PileDriver magazine - See the Project of the Year winners

Congratulations to all the winners of The 2021 PDCA Project of the Year Awards Program! For an in-depth read on all winning projects, please click the image to access PileDriver magazine Issue #4-2021 which reveals the projects selected by our judge's panel as the top entries in each category.

Here is a quick recap of the projects you will find within the publication:
  • Land: Less than $5M - "Holbrook Springerville Highway (US 180), Jim Camp Wash Bridge #1602 & Cottonwood Wash Bridge #1603" by Ralph L. Wadsworth (page 70)
  • Land Greater than $5M - "Sierra Point Phase 1 & 2" by Foundation Constructors, Inc. (page 74)
  • Marine Less than $5M - "Ravenswood Tower 001/007 Replacement" by Foundation Constructors, Inc. (page 82)
  • Marine Greater than $5M - "Port of Alaska Modernization Program - Petroleum and Cement Terminal - Phase 1" by Pacific Pile & Marine (page 90)
  • Earth Retention - "Mill Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant High Rate Treatment Facility Diversion Structure" by Richard Goettle, Inc. (page 96)
  •  Associate/Engineering Affiliate Category - "Harbor River Bridge Project" by ICE - International Construction Equipment, Inc. (page 100)
The PDCA Project of the Year Program is the premier competition of the Pile Driving Contractors Association. PDCA thanks all Members who submitted an entry for the 2021 awards. While Issue #4 (the current magazine linked to the image) features all the winning submissions, watch for Issues #5 and #6 which will feature the 2021 runners-up. 

And the time is now to start thinking about what projects you are completing this year and would become eligible for entry in The PDCA 2022 Project of the Year Program. PDCA will open for submissions in January 2022.

Posted in PileDriver Magazine.

Jordan Pile Driving Reaches 75 Years in Business


(L-R): Jordan Pile Driving CEO Curtis Johnson, Office Manager Stephanie Baugh, Project Manager Charles Ernest III

Nestled on the edge of downtown Mobile, Alabama sits the home office of Jordan Pile Driving. Here you will find company leadership, project managers and a support staff going about their day-to-day business. That business just happens to be building many of the roads, bridges and other infrastructure installations you probably already saw when you drove through Alabama and Mobile, on the way to visit them. In case you need refreshed, just stroll down the long central hallway that connects all the individual offices. It's lined with dozens of impressive, framed aerial photos depicting completed job after completed job.

And yes, Jordan Pile Driving has a significant company history with PDCA. D.R. Jordan served two separate terms as PDCA President in the early 2000's. D.R., now retired, was the second generation Jordan to own the company. Visit the company website for a short, but fascinating read on how this foundation company, itself was founded. Presently, D.R.'s son Don Jordan Jr. is the President as it reaches a milestone anniversary this year. 

During a recent visit to meet Don and his team at Jordan Pile Driving, we were treated to a unique story about one of Jordan's major jobs that was completed not once, but twice. As CEO Curtis Johnson tells us, Jordan was selected back in the 1960's by the Alabama Electric Cooperative to install a steel pile foundation for a new coal-fired power plant to be known as the Charles R. Lowman plant. It initially went online in 1969, and once it reached full operation (after subsequent phases), it delivered a total generating capacity of 556MW. For decades, this facility powered many Alabama homes and businesses.

Well, times change. New technologies, social movements and environmental concerns have resulted in a declining demand for coal generated power. Fast forward to today. The once-named Alabama Electric Cooperative has a new name - it's now PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. It still owns the sprawling Washington County property and delivers power to many Alabamans, however, it has retired the aged Lowman facility. In 2019, it pursued plans to develop a gas powered generator on the same property and turned back to their original deep foundation contractor. Yes, it was Jordan who came back to the rural Alabama location near Leroy and again drove steel H-piles for the generating station - 1100 HP in all. The foundation phase was led by Jordan Project Manager Charles Ernest III and is now complete. However, construction continues on the facility and it is expected to go online in a June 2023 commissioning.

Jordan Pile Driving was founded in 1946 which means it reaches its 75th year in business this year. While Curtis doesn't share the secrets to their longevity and success, it is notable that they get repeat customers and that's always good for business. Curtis says at Jordan, the business philosophy is simple; a driven pile is a tested pile. We couldn't agree more! 

PDCA extends it's warmest congratulations to Jordan Pile Driving!

