Safety Precautions Paramount at November DFDTA Program

DFDTA to be offered twice in 2021


Orlando FL (November 13, 2020): A small group of engineers convened in Orlando in November to take part in the Deep Foundation Dynamic Testing and Analysis seminar (DFDTA), a program and proficiency test offered twice a year from PDCA and Pile Dynamics, Inc. (PDI.) 

Due to ongoing health concerns related to COVID-19, PDCA and PDI strictly adhered to Federal recommendations to ensure a safe and successful event for attendees. Social distancing was accommodated, face masks were required when they were unseated and the hotel implemented new cleanliness protocols throughout the public facilities and guest rooms.

The program consisted of a one-day seminar titled Deep Foundation Integrity Testing and Wave Equation Analysis and a two-day workshop titled High Strain Dynamic Foundation Testing. On the third-day, PDCA administered the Dynamic Measurement and Analysis Proficiency Test, a 90-minute, multiple-choice exam on the theory of Wave Mechanics, Case Method (PDA) equations, data quality assessment, data interpretation and basic CAPWAP analysis.

If you missed the 2020 DFDTA programs, PDCA and PDI are planning to offer the course twice in 2021; the three-day program returns to Orlando over the dates of March 8-10, 2021 at the Doubletree by Hilton Orlando Airport Hotel. Register here. Also, stay tuned for information about a second DFDTA in Fall 2021 in Cleveland, OH.
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Gourgues Elected PDCA President; 2021 Officers, Board Announced



PDCA 2021 Officers and Board of Directors
 
We are very pleased to announce the result of the election for the PDCA 2021 Officers and Board of Directors. Listed below are the individuals that have been unanimously elected and who will serve beginning January 1, 2021. We would like to offer our congratulations to the new Officers and Board of Directors and thank them for their commitment to serve and lead PDCA in the upcoming year.
PDCA 2021 Officers
 
President

Kevin Gourgues
Patriot Construction and Industrial, LLC
Port Allen, Louisiana
 
Vice President

Brian Heck
Richard Goettle, Inc.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Secretary

Kustaa Mansfield
Pacific Pile and Marine
Seattle, Washington
Treasurer

Scott Webster
GRL Engineers, Inc.
Harrisburg, North Carolina
Past President

Jason Moore
Palmetto Pile Driving, Inc.
Charleston, South Carolina
PDCA 2021 Board of Directors
Director

Harold Baur
Boh Bros. Construction Company, LLC
New Orleans, Louisiana
Director

Greg Canivan
S&ME, Inc.
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Director

Herbert "Buck" Darling
Herbert F. Darling, Inc.
Tonawanda, New York
Director

James Dempsey
Blakeslee, Arpaia, Chapman, Inc.
Branford, CT
Director

Diane Fischer
Pile Dynamics, Inc.
Cleveland, Ohio
Director

Mike Juneau
Premier Geotech and Testing, LLC
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Director

Doug Keller
Richard Goettle, Inc.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Director

Bruce Langan
Equipment Corporation of America
Brielle, New Jersey
Director

Emmett Waggenspack
Coastal Contractors
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Announcing PDCA 2020 Virtual Committee Day, Coming Dec. 10th

PDCA Members: you are encouraged to attend the PDCA 2020 Virtual Committee Day 

This event features a virtual meeting of all PDCA Standing Committees delivered through the Zoom platform. Each meeting will be limited to 30 minutes in length and will be a great opportunity for you to learn more about a committee(s) you might be interested in joining.

Unlike 2019 when all PDCA Standing Committees were able to meet in person during the Annual Conference (pictured, right), the PDCA 2020 Virtual Committee Day will will be an online event.

Committee participation is an important benefit of your PDCA membership. PDCA has eight standing committees which are charged with carrying out important organizational objectives determined by the PDCA Board of Directors. These objectives address many of the critical association functions provided each year. We invite, and encourage, every PDCA member to identify one or more PDCA Standing Committees that interest you and join the upcoming 30 minute meeting which will be part of the PDCA 2020 Virtual Committee Day.

Here is the schedule for PDCA 2020 Virtual Committee Day on December 10, 2020 (all times Eastern Standard Time):

12:00 - 12:30 PM: Education Committee (Gerry McShane, Chair)

12:35 - 1:05 PM: Steel Sheet Pile Committee (Gerry McShane, Chair)

1:10 - 1:40 PM: Chapters Committee (John King, Chair)

1:45 - 2:15 PM: Contracts & Risk Committee (Rick Kalson, Chair)

2:20 - 2:50 PM: Communications Committee (Jason Moore, Chair)

2:55 - 3:25 PM: Membership Committee (Rich Anderson, Chair)

3:30 - 4:00 PM: Technical Committee (Dale Biggers, Chair)

4:05 - 4:35 PM: Safety & Environmental Committee (Chris Normand, Chair)


Click here to register for this event. Once you've entered your contact information, be sure to check all the boxes for committee meetings you plan to attend. Your login credentials for the Zoom powered event will be emailed to you after you click 'submit.'

