A Pile of News - June 2021

A Pile of News: June 2021
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
PDCA Events
  • The 2021 PDCA Education Webinar Series resumes July 7 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM EDT. Register now for An Integrated Computational and Experimental Study of Driven Pile Set-Up in Soft Clay by Brent Guthrie of Cajun IndustriesChad Held of Eustis Engineering and Utilizing Soil Setup in the Chicago Metro Area by Travis Coleman, Elvis Ishimwe of GRL Engineers, Inc.
  • DICEP (Design and Installation of Cost-Efficient Piles) conference returns as a LIVE event in 2021 it happens in New Orleans from Sept. 1517; details and registration coming soon
  • IFCEE 2021 Recap: Thanks to all PDCA members who attended either in person or virtually. We spoke with a lot of people and took a lot of photos. Don't miss a special section right after the #PDCAdriven announcement below to read about some of the interesting things we learned and saw!
 
From the Chapters
Wanted: Candidates to complete the Dedicated Pile Driver Operator Practical Examiner Accreditation Program (PEAP) administered through NCCCO in accordance with OSHA certification requirements for pile driver operators. NCCCO also seeks practical exam test sites. Click here to learn more.
Junntan USA Inc., you are this month's winner!
Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of June to claim your prize!
IFCEE 21 Coverage
There were several events designed for PDCA members, CLICK HERE for photos.
  • The 2021 program began with a panel discussion among leadership of the host organizations; PDCA president Kevin Gourgues and member Michael Wysockey (president at DFI) joined leadership from ADSC and GeoInstitute. Peggy Hagerty-Duffy of ADSC moderated. 
  • When asked for an elevator pitch to promote PDCA to deep foundations              professionals, Gourgues shared three simple, yet compelling points: 1) "A driven pile is a tested pile;" 2) "Because we have Dale Biggers" (a widely respected technical expert); 3) "Our toys are the coolest."
  •  Speaking of Dale Biggers, he secured the technical presentation from Dr. Cathy Aimone-Martin, who shared unique and enlightening perspectives on vibrations with a piling industry audience. Biggers had met her at a 2019 Louisiana Engineering Society technical program.
  •  Innovator and co-founder of Pile Dynamics, Inc./GRL Engineers, Dr. Frank Rausche, was selected to deliver the E.A.L. Smith Award Lecture. In his presentation, he discussed the work he and collaborators performed in developing the original Pile Driving Analyzer in 1972; per a slide he shared, it was originally known as the Pile Capacity Computer.
  •  The PDCA Board of Directors held a business meeting; among action items was acceptance of a proposal from the Associate Member Council. Co-chairs Diane Fischer and Pollyanna Cunningham are leading the development of a new course for the 2022 Annual Conference stay tuned!
  •  The GeoInstitute of ASCE, with help from Mike Venezia, developed the virtual track at IFCEE; among presenters was PDCA board member Susheel Kolwalkar, who gave his talk via Zoom from Charleston, SC 
  • PDCA welcomed attendees to its booth, which prominently acknowledged all exhibiting members. Many thanks to those who stopped by, exhibited and/or participated in IFCEE!
Some things we learned at the indoor and outdoor exhibit areas, CLICK HERE for photos:
  • Houstonian J.W. Lodge of Lodge Lumber missed IFCEE, but he had good reason. The company "veep" and his better half welcomed baby Ellie into the world on May 3. Congrats! Mike Leal, Daren Franks and Andrew Harris ably held up the bar...er... held down the company booth.
  • Allan Korte of Junttan got to Dallas on Monday but had left a new leaf blower in his truck bed at the airport. He shared this with fellow Northeast Floridian Steve Snyder of Hammer & Steel, who was leaving Tuesday. Using GPS and satellite imagery of the airport, they saw their trucks parked four spaces apart. Steve got back, secured the blower and they lived happily ever after.  
  • Taking a page from 2020, contractor Buck Darling of H.F. Darling arrived at IFCEE  - COVID-style with a fresh haircut from home! His wife, Dr. Inger Darling, does a pretty good job despite her professional training is in pharmaceutics!
  • Dr. Frank Rausche not only develops specialized geo-equipment at GRL/PDI, but he also pulls shifts in the company booth; see the honoree with staff Brandon Phetteplace and Jim Zammataro
  •  It's unclear if the logo-cornhole boards were for sale, but the PVE Equipment exhibit had room between hammers for competitive bag-tossing for Herald Wattenberg and Garrett Smith
  •  Many were asking for him, but ECA CEO Roy Kern had to miss the show to attend his son's late-week wedding. Congrats to Rod and Anna Kern!
  • When the cat's away...it was a relentless display of peer pressure, but PDCA's Kathy Harper withstood a full court press from ECA reps who were recruiting riders for a mechanical bull at their neighboring exhibit. Long story short Kathy didn't get the belt buckle for a 30-second ride.
  • Jake Palmer of APE used the exhibit area to show his new dance moves; company president Dan Collins was supportive, but an unidentified coworker couldn't bear to watch the high kick
  • True story, we strolled past the ICE, Inc. exhibit and heard "Alright stop, collaborate and listen," and saw ICE rep Sean motioning to Kevin Johnson from Group Deep Foundations. What ensued appeared to be a high-level contractor-supplier meeting, therefore we didn't interrupt.
  • PR efforts showcasing JD Fields' diversified scope to include spiral weld manufacturing, equipment dealing, real estate development, equity investment and a Drunk Bus loomed large at IFCEE akin to a Hollywood promotion (hint, hint). Make sure to read the "People" section below to learn about one of the latest products from the company.
  • Quips from PDCA board members (past and present): Doug Keller attended the first Farm Aid in 1985 in Champaign, IL; Diane Fischer thoroughly reviews all written material provided before participating in ANY meeting; Karl Higgins' favorite holiday is Memorial Day.
  • It was bittersweet to see an enthusiastic presence from CZM Foundation Equipment, which not even a week prior lost 98-year-old company co-founder Loris Clo. The staff shared that the late Mr. Clo's "ultimate dream" was to be a major player in foundation construction.
PDCA Companies on the Job
Atlas Construction swapped a stone-block retaining wall with steel sheeting at a Minnesota church.
 