Y'all Come Join Us for the PDCA 2021 Houston Social


(Please note - we have no data or permission to support the following claim): Garrett Smith of the PVE Equipment Texas office sells more equipment when he wears his hat than when he doesn't. He'll be at the Sept. 23rd PDCA 2021 Houston Social; if he's rolls up with the Stetson, you've been advised.


Cowboy hats are optional, but plan to be there for the PDCA 2021 Houston Social. It is scheduled to take place on September 23rd at True Anomaly Brewing (2012 Dallas Street, Houston, TX 77003) from 5:30-7:30 PM CDT. This is a networking event and will include a short program from PDCA discussing the value of establishing a formal, Chapter presence in the South Texas region.

Do you want more incentive to come? Well, it's a FREE event for the entire pile driving industry, PDCA members and non-members alike. Oh, and we will be providing house draft beer and snacks.

Also, PDCA is inviting sponsors for this event, if you are interested, there is room for your company name and logo.

We hope to see you next month for the PDCA 2021 Houston Social. For more information, register and/or sponsor this event, please click the button below:
 


The PDCA 2021 Houston Social is brought to you in part, by these valued event sponsors:

 

Gulf Coast Chapter Hosts Dinner, Program at L'Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge

The PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter gathered for the regularly scheduled Third Quarter 2021 Membership Meeting in Baton Rouge. This is a popular event from the Chapter each year because it is held at the L'Auberge Casino Hotel on the scenic waterfront of the mighty Mississippi River.

Attendees enjoyed a social hour prior to a dinner and program. Chapter President Kirt Jackson presided over a short business meeting of the Chapter membership. PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters  attended and briefed members on news and upcoming event information for the pile driving industry. The event was sponsored by American Piledriving Equipment (APE) and Nucor Skyline. Andres Buritica, a Business Development representative from Skyline gave a short program.

PDCA thanks the Gulf Coast Chapter for continuing to provide a strong and active, local presence in Louisiana and beyond. Additionally, the Chapter has assisted PDCA in coordinating a special site visit at member company Gulf Coast Pre-Stress Partners (Pass Christian, MS) as an optional field trip during the upcoming DICEP technical conference to be held September 15-17 in New Orleans. 

The PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter has scheduled it's fourth and final meeting of 2021 for November 18th; it will take place at Messina's Restaurant in Kenner, LA. More information and registration will be available closer to the event.


PDCA E.D. Frank Peters updates Gulf Coast Chapter during Q3 meeting

Andres Buritica of Nucor Skyline presents technical program to Chapter

 

Posted in Chapter News.

The Project of the Year Award Winners are...coming soon to your Inbox


Though he was not involved with 2021 Project of the Year proceedings, PDCA Board Member Susheel Kohlwalkar is very experienced in assessing driven pile projects

You are days away from learning which PDCA members will be adding a 2021 Project of the Year Award to their trophy case. New in 2021, Issue #4 of PileDriver magazine is the sole source of an industry-wide announcement naming the winning Project of the Year submissions, and that publication advances from production to the printer this week.

PileDriver magazine subscribers know that prior to the hard copy magazine showing up in your mailbox courtesy of the United States Postal Service, an e-mail arrives in your inbox containing a link to the electronic version of the same magazine. Be watching your inbox in coming days and when you receive notice about the availability of a new PileDriver magazine, click the link and browse the winning projects.

PDCA thanks all participants in the 2021 PDCA Project of the Year Program; we received nearly double the submissions from 2020. We were pleased to have an esteemed slate of deep foundations professionals voluntarily serve as the judge's panel, and they alone assessed all the entries in each category to determine the winners. 

Also new in 2021, there is no cost involved for a PDCA member to submit an entry in the Project of the Year Program. The time is now to start thinking about some of your projects that might be completing soon and whether those might be something to submit in the 2022 Project of the Year Program; PDCA will open for 2022 entries in December. Ask any past winner, a PDCA Project of the Year Award is a tremendous way to recognize your team and celebrate their ingenuity, hard work and commitment; your project team immediately becomes visible as industry leaders. It is important to tell you that all entries in this program reflect positively on those who submit them, and therefore, the pile driving industry.


PDCA Hosts North Florida Luncheon, Visits Members in Sunshine State

The pile driving community in Northeast Florida gathered for lunch and a program on August 10th. PDCA thanks Sponsor Samuel Roll Form Group for helping make this luncheon available. The Tower Room at the World Golf Hall of Fame was venue for the networking and educational event. 