Through their work on the various committees, PDCA members often become recognized as industry leaders in a given discipline. For example, Technical Committee Chairman Dale Biggers recently completed leading a dramatic overhaul of the International Building Code, something he accomplished with the assistance of colleagues on PDCA Technical Standing Committee.

Please plan now to join your fellow PDCA members by registering for the 2020 PDCA Virtual Committee Day. Thank you for your ongoing support of PDCA events and activities. We look forward to seeing you at one or more of the upcoming Standing Committee meetings to be held on December 10, 2020.
 

She's the First Female to Win South Carolina's 'Nigels Scholarship'

Emma Larsen Earns Coveted Award; Thanks Members at South Carolina Chapter Event

Charleston, SC (November 12, 2020): The recipient of the the coveted "Mac" Nigels Scholarship is, for the first time in the history of the award, a female Cadet from The Citadel. Attendees at the PDCA of South Carolina Chapter's fourth quarter dinner meeting on November 12th heard an inspiring acceptance speech from Cadet Emma Larsen (pictured, center), who graciously thanked the Chapter for the honor. Each year, the Chapter presents this scholarship to a civil engineering student from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina who, according to his/her professors, demonstrates "strong character, integrity and exemplary grade point average."

Ms. Larsen, accompanied by Professor Simon Ghanat and others from Civil Engineering at The Citadel, is in her Junior year at the school where she is both a Dean's List qualifier and Regimental Leader. She stood alongside Chapter President Jason Moore (pictured, left) while Scott Nigels (pictured, right), son of the late McLeod "Mac" Creighton Nigels, presented the award consisting of a commemorative plaque and a $2000 monetary gift. The socially distanced and face-masked audience of PDCA members and others in the pile driving industry heartily applauded Ms. Larsen for this notable accomplishment.

The annual scholarship dates back to 2007 and is presented in the name of "Mac" Nigels who was a highly respected civil engineer in Charleston following his 1955 graduation from The Citadel.

Also from the PDCA of South Carolina Chapter's quarterly dinner meeting on November 11th, Dr. Guoming Lin, VP of Terracon Consultants in Savannah delivered a presentation on pile testing for the Kinder Morgan Elba Liquefaction Project. The event was limited to 60 attendees to comply with social distancing recommendations; the popular program reached capacity as contractors, engineers and suppliers from South Carolina and beyond arrived at the Town & Country Inn and Suites in North Charleston. See photos of attendees below, including the slide thanking the event sponsors:

Posted in Chapter News.

PPP Liquidity Questionnaires Are Out; Here is Guidance for Consideration

From the Desk of PDCA Contracts & Risk Committee Chair Richard D. Kalson:

"I hope that everyone's week is off to a good start.


As you may remember, the SBA has stated that it will audit all PPP borrowers, who together with a borrower's "Affiliates" (as determined pursuant to SBA regulations), received PPP loans in excess of two million dollars. Part of the audit is to determine whether a borrower had the "ability to access other sources of liquidity sufficient to support their ongoing operations in a manner that is not significantly detrimental to their business".

Many clients have been asking whether the SBA has clarified or set any bright line rules regarding liquidity. That answer remains that there are no bright line rules. However, this week the SBA did release the attached two liquidity questionnaires (one for for-profit PPP borrowers and one for not-for-profit PPP borrowers), which will give clients a flavor of the sort of facts the SBA will be reviewing with regard to its liquidity analysis. Most of the questions involve a simple yes or no response, but there are a few questions that require supporting documentation (similar to the application process). Note that the SBA liquidity analysis is not limited to the items addressed in the questionnaire.

Once a borrower applies for forgiveness, the borrower's PPP lender will forward the applicable questionnaire to the borrower. A borrower must complete and return the questionnaire to its PPP lender within 10 days of borrower's receipt. If the application is not returned on time, the borrower risks forfeiting the ability to have its loan forgiven.

As these questionnaires were just released this month, I suspect that it will take a little bit of time for lenders to build the distribution of the questionnaire into their forgiveness process. That being said, I would recommend that if a borrower has already applied for forgiveness it should reach out to its lender representative to enquire about the questionnaire.

Please let me know if you have any questions .

- Rick"

 

A Pile of News - November 2020

A Pile of News: November 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
Please VOTE: Nov. 3 is Election Day in the U.S.; if you haven't already voted, visit your polling place and select your choices for President, the U.S. Congress, state/local offices and ballot questions.
  • PDCA members in good standing will receive e-ballots this week on which you vote for the 2021 PDCA Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Please complete and return your ballots promptly.

The PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series resumes Wednesday, and then concludes on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Registration is FREE to PDCA members; non-members can attend for $100 per session (ask about applying registration to PDCA membership). Each program is delivered through Zoom and includes PDH credit. Click the program to register below (all times Eastern). PDCA and Pile Dynamics, Inc. present: Deep Foundations Dynamic Testing & Analysis (DFDTA) in Orlando, Nov. 11-13. The Dynamic Measurement and Analysis Proficiency Test offered on Nov. 13. COVID-19 safety protocols will be observed.

PDCA of South Carolina Chapter hosts its fourth quarter dinner meeting on Nov. 12 in Charleston; Terracon will present on a pile test program (1 PDH). Local, state and federal recommendations for COVID-19 safety will be observed. For more information and online registration, CLICK HERE.

PDCA of the Gulf Coast Chapter gathered for a skeet shoot/fourth quarter chapter meeting in Port Allen, LA on Oct. 30. Click for event photos.

PileDriver magazine, Issue #5, 2020 is now available! Click for the digital edition.

A PDCA partner offers FREE, Employee Retention Summit for Manufacturers, Nov 9-11
Equipment Corporation of America, you are this month's winner! Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of October to claim your prize!
People on the Move
The monthly round-up:
  • Chris LeBlanc brings 40 years' construction experience to his new role, industrial operations manager, at APC Construction, LLC
  • Scott Swindler elevates to VP infrastructure, Dan Keaton named director of business services at Cajun Industries in Baton Rouge; Saul Raya promoted to VP for the Houston Civil team
  • Tim Avery joins Keller as business development manager for West Coast operations
  • Equipment Corporation of America adds six: Rod Kern and Gus Delfarno in engineering, Greg Barta and Rex Christensen as account managers and Matt Nastala and Stephen Funaiock as service managers
  • Walter Van Zuthem promoted to EVP at JD Fields & Company, Inc. in Houston
  • David Reisen, P.E. named senior project manager in Port Saint Joe, FL office of Dewberry
  • Jeff Raun becomes senior environmental project manager at EXP Anchorage 
  • Randy Daub, P.E. named manager for new Geo-Technology Associates, Inc. Pennsylvania office
  • David Garbarino joins GTA as chief administrative officer at Maryland HQ
  • Dennis Kiptoo, Stephanie Gomez, Saphal Phuyal, Matthew Perella and Paul Cressant round out the newest class of civil engineers at GRL Engineers
  • Jon Arita is the new, Ft. Worth-based director of logistics at Terracon
  • Harry van der Starre enters retirement after 43 years at PVE Equipment congratulations and best wishes!
Recognitions:
Our sympathies:
We are saddened to learn of the passing of UES field supervisor Billy Billings, Sr. of Orlando, who spent the past 25 years with the firm and positively impacted hundreds of engineers' careers.
News from PDCA Companies
Acquisitions & Expansions:
Recognitions:
Projects:
APC Construction, LLC wins two Washington, D.C. projects; an FBI office building and a defense facility renovation. The Louisiana contractor also works close to home; is part of venture selected to build the new Canal Street Ferry Terminal in New Orleans.

Boh Bros. Construction is completing a project in New Orleans designed to improve drainage in the flood-prone region; see then-and-now photos of the USACE initiative.

Clark Construction announces the project roster for the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport has reached 100 Minority and Women-Owned Businesses.

Foundation Constructors, Inc. works on the Mokelumne Bridge where it crosses California's Interstate 5; see a drone photo of trestle construction, which precedes pile placement.

Hal Jones Contractor installed new floating docks on Jacksonville, FL river front.

Keller has a crew on-site assisting in the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion.

Massman Construction Co. works in New Orleans to implement USACE plans for hurricane mitigation infrastructure; see photos of a new floodwall on Lake Borgne. 

McCarthy Building Companies drives infill sheets at the Texas Gulf Coast Port in this time-lapse video. 

GeoQuip, Inc. provides vibro, clamp to extract piles in North Carolina bridge demo. 

ECS Limited will provide materials testing services for the half-billion dollar Texas A&M Innovation Plaza campus in Houston. Developers broke ground Oct. 1.

Aggregate Technologies works on TxDOT initiative to improve Houston's hurricane evacuation route; completes sensitive I-10 bridge demo over the Brazos River.

Junttan USA equipment is in action at the Bruckner Interchange in the Bronx, NY while consultant Richard Higginboham of GZA GeoEnvironmental "burns the candle" to ensure project success.

Dewberry awarded a joint contract to provide general design and civil works for the Savannah, GA District USACE and the South Atlantic Division.

