| A Pile of News: August 2023 |
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A briefing on news and information from the pile driving contractors,
associated manufacturers, construction suppliers and affiliated engineers
who comprise PDCA.
By Matt Bisbee, PDCA
Originally sent Aug. 1, 2023 |
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Top of the August Pile the PDCA Project of the Year Awards Program winners will be revealed in mere days. The program drew the most entries in recorded history; thanks to each of this year's entrants for your participation. Competition was fierce and you can be assured that winners in eight different categories truly represent the crème de la crème in driven pile-based deep foundations and earth retention systems. Watch your inbox for the digital edition of PileDriver magazine, coming soon. Shortly thereafter, your friendly, local mail carrier will deliver your hard copy magazine.
And on with this month's news: |
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| From the Association & Chapters |
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Mark your calendars!
Aug. 10: Value Driven Webinar Series, 2 - 3 PM EDT Aaron Budge, Ph.D., P.E., of Minnesota State University presents "Fundamentals of Driven Pile Design Principles," FREE to PDCA members
Aug. 10: South Carolina Chapter dinner meeting, 6 - 9 PM EDT at the Town and Country Inn & Suites in Charleston, SC; Jonathan Tremmier presents on a new, low overhead attachment from Pile Hammer Equipment for use on forklifts, excavators
Aug. 11: Northeast Chapter Annual Sporting Clays Fundraiser, 8 - 3 EDT at Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays in Coplay, PA
Aug. 25: Gulf Coast Chapter meeting and clay shoot, 8 - 1 PM CDT at Bridgeview Gun Club in Port Allan, LA. Bring shotguns, shells and your appetite, lunch and membership meeting after shoot.
Sept. 12: Texas Chapter Inaugural Golf Outing, 6:30 AM - NOON, takes place the morning before DICEP begins nearby at noon. Regional piling industry, DICEP attendees invited to participate at Hermann Park Golf Course.
Sept. 12 - 13: DICEP 2023 at the Houston Marriott West Loop by the Galleria.
Sept. 28: SAVE THE DATE Cheers to New England Pile Drivers, a FREE networking happy hour open to the industry, taking place at Copper House Tavern, Waltham, MA
Oct. 11 - 13: DFDTA in partnership with Pile Dynamics, Inc. (PDI) at PDI Cleveland offices
Nov. 15 - 16: Engineers Driven Pile Institute (EDPI), a new program designed for mid-level engineers to enhance and supplement professional education as it relates specifically to driven pile foundations, Hilton Baltimore Airport
To see a list of upcoming events, including PDCA committee meetings, visit the events calendar
News and PHOTOS from the PDCA Blog:
As we do each quarter, the Pile of News welcomes the new and returning PDCA members to recently (re)join. We gave 'em another shout-out on the PDCA blog because we value all members!
The association world thrives on relationships, and PDCA enthusiastically develops industry connections. We were proud to sponsor the Foundation & Marine Contractors Association of New England's 88th Annual Golf Outing on July 17, 2023, in Framingham, MA. Members SPOTTED.
Industry news:
National Center for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) expands testing options with the introduction of test center testing
Have you heard of the 85% rule? At face value, this may NOT be something employers advocate, but it's an interesting argument. |
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| Congratulations, Interpipe Inc Canada, you are this month's winner! Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of the month to claim your prize! |
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Recognitions:
ASAP Group is among winners of a Florida Transportation Builders Association Safety Award.
Cajun Industries earns Houston Safety Excellence Award Silver Medal. Safety manager Seth Wilkins and PM Aaron Spaugh attended the May ceremony.
CS Marine Constructors gathered for lunch to celebrate winning the 2022 AEU Safety Award.
Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction and Terracon were both on the roster for the construction of a Utah bridge; the UDOT project earned an "excellence" award.
Canal Barge Company, Inc. named by the Times-Picayune as a Top Workplace in New Orleans.
Dewberry achieves NSF/ANSI 391.1 certification, enabling the firm to evaluate various aspects of professional services providers.
Giving back:
Balfour Beatty US facilitated a segway tour of Washington, DC, for its "monumental" Mid-Atlantic interns. They got a street view of job sites and famous landmarks.
Mason Construction repeats as a major benefactor for OATH Inc.'s Denim & Diamonds Gala, an annual event supporting veterans. This year's new location is in Richmond, TX.
McCarthy Building Companies lends its name to the new and innovative Construction Safety Lab at Collin College in McKinney, TX. Heralded as the "first of its kind in the country," the facility prepares students to excel in construction safety through hands-on learning.
J. Fletcher Creamer supports ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) research through a New Jersey golf outing; dock builder foreman Ryan Sprengel participated in the event.
Geo-Technology Associates, Inc. (GTA) supports Saucon Valley High athletes in Pennsylvania through sponsorship of a regional golf outing; see event photos of GTA's Quakertown staff.
GZA GeoEnvironmenal dispatched a volunteer team to Hampton Beach in Massachusetts, where they collected nearly 600 articles of trash as part of an annual Earth Day observance.
Acquisitions & expansions:
DFI Piling is the new corporate brand for the installer and supplier of piling products in North America, Australia and beyond. Formerly known as DFI, the Edmonton, AB-based company has adopted the brand and label change along with the tagline, "Driving Innovation."