The program brought together a panel of pile driving contractors, all of whom have served as PDCA President. Wayne Waters of EWS Consulting attended in-person while Buck Darling of H.F. Darling, Inc. and current President Kevin Gourgues of Patriot Deep Foundations appeared virtually. The three contractors fielded a series of questions designed to bring forth their perspectives on evolutions in the pile driving business over the years as well as the impact PDCA has had on their careers.

The event attracted contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and engineers from throughout the state of Florida.

In addition to providing the educational program, PDCA discussed ongoing efforts to reestablish a Northeast Florida Chapter to serve the region; Executive Director Frank Peters indicated that that the organization would continue to develop local engagement events for the industry. 


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In addition to organizing the August lunch in North Florida, PDCA has embarked on aggressive industry outreach and membership development efforts in the Sunshine State in recent months. Staff visited members and others in the pile driving industry in the critical South Florida, Central Florida and Panhandle markets. This included participation in the 2021 Florida Transportation Builders Conference (FTBA) in Orlando. That event attracted several PDCA members as sponsors like ASAP Installations, award winners like Kiewit Infrastructure and Scott Bridge as well as general attendees from various contracting, supplier and engineering companies.


Pete Kolb, Karina Quiros of Poseidon Dredge & Marine, Lantana, FL.

ASAP Group gathers in their Miramar, FL offices. 

Mike Elliott of ECA with industry associate at FTBA

The GeoQuip team in its Orlando, FL yard.






 

Shape PDCA Leadership: Nominations Open for '22 Officers, Directors


(L-R: President Kevin Gourgues, VP Brian Heck, Past President Jason Moore, Director Emmett Waggenspack, Past President Scott Callaway)

Attention PDCA Members: the nominations period for 2022 Association leadership roles is open now through September 10th. Consider nominating an industry colleague and fellow PDCA member to serve as a PDCA Officer or hold a seat on the Board of Directors. You may only nominate one person in each Officer and Director position.

In accordance with the PDCA bylaws Article 3, Section 19, "An election shall be conducted annually in November by the membership to elect new Officers and Board of Director Members as required by their terms of office specified in Articles IV and V".

PDCA members can view a copy of the current bylaws by logging into the PDCA website and select "PDCA Governance" from the yellow menu box on the right hand side of the page.

The results of the November 2021 election for Officers and Board of Directors will be announced prior to the new term which will begin on January 1, 2022.

Click here to access and complete the nomination form. This form was also sent to your inbox on August 5th from PDCA. 

Again, all nominations must be received no later than September 10, 2021.

Please contact the PDCA staff if you have any questions or comments. Thank you for participating in this important process.


(L-R: Board of Directors Members Buck Darling, Jim Dempsey, Greg Canivan, Diane Fischer)

A Pile of News - August 2021

A Pile of News: August 2021
A briefing on news and information from the pile driving contractors, associated manufacturers, construction suppliers and affiliated engineers that comprise the PDCA
by Matt Bisbee, PDCA
Originally sent Aug. 2, 2021
From the Association & Chapters
Industry Events:
  • Important, FREE event TOMORROW: The 2021 PDCA Education Webinar Series #5 entitled Pile Driving Vibrations Monitoring and Analysis by subject matter expert Cathy Aimone-Martin is available to the entire piling industry at no cost. Don't miss this important PDCA program that will enhance quality, safety and responsibility on your pile driving projects.

Chapter and Regional Events:
Watch your mailboxes in August!
The 2021 PDCA Project of the Year Program winners will be revealed in the next PileDriver magazine, circulating in digital/print format later this month. Access your copy and read in-depth about the projects that moved our judge's panel. Hint, hint it's not too early to start thinking about your submissions for the 2022 program; entry is free for PDCA members!
GeoQuip Inc., you are this month's winner!
Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of August to claim your prize!
News from PDCA Companies
Acquisitions & Expansions:
On the Job:
Baker GCI completes a 10,000 pile installation for Diamond Green Diesel in Port Arthur, TX, then breaks for lunch before embarking on subsequent project phases congrats guys!

Cajun Industries delivers on two Mississippi contracts awarded in 2020: crews drove 550 linear feet of steel sheet pile at NASA's rocket testing facility in Hancock County. Then at Enviva's operations at the Port of Pascagoula, they put in 450 linear feet of steel sheets.

