New 'Touch Free' Registration; and 
Program on 'Pile Testing'

Charleston, SC:  The PDCA of South Carolina Chapter announces that the Quarterly Dinner Meeting originally scheduled for November 12, 2020 at 6:30 PM, will be held as a live event, open to PDCA Members and other deep foundations professionals who would like to attend. Organizers have secured an insightful program from Dr. Guoming Lin of Terracon Consultants in Savannah, GA on the Kinder Morgan Elba Liquefaction Project.

Interested attendees should be advised that the Chapter has implemented all COVID-19 safety protocols for events and gatherings as recommended by the national Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the State of South Carolina (SCDHEC) and Charleston County. In addition, the Chapter has adopted a new "touch free" registration process, requiring attendees to register in advance and submit payment online. There will be no payment exchange at the event. REGISTER HERE.

In addition to the technical program, the Quarterly Dinner Meeting will feature a dinner buffet, beverages, industry networking and fellowship. Also, the Chapter Executive Committee will announce the student from The Citadel who has been selected to receive the 2020 Mac Nigels Scholarship. For more information about the November event, including venue and sponsor information, please see the following event flier:

 

Jobsite Safety a Key Driver in Ongoing Efforts of ADSC/DFI/PDCA Working Group

Orange Park, FL (October 7, 2020): The third installment of the PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series featured a two-hour, virtual program that provided a comprehensive report on the ongoing efforts of the ADSC/DFI/PDCA Working Group, which in 2019, formalized efforts to pursue industry-wide safety guidelines for utilization of working platforms on deep foundations jobsites.

More than 100 deep foundations professionals registered for the October 7th program entitled Working Platforms Update in which 
Peggy Hagerty Duffy, P.E., D.GE (pictured, lower left) of Hagerty Engineering and Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors (ADSC) and Terry Holman, PhD, P.E. (pictured, upper right) of Geosyntec Consultants detailed the Working Group's efforts to-date. Following that program was the Working Platforms Panel Discussion.  Hagerty Duffy and Holman served as panelists, along with Jim DeWaele of Keller Group (lower right). Gerald Verbeek of Allnamics U.S.A. (upper left) moderated the discussion in which the panel fielded questions from attendees. Those who attended the full program have earned 2-hours Professional Development Hours (PDH).

Please watch for detailed coverage of the Working Platforms Update installment of the PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series in an upcoming PileDriver magazine. Also, The PDCA Store will soon be offering a download of the full program, free to PDCA members and for purchase by non-members.

The PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series continues on November 4th with a program on construction law; the Series concludes on December 2nd with a presentation on updates to the International Building Code. All programs are FREE to PDCA members and offered to non-members at a nominal cost. The successful five-part, virtual series replaces the 2020 PDCA Annual Conference which was to be a live event in May; this change was made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters (pictured below, left) and Manager of Events and Education Kathy Harper (pictured below, right) bring you the programs originating in the PDCA offices and delivered through the Zoom platform.






 

Annual pdca event, Delivered as Webinar, a success in virtual format

October 2, 2020: September was a busy month when PDCA offered several virtual education opportunities, including the annual Design & Installation of Cost-Efficient Piles (DICEP), known this year as Virtual DICEP 2020.

The program was delivered over the course of two weeks; the first segment provided attendees a thorough examination on Steel Sheet Pile, featuring presentations from David Chapman P.E. of Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc. and Gerry McShane of Service Steel Warehouse. This took place on September 16^th and 17^th from 3:00 5:00 PM EDT each day.

The next week, Virtual DICEP 2020 focused on Wave Equation. This too was delivered over two days, for two hours each day on September 23^rd and 24^th. Ryan Allin, P.E. of Pile Dynamics, Inc. gave a background on the subject matter and hosted workshops on specific components.

Nearly 90 professionals from North America and Europe attended Virtual DICEP 2020, including Jennifer Brandt, P.E. (pictured) of Peirce Engineering, Inc. in Phoenixville, PA. Ms. Brandt said; "PDCA's Virtual DICEP program was an excellent opportunity to stay connected with other PDCA professionals and reinforce my knowledge of Steel Sheet Piling and the Wave Equation.  The presenters were engaging, and the presentations were very informative.  I look forward to the next PDCA Virtual opportunity."

Thank you to our sponsors for Virtual DICEP 2020 which include; Pile Dynamics, Inc., Lester, Palmetto Pile Driving, Inc., and Service Steel Warehouse.

PDCA is pleased to announce that DICEP returns in 2021; it is expected to be a live event scheduled for September 15-17 in New Orleans, LA. Please watch your inbox for new details as they become available, or visit piledrivers.org.