Baker GCI installed more than 15,000 linear feet of steel pilings for Project Olive at IMTT in St. Rose, LA.
 
Black River Solar completes a new solar farm foundation for an Illinois monastery.
 
Boh Bros. named to team chosen for a $1B overhaul of 40 acres on the New Orleans riverfront
 
C.D. Perry & Sons spotted on Hudson River moving a crane via barge for work on new docks in Troy.
 
Corman Kokosing wins a $9.8M contract with Arlington, VA for design-build of a new bridge.
 
H.B. Fleming, Inc. put in a dorm foundation at the University of Southern Maine and subbed on the I-95 Interchange overhaul near Portland.
 
Logan Marine, LLC christens its newest barge as it builds a new pier in Southport, NC.
 
Manson Construction wins $101.4M contract to rebuild Pier 6 at Naval Base San Diego.
 
Morris-Shea uses a PVE Equipment Woltman rig for construction of a new water tank in Tuscaloosa.
 
Orion Marine Group wins a $28.5M contract to establish a new aquatic habitat in Puget Sound; elsewhere, the contractor was picked to construct a $9M private marine facility in Tampa.
 
Pacific Pile & Marine begins Phase 2 of the Port of Alaska project. See their barge departing Seattle.
 
Pile Drivers, Inc. operator Kevin King took a day off for his April wedding, but he's back on the Legacy at Patriots Point jobsite. With a Hammer & Steel rebuilt Junttan and Lodge Lumber cushions, he drives concrete from Parker Marine and Palmetto (Essve Tech tubing within), all per S&ME geotech specs.
 
Powell Foundations and partners continue makeover of the Toronto Transit Authority Russell Division.
 
PRECO-MSE and its Junttan PM16 install a 99 steel pipe foundation for a Quebec industrial building.
 
Sealevel Construction has a long resume of Louisiana flood control. It's been a wet May and today starts the Atlantic hurricane season fingers crossed that the Gulf Coast avoids more disasters this year.
 
SJ Hamill Construction, Insight Group were on hand in Beaufort, SC for the ribbon cutting on a new drainage and flood prevention project.
 
Governmental relations:
  • Caldwell Marine sister company hosted New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for a groundbreaking on the Bay Park Conveyance Project, part of a regional, coastal resiliency effort
  • Clark Construction attended an assembly to break ground for a state heavy maintenance facility in Baltimore City; Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is caught on camera operating the backhoe
 
Recognitions:  
Giving back:  
Anniversaries:
Cape Romain Contractors has been a key player in construction of the Hugh Leatherman Terminal in Charleston, SC. With Phase 1 now done, we hope the marine/bridge contractor finds a way to celebrate 75 years in business, congratulations! Upon opening in 1946, its business model was considered "the first of its kind in the nation."
People on the Move
Congratulations!
  • Brian Mannix calls it a career after 41 years with Linde Griffith. Deemed a "legend in the deep foundation business," his legacy at LG carries on through his son David Mannix.
 