Clark and McCarthy, through a JV, complete the 1.1 million square foot William Beaumont Army Medical Center for the U.S. DOD to serve the Fort Bliss, TX military community.

Corman Kokosing uses a GeoQuip vibro to extract 30" x 160' pipes from waters off Weems, VA.

Manson completes the Pier 8 replacement at Naval Base San Diego. The USS John P. Murtha became the first ship to berth at the pier during a ceremony involving construction teams and Navy brass.

McMullen & Pitz Construction fired up their MKT D30 from Mississippi Valley Equipment to drive 300 H-pile from Triad Metals under careful consultation from American Engineering Testing; the new foundation will facilitate a private shipyard expansion in Sturgeon Bay, WI.

Palmetto Pile Driving is in Huger, SC installing its PSC pile which contains Essve Tech tubing. The contractor is using an ICE, Inc. hydraulic hammer, and ECS Limited is providing geotechnical and CMT services for the project. The work is expanding Kloeckner Corporation's local branch.

Parker Marine will soon drive pile on the campus of The Citadel for the Capers Hall replacement project; Soil Consultants, Inc. provides deep foundations analyses.

PRECO-MSE installed the pilings for the new Lac-Des-Fees condo complex outside Montreal.

R. Kremer & Son Marine Contractors works on deadlines, perhaps none stricter than those imposed by a bride-to-be's mother. Their crews drove 10/35 foot, timber piles, then added framing and decking to finish a Point Pleasant, N.J. dock in time for a July wedding.

R.L. Wadsworth Construction adds wildlife crossings, other attributes to southwest Colorado's Highway 160, part of an $11.3M public initiative designed to reduce automobile-wildlife collisions.

The Great Lakes Construction Company is finishing a bridge rehabilitation in Warren County, Ohio, a $7.3M ODOT project on U.S. 22/Ohio 3 northeast of Cincinnati. 

DuroTerra helps grow e-commerce sector as a supplier in new construction of distribution facilities; a 2021 ENR "Outlook" says warehousing is surging to accommodate needs of web-based retailers.

ECA shows the Pile Master 36-3000 air hammering sheets for the South Coast Rail Project, an MBTA initiative designed to bring back one-seat commuter rail between Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.

Giken's team appears on the Long Island job site for new sheet pile installation at the Gowanus Canal. 

ICE, Inc. equipment is spotted driving steel sheets for a pump station improvement in Warren, OH.

L.B. Foster wins $7M materials subcontract for new lock at USACE complex Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

Junttan sends a PM16 to DC to drive 60' piles for the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge; the bridge is expected to open in late '21 to an estimated 75K+ daily travelers between Maryland the Capitol City.

GeoEngineers participated in Nashville discussion on mitigating earthquake risks. Tennessee-DOT, local consultants attended. The New Madrid Seismic Zone impacts Music City and much of the Midwest.

Governmental Relations:
  • Massman Construction and team broke ground for Kansas City's new Buck O'Neil Bridge; spotted were Gov. Michael Parson, Sen. Roy Blunt, Rep. Sam Graves, K.C. Mayor Quinton Lucas
  • ECS Limited staff in N.C. office, with Matthew Fogleman's leadership, participate in a first industry legislative event for the Asheville region

Recognitions:
Giving Back:
Anniversaries:
Eustis Engineering is celebrating 75 years in business, congratulations! The New Orleans-based engineer is the third oldest, continually operating geotechnical firm in the U.S. 
  • Of note, Polly Eustis turned 103 last month. Wife of the firm's late founder, J. Bres Eustis, Polly continues to be the supportive presence for the firm that she has been since day one
People on the Move
Transitions:
  • Stefanie Becker elevated to VP of integrated design + deliver at McCarthy in San Francisco
  • Troy Theriot, named president of Patriot Construction & Industrial Marine Group
  • Jordana Paier, Michael Nibert join ECS Limited-Texas, Alex Wills joins the firm in Asheville, NC while Michael Goldman is new to operations in Southeast
  • Patrick Thurmond, P.E., Lars Erickson, P.E., James Williams, P.E. promoted at Eustis Engineering
  • Bill Chambers named Senior Engineer, to staff new Hawaii office for GRL Engineers
  • Jill Guthrie is new staff geophysicist in Chattanooga offices of S&ME, Inc.