Atlas Tube is rolling 145-foot steel pipes at its jumbo mill, reducing the need for field splicing.
ECA Canada announces the acquisition of Calgary-based Ridgeline Equipment, an aftermarket parts and service provider for heavy equipment.
Liebherr grows in Europe, announces a plan for a new production site in France.
Hoffman Equipment expands its Marlboro, NY, location through an upgraded showroom. Local ops manager Dan Shafer appreciates walk-in customers, wants visits to be a great experience.
Universal Engineering Sciences (UES) grows footprint in northern Alabama through addition of Huntsville-based GEO Solutions, LLC.
Governmental relations:
PND Engineers, Inc. sent EIT Alexander Li to Washington, DC, where he met Alaska U.S. Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Peltola. According to Li, "Engineers are agents of the public...and know the needs of the community," through report, design and inspection work.
UBC Pile Drivers and Divers representative Olaf Olson attended a New Jersey bill signing where Gov. Murphy bolstered regional job creation through offshore wind.
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Transitions:
Denise Tullier promoted to lead the human resources and recruiting team at Baker GCI.
Laura Sesack, PE is new area manager serving Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia at GeoStructures, Inc.
Verdean Colburn, Gavin Zamora, Jose Naranjo, Kyle Apuya are among some of the newest faces at Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company.
Michael Cook, Mitch Sumstad, both promoted to SVP Civil Construction at Veit.
Charlie Rudderow named new safety manager at Richard E. Pierson Construction in New Jersey.
Billy Burrow transitions to regulatory compliance at Weeks Marine in Louisiana.
Rich Anderson elevates to VP at Equipment Corporation of America; the PDCA Membership Committee chair and past PDCA board member continues as Philadelphia branch manager for ECA. Also at ECA, Dave Schell becomes account manager Mid-Atlantic, Joel Ross is director of parts and service and Jason Church is BAUER Equipment products manager.
John Schwartz onboards as an inside sales rep at Bull Moose Tube in St. Louis.
Rick Kalson, PDCA Contracts & Risk Committee Chair and Partner at Benesch Law, has moved to the firm's Manhattan, NY office.
Recognitions:
Adrian De La Cruz is a project coordinator at the Houston office of Cajun Industries; he and his wife Cierra welcome new, 9 lb., 2.4 oz baby Jovie Blake.
D.A. Collins Family of Companies applauds work anniversaries; including David Elliott, William Hayes and Kyle Perkins who all reach the quarter-century mark.
Austen Parker, CFO at Parker Marine Contracting, began pursuit of a specialized Master of Laws in intellectual property at Cardozo Law School in New York, to supplement his J.D.
Ed Cloud wraps us 26 years at Scott Bridge Company, Inc. The longtime operator was celebrated at a company luncheon.
Leon Topalian, CEO and president at Nucor, honored with steel industry's highest award.
Dan Brown, Ph.D., of Dan Brown and Associates presented "the art and science of hole digging" at the annual dinner for the Canadian Geotechnical Society Southern Ontario Section.
Nick D'Aiuto of ICE of Carolinas named Young Professional of the Year in North Carolina.
Alexandra Weidemann Holland, a marketing practice leader at S&ME, Inc., starts a new and challenging job she becomes a working mom! Congratulations from PDCA...cute baby! More from the firm, Chuck Black who leads client development, named prez for ACEC-South Carolina.
Mindy Sayres, principal at GZA GeoEnvironmental, honors her best friend (also Mindy) by participating as a rider/fundraiser in the New England Parkinson's Ride.
Rick Kushner, P.E. reaches "dirty thirty;" Universal Engineering Sciences Florida team gathered on business but took time to celebrate the North Florida region president on three decades.
Pat DiCerbo of Northwestern Mutual finished the Happy Valley Half Ironman last month; admittedly "a little undertrained," he tells us he earned some "fans!" |
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Arthur R. Henry, Inc. contributed to the new Cape May Substation Reliability project for Atlantic City Electric in New Jersey. Elsewhere in the state, its crews drove sheeting and bulkhead piles for a project supporting growth in the area's wind energy sector.
Baker GCI sees the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel in Geismar, LA, where it is completing site development, civil construction and piling for Chevron's expanded renewable diesel facility.
Bowen Engineering Corp. was limited in space when it was tasked with installing 21 H-piles for a steam valve replacement near a downtown Indianapolis hospital. Crews successfully navigated around area utilities while driving the 45-foot-long piles.
McCarthy crew members in coastal Texas recognize a milestone in their work at the Port of Beaumont the last pile for the future Main Street Terminal was DRIVEN!
PRECO-MSE drove 550 feet of sheet pile, with an additional 336 driven piles on a complex Quebec project.
- (Readers in the South who may have the notion that Canada is perpetually cold ahem, Mr. PDCA Communications Committee Chair note that job site reports say oppressive heat burdens the province and crews are commended for their perseverance. As your safety directors preach, take precaution in excessive heat.)
Richard Goettle, Inc. was awarded a contract to participate in the stabilization of the Irishtown Bend hillside, a vital project for the Port of Cleveland and the city's economic development.