Recognitions:  
Transitions:
  • John Konwick named northeast sales manager for CZM Foundation Equipment
  • Ethan Eye transitions to full-time project engineer at Engineered Rigging
  • Mike Songer, a 45-year industry vet, joins JD Fields as GM of new equipment division
  • Luke Hutchinson, David Di Staulo, new graduate engineers, join Hammer & Steel sales
  • Katelyn Foster promoted to subsidiary director at ECS Mid-Atlantic, LLC
  • Scott Anderson, P.E., is a 26-year veteran geotech, and joins GeoEngineers in Kansas City
  • Lisa Johanningsmeier is a new engineering technician at S&ME, Inc. in Louisville
  • Melvin Williams takes his 32 years' geotech experience to Terracon in Charleston, SC
 
PDCA on Amazon?!?
  • T. Richard Morris, president at ICE, Inc. published Famous Foundations, a "non-technical" book that documents 18 unique foundations. Get your copy from Amazon.
  • Jay Fields, CEO of JD Fields Company, is co-producer of Drunk Bus, a new movie production released to select theaters May 21 and is available now for streaming on Amazon Prime.
Look Who Made the News!
Business & Industry Connection magazine serving Houston and Baton Rouge published a guest column by Lance Arvel of Baker GCI entitled "Bring More Value to Every Stage of the Project Lifecycle"

ENR provides further detail on $1B New Orleans riverfront overhaul involving Boh Bros [PAYWALL]

Columbus CEO profiles Corman Kokosing and its sister companies, which all operate under Brett and Bryce Burgett and other direct descendants of the late founder Bill Burgett

Stars and Stripes reports that Hawaiian Dredging and Construction is part of a joint venture building a $45M medical-dental clinic for a new Marine Corps base on Guam

The Today Show/NBC News featured seniors in an Austin, TX home adjacent to a construction site; they sent thank you notes and posted signs for the onsite Keller crew for curing the "boredom of isolation"

Sanibel Captiva Island Reporter reports on a bid hearing for Captiva Erosion Prevention District (CEPD) project; Manson Construction is among those in contention

StMaryNow.com writes about a Louisiana flood control project at Bayou Chene near Lafayette; contractors Patriot Construction and Sealevel Construction are both referenced

Civil + Structural Engineer Media covers a Texas bridge project on which Engineered Rigging used strand jacks to effectively lower more than 100 irregular loads
Thanks for reading this month's installment of A Pile of News. Become a part of the largest organization that works to advance the driven pile Join PDCA today!
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Legal guidance on latest CDC action (MEMBER SUBMISSION]

The CDC Provides New Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals
By: Johanna Fabrizio Parker, Corey Clay, Adam Primm, Partners at Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA), fully vaccinated employees no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any non-healthcare setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.  Prevention measures--wearing a mask that covers the nose and mouth, staying six feet apart, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and sanitizing as often as possible--are still recommended for unvaccinated people. But what does this mean for the workplace?

The CDC's guidance does not have authority over state or local governing bodies that may impose other health rules, so different local and state rules still can apply. Many states, however, are following the CDC's lead. For example, Ohio issued a new public health order paralleling the CDC guidance, allowing fully vaccinated people to perform most activities without a facial covering and without social distancing. But this order is only in effect until June 2, after which it will be rescinded (and this trend is seen across states and localities). With the new CDC guidance, employers have a range of options--provided that no overriding state or local order imposes different rules:

  • Option 1: Follow CDC guidance as a workplace rule and use the honor system. Employers could choose to follow the CDC guidance based on an honor systemthat is, tell employees that they no longer need masks or face coverings if they have been fully-vaccinated and leave it there and not require employees to provide proof of vaccination. As we have seen with various national stores that have implemented such a policy with their customers, wearing a mask becomes a matter of individual choice and responsibility. This can be an attractive option--both because of COVID fatigue and difficulty in finding employees--but it may simply defer enforcement issues. Where customers in a store are generally not going to know the vaccination status of fellow shoppers, employees who work together and socialize on a daily basis are more likely to know from everyday conversation who is and is not vaccinated. As such, employers may be forced to adjudicate and/or mediate interpersonal disputes when an employee reports that a colleague is not complying with workplace rules regarding facial coverings and social distancing. 
  • Option 2: Implement CDC guidance as a workplace rule and require proof of vaccination for those employees who no longer wear facial coverings. Employers could create a policy that follows the CDC guidance but requires proof of vaccination from employees who wish to no longer wear a mask and comply with social distancing restrictions. If an employer chooses to follow this approach, it should take steps to ensure that the only information collected from employees is simple confirmation of the vaccine and no other information. The EEOC's position is that merely asking an employee to show proof of receipt of a COVID-19 vaccination is not a disability related inquiry. However, per the EEOC, "subsequent employer questions, such as asking why an individual did not receive a vaccination, may elicit information about a disability" that can raise issues under the ADA and employers should also advise employees to avoid disclosing medical information in response to any such inquiry. (See December 16, 2020 EEOC Guidance, at FAQ K.3.) 