Recognitions:
Congratulations:
  • Ahhhh (Part 1) Jill Harris, publisher of PileDriver magazine welcomed Baby Sam into the world on July 13 (pic). You might recall in March, we noted that an "influential pile driving industry professional" was expecting in July. Congratulations to Jill, dad and big brother!!!
  • Ahhhh (Part 2) Construction demands long hours of field and office teams. In a social media post for his 20th wedding anniversary, Roly Acosta of Caldwell Marine salutes his wife's critical support; a good reminder spouses/significant others provide an important foundation.
Notes from the Field
Conspiracy theories run rampant these days, so... we direct your attention to a strange coincidence. Through online time stamping, we note that Mike Wysockey and a group from Thatcher Foundations attended a Chicago Cubs home game on July 28. Not 24 hours later, the Loveable Losers (a Cubs nickname) trade team living legend Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees. What did the Indiana interlopers do?

Because football ramps up in August We thought you should know that standout, freshman running back Paul Reynolds from the 1951 Notre Dame football team (an eventual NFL draftee), accumulated an impressive 539 all-purpose yards. He later became a silent partner in PND Engineers' 1979 founding.

Suns out, guns out In an awkward and heavy lift, Foundation Constructors found the "smarts" and the "muscles" to complete a piling job that enabled fortification of a massive storage tank for an energy sector client. The team literally moved the existing tank to complete the pile driving. 

Is it the S.S. Minnow? Poseidon Dredge & Marine performed mangrove rehabilitation on Florida's east coast, and salvaged an abandoned boat in the process. Perhaps "Ginger," the only living cast member from Gilligan's Island, could give it a positive ID?

It was like a "Touch a Truck" event but kids weren't invited. Manson hosted its corporate staff in Seattle to "tour" SCANDIA, their premier pile driving rig in the region. It garnered great participation, but we hope someone sends us the photo of Tax Manager Craig Leonard playing operator in cab.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T to all the crane operators out there. Tadano circulates dramatic imagery of the Demag AC 160-5 atop a concrete dam in the mountains of Switzerland.

Move over Vader and Rocky PDCA Membership Committee chair Rich Anderson along with Northeast Chapter secretary Steve Sigmund, apparently constitute "full force" for ECA in Philly; now you know!

Step aside Mickey  Disney owns Marvel Comics, but legally can't yet use its products at Disney parks; but a PDCA member did what the entertainment giant couldn't do and brought Captain America to Orlando. Joey Holmes of GeoQuip dekked out a PileCo D100 like the Marvel good guy.
Media Hits!
Construction Equipment Guide quotes George Harms of leading New Jersey contractor George Harms Construction Company in a story recognizing the 50-year career of his valued supplier and friend.

Piling Canada carries a fascinating story on what Toronto's Mayor John Tory calls "one of the largest waterfront revitalization projects in the world," and "most significant infrastructure project in Toronto's history." Read about the innovative work that Keller performs in the Canadian city.

Nebraska Today (UNL) covers groundbreaking for a new hall for engineering Huskers. Privately funded Kiewit Hall is part of a $97M expansion of the College of Engineering at the University of Nebraska.

Peninsula Daily News notes Legacy Contracting's role in a massive dredging project at Coastal Washington's Port Angeles Terminal 3 pier.

KTVI FOX 2 shows construction footage of a McCarthy joint venture on National Geospatial Intelligence Agency near St. Louis. Also, Playmakers Talk Show hosts company Pres. Joe Jouvenal.

Offshore Energy News writes on an innovation by a Dutch tidal energy company; the story includes prominent photography of apparatus with a PVE Equipment hammer in full display.

The Geotechnical Engineering Podcast airs an insightful discussion with Dr. Kathryn Petek of Shannon & Wilson about Large Diameter Foundations.

i4 Business Magazine has a cover story on the "explosive growth" of Universal Engineering Sciences, reportedly the fastest growing U.S. firm. [Editor's note each month in the Acquisitions & Expansions section of this publication, we list at least one new "pick-up" by UES, this month there are two.] 

Plenty of big headlines these days; a pending switch to the SEC for Texas and Oklahoma, ongoing Infrastructure negotiations on Capitol Hill, the McCormick seasonings recall, the #FreeBritney movement, and all things COVID among them. But we defer you to other news sources for complete coverage. Safe driving in August, we'll send you another Pile on Sept. 7!
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