GeoQuip, Inc. vibro equipment is SPOTTED driving sheets for a bulkhead on Florida's Daytona Beach.
Lloyd Engineering, Inc. was part of the team to successfully complete offshore sediment sampling for the USACE Galveston District. The work is prerequisite to a potential, unnamed offshore placement. |
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ABC 30/KFSN-TV, Fresno reports on fortification of vulnerable CA power infrastructure in danger of snowmelt flooding. Foundation Constructors crews are installing sheet pile walls to surround the Alpaugh, Corcoran and Angiola power substations. News video shows an active Angiola job site, where a Liebherr loader assists the team.
The Florida Times-Union reports Weeks Marine will perform beach renourishment on the Atlantic coast; the Feds will fully fund $20.2M for USACE erosion repair work near Ponte Vedra Beach. (Paywall)
North America Outlook magazine interviews Richard Shea in a wide-ranging story touching on the history of Morris Shea Bridge Company, its deep foundations projects and other notable aspects.
Marine Construction magazine publishes a feature story on the one and only Bill Ziadie, a seasoned piling professional from American Piledriving Equipment, Inc. (APE). Vintage pics included!
KMOX Radio determined the sports crew could take a break from continuous coverage of the 2023 cellar dwelling St. Louis Cardinals, for which it serves as the flagship station, and diversify its content. They originated a show called Shift Disturbers, at McCarthy headquarters, where employee-owners appeared and educated listeners about its work, its craftsmen and its influence on the city skyline.
The Seattle Times covered a King County, WA, project that should reduce the risk of flooding and enhance salmon habitats throughout 52 acres. Shannon & Wilson, Inc. engineers Brian Reznick, P.E., Genevieve S., Stephanie Wanderer and Eric Scott provided geotechnical support to the county. (Paywall) Wait! There's more! Anchorage Daily News reports on modern attributes in the construction of the Southcentral Power Project. This time, Shannon & Wilson, Inc. performed geotechnical design and observation. (Paywall) |
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The 2023 FBS college football season commences in just over three weeks and members are using social media to support their teams with shirts, hats, battle cries and more. ASAP Group sent a message showing their favorite, but it was subtle since they're based in the shadows of Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, home of The U. Nice job injecting a sneaky "Go Gators" into a post about a project, Ed Bisono!
As the Tide Rolls Dale Miller, P.E., from the Shannon & Wilson St. Louis office, was spotted using a Crimson Tide hat to provide sun relief while fishing with colleagues in Wisconsin. Like it or not, 'Bama's got marketshare!
Yes, the B1G is relevant this season And we were thrilled to see Jeff Barlow at Weeks Marine proudly display his black and gold hat and give a "Go Hawks" in a company post from a job site. The equipment and yards manager has done unique work at Weeks, such as transporting the Space Shuttle and more.
Will this be the season of the Terps? In its 131-year history, the University of Maryland football program boasts one National Championship (1953); does that mean they are due? Nationally-ranked RB Roman Hemby is getting hyped this preseason, though the team sits in the middle of the pack. Underrated? Meantime, the local UM fanbase will be warmed-up for tailgating festivities, the GeoTechnology Associates, Inc. Abingdon, MD office held a competitive cornhole tournament.
And if football doesn't work out, there's excitement in the College Park basketball offices. Clark Construction joined school officials, mascot Testudo, ESPN celebrity and UM grad Scott Van Pelt to break ground on a new, state-of-the-art basketball performance center, coming in 2025.
The Dawgs are looking to 3-peat Maybe you remember the old Alan Jackson song called Chattahoochee; refresher, it was a '90's country music hit which popularized the lyric 'a burger and a grape snow cone.' Many Atlanta-area Georgia fans will need to cross that river to attend home games in nearby Athens. Of note, Thomas & Hutton consulted on the rebuild of a new bridge over the Chattahoochee River, the inspiration for the song. Building partners participated in a July ribbon-cutting ceremony on the 308-foot structure.
The few and proud If you and/or a loved one was in Bluffton, SC, or at the nearby Parris Island U.S. Marine base on July 4, chances are you got to see (or at least hear) fireworks originating from an O'Quinn Marine Construction barge. Duncan O'Quinn has put on this annual show the last 15 years.
Before we shut the door on the August Pile of News, we give a nod to creative crafters Darron, Witt and Walter of D.A. Collins Companies. The trio repurposed an antique door dating back to the 1880s that was in the Glen Falls, NY, office of Jointa Lime, a present-day Collins subsidiary that provides paving mixes. It now serves as an ornate stately desk, constructed from various components of the door and frame.
As listed above in the events section, there are a lot of opportunities for PDCA participation through chapter activity around the country. Gulf Coast and Northeast will be showing off their marksman skills and South Carolina will convene for a quarterly dinner meeting. It doesn't slow down in September as the national DICEP conference debuts in Houston, kicking off with an inaugural golf outing courtesy of the Texas Chapter. To our non-member readers, you can and should support the driven pile industry through membership in PDCA; when everybody pitches in a little, we thrive as an industry. Thanks for reading! |
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