    How can an employer limit the information it retains from employees relating to the COVID-19 vaccination? An employer might create a "no-mask" list of employees who provide proof. Employees would be added to this list once management sees proof of the vaccine - a copy of the vaccine card itself would then not need to be maintained. (If an employer did retain copies of the cards, we would recommend treating them as medical records.) Of course, requiring proof  puts employers in a position to enforce the policy, thereby adding administrative burden. But as previously noted, the "honor system" approach raises its own issues. And, some employers may conclude that requiring confirmation of vaccination will make vaccinated employees more comfortable to return to the office.

  • Option 3: Require all in-office employees to be vaccinated. Employers could require employees who work in the office to be vaccinated, provided that employees have the option to work effectively elsewhere. If the longer-term plan is to have everyone return, this approach may create obstacles in reaching that goal.

  • Option 4: Require vaccinations for all employees. Employers could require vaccines generally and eliminate, or largely eliminate, the issue. Employers still need to address the potential disability or religious accommodation issues, as previously discussed in Can Employers Mandate the COVID-19 Vaccine?.  And, given the tight labor market, this option may not be practically viable.

  • Option 5: Don't require any masks/social distancing if state or local rules are less restrictive than CDC guidance. Employers may consider following state rules that are less stringent than the CDC guidance. (For example, as earlier noted, on June 2 most Ohio COVID-19 health orders, except those relating to congregate living centers and nursing homes, will be rescinded.)  However, in the absence of further guidance/policy announcements from OSHA, there may be risk with such an approach given OSHA's current endorsement of the CDC approach.

  • Option 6: Employers could also require masking and social distancing for all employees regardless of vaccinations.  But, and for Ohio especially after June 2, this approach also may have practical effects. On one hand, it could lead to unhappy employees and, lack of interest in any open positions if the masks remain mandatory for everyone. On the other hand, requiring masks for everyone--regardless of vaccination--avoids creating tiered hierarchy among employees that could similarly lead to unhappy employees, particularly when employees are largely permitted to remove masks if distanced from others while working.

Regardless of the choice, employers need to make sure there is no retaliation against employees. For example, in Option 2, employers should inform employees that they don't have to share their vaccination status, and there will be no retaliation regardless of their choice. Similarly, in Option 4, employers need to assure any employee requesting an accommodation that there will be no retaliation related to that request.

Finally, employers should watch for the less obvious potential discriminatory/retaliatory issues.  Supervisors and managers must be instructed that they cannot treat employees differently due to their vaccinated or unvaccinated status. Access to projects and guidance must be provided to all individuals -- whether they wear a mask or not.

If you have any questions, we encourage you to reach out to your Benesch contact or one of the attorneys below to discuss.

Johanna Fabrizio Parker at jparker@beneschlaw.com or 216.363.4585.

Corey Clay at cclay@beneschlaw.com or 216.363.4158.

Adam Primm at aprimm@beneschlaw.com or 216.363.4451.

***

Please note that this information is current as of the date of this client bulletin (May 20, 2021), based on the available data. However, because COVID-19's status and updates related to the same are ongoing, we recommend real-time review of guidance distributed by CDC and local officials.

Value Engineering at New Port Terminal Presented to SC Chapter

Charleston, SC (May 20, 2021): For nearly a decade when preliminary studies began, the new Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal serving the South Carolina Ports Authority operations in Charleston has remained one of the highest profile port projects on the U.S. East Coast. While Phase 1 of the terminal opened in March 2021, the full project continues to take shape thanks to ongoing work by the numerous contractors, suppliers, equipment manufacturers and engineers who have been involved with various facets of the complex facility.

Insight Group of North Charleston, SC is one of the geotechnical engineering firms that has contributed to this massive project. On Thursday, May 20, 2021, professionals from the firm shared the presentation 'Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal - BUILDINGS & CANOPIES - VALUE ENGINEERED FOUNDATIONS'  before an assembly of the PDCA of South Carolina Chapter membership during their quarterly dinner meeting. Presenting on behalf of Insight Group were Dr. Susheel Kolwalkar, PE and Ryan N. Keiper, PE.

In addition to the technical presentation, members gathered for a social/networking hour before a buffet dinner and brief membership meeting. During a raffle sponsored by the Pile Driving Contractors Association, Brad Glover and Bill Thomas each won a $50 PDCA BUCKS voucher, good for use on logo merchandise or educational resources available at The PDCA Store. The event took place at the Town & Country Inn on Savannah Highway in Charleston; event sponsors included; Koppers, Consolidated Pipe & Supply, Van-Smith Concrete, Nucor Skyline, ICE-International Construction Equipment, Junttan, Pile Master, SJ Hamill Construction, Terracon, Insight Group, Palmetto Pile Driving, Cape Romain Contractors and Parker Marine Contracting Corp.

See below for photos from the Second Quarter Dinner meeting of PDCA of SC, the group will gather again for the third quarter on August 12th, watch your inbox for more details as the event draws closer.

 
 

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