Conference launches this week under a modfied name; the PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series. It is a five-part, interactive, online event taking place the first Wednesday of every month, August through December. This Wednesday, August 5th from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (EDT), the series begins with the first two sessions. 

     Forthcoming sessions for the PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series will cover a variety of other essential subjects concerning business practices and the deep foundations industry (all times Eastern):

     All segments of the PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series are provided to members of PDCA at no cost; non-members can register for any or all events which require a $50 per session registration fee (please note - registration for the August 5th event that includes two sessions carries a $100 fee). Non-members are encouraged to contact PDCA to learn how to apply their event registration(s) to a new PDCA membership. All participants will be awarded Professional Development Hours for completing the scheduled events. Note to participants; all webinars will be conducted through the Zoom platform.

     PDCA's Manager of Education and Events Kathy Harper (pictured above supporting a presenter during the 2019 PDCA Annual Conference) continues to migrate 2020 Association conferences and educational opportunities to virtual events. You are encouraged to contact Kathy with questions at kathy@piledrivers.org. 

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