New member shout-out I! Welcome South Florida contractor Poseidon Dredge & Marine, which joined PDCA between jobs stabilizing a Palm Beach bridge to handle possible use by presidential motorcade and beautifying Daytona's municipal riverfront.

New-member shout-out II! They're more Canadian than Anheuser-Busch-owned Labatts; welcome PRECO-MSE, builder of deep foundations in Eastern Canada for more than 45 years; see a current job in Montreal.

Giving back:
Balfour Beatty hosted the Together Allies virtual summit to promote workplace inclusion.

Clark Construction has contributed more than $160,000 to 815 non-profit organizations combatting COVID-19; donations were sent in $100 increments to recipients that employees identified.

Corman Kokosing offers signing bonuses to new hires in Chesapeake/Newport News/Norfolk, Virginia markets.

Kiewit's Colorado team participated in the CureSearch for Children's Cancer walk, bringing the total company giving to-date to more than $3.5 million.

Sunroc joined Operation Firewood Rescue following a severe Utah windstorm; this included delivery of tree debris to nearby tribal communities hit hard by COVID-19 that rely on wood for energy. 

Nucor implemented a philanthropic safety initiative at its Arkansas steel mill; it helped generate a $21,460 for the Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in nearby Memphis, TN.

Sunbelt Equipment has partnered with the 2020 Marine Corps Marathon. The company sponsors staff in the virtual affair which runs between Sept. 27Nov. 10.

Haley & Aldrich generated $60,300 in donations to Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, despite cancellation of the 10th Annual Charity Golf Tourney (PDCA member Keller North America was among the donors).
Look Who Made the News!
Village Living, the community newspaper of Mountain Brook, AL, profiles longtime resident Dick Shea, co-founder of Morris-Shea Bridge Company. Described as modest and unpretentious, Shea earns praise from local mayor Stewart Welch III as "one of the most unsung heroes of our city."

Alaskan Contractor features a fascinating account of Orion Marine Group's completion of a seawall improvement along a U.S. Air Force runway at Cape Lisburne in remote, northern Alaska.

FOX 8-TV Cleveland reports on the reopening of the Vrooman Road bridge over the Grand River near I-90 in northern Ohio; The Great Lakes Construction Company began the project in 2018.

Marina Dock Age covers the recent opening of the Somers Point Marina on New Jersey's Intercoastal Waterway; Walters Marine Construction in nearby Ocean View, NJ installed the floating docks.

FOX 21-TV Duluth, MN was on-location for the LakeWalk project, on which American Engineering Testing, Inc. is consulting.

The Platform blog in Seattle interviews Robert "Red" Robinson, at Shannon & Wilson, about the massive light rail extension project.
Field Notes Football Season
Reigning NCAA national champ LSU is said to have lost a lot of talent to the NFL and graduation. Though it's been a slow start for the 2020 Tigers, fans like Matthew Morales, P.E. of Eustis Engineering in New Orleans still proudly support the purple and gold, but his focus is winning fishing rodeos this season.

The 2019 NCAA runner-up Clemson, arguably the "King" of Palmetto State football programs, appears as a favorite to take the title this season. It's unclear by this photo if die-hard South Carolina Gamecocks fan John King of Pile Drivers, Inc. has joined the Tiger bandwagon or is avoiding a stigma revealed in SEC Shorts.

Nick Saban won't be living there, but some of his University of Alabama players or student staff might. Morris-Shea is completing a new student housing complex with a pile foundation in Tuscaloosa, AL.

The UCF Knights (2017 national champs, per FL Legislative action ) call their football home "The Bounce House." Shaking aside, UES vibration monitoring deemed the stadium sound. i4BUSiNESS Magazine talked to SVP Ken Derick MS, P.E. about their in-demand service on high profile structures.

Inspired by a North Carolina TV news report on public art that shows lifts from Sunbelt Equipment in the footage, Dan LoCascio captured a photo of a similar instance in Tampa where his company equipment facilitated a mural honoring his beloved Buccaneers and their new QB Tom Brady.

In its inaugural year as the McCarthy-built home to the relocated Raiders, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was the site of an Oct. 4 ceremony recognizing local frontline medical workers who performed the pre-game lighting of the Al Davis Memorial Torch honoring the late, longtime owner and NFL legend.

The Sin City stadium is a "site" to see...more than 15 million TV viewers caught a glimpse during Monday Night Football coverage of the Raiders' home-opener against the Saints. Of note for PDCA, Nucor provided all steel beams for the new facility.
Quotable: "Be curious, flexible, and willing to take that new opportunity. Sometimes you must jump in and get your hands dirty, but you'll learn something doing that." Chris Kehl, VP, Braun Intertec Corp. wise words for an engineer or even a running back who finds an unexpected hole.
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Posted in A Pile of News PDCA Monthly e-newsletter.

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