Pile Drivers to Gather May 15 at TopGolf in Edison, NJ for Annual Chapter Event


George Harms Construction Company dispatches a foursome of 'ringers' for the 2023 Northeast Chapter TopGolf event.

Show off your robust network in the Northeast pile driving community, show off your 350 yard drive, or show off both at the annual PDCA Northeast Chapter TopGolf Meet & Greet and New Member Outreach event, coming back to Edison, NJ on May 15th.

Each year, the PDCA Northeast Chapter offers the social at TopGolf with the objective to grow the organization. The networking function is open to PDCA members, as well as their guests from the deep foundation construction industry who might consider participation in Chapter membership. Your ticket gets you admission to the event, plenty of time in a TopGolf tee boxes, food, drink, and a full evening of reconnecting with industry colleagues and friends.

You must register yourself and your guest(s) to ensure entry to the reserved space at the Edison, NJ TopGolf located at 1013 US Route 1. Click the button below to purchase your tickets.  See you on May 15th!




Posted in Chapter News Northeast.

Sponsors Invited to Help PDCA Celebrate Industry Contribution and Excellence


(L-R): 2022 Association Award winners Diane Fischer and Jill Harris
pose with PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters during 2023 awards ceremony

Make sure you add the PDCA Awards Ceremony & Luncheon to your calendar on May 10th in Dallas, when IFCEE concludes. There is no cost to attend this event but registration is mandatory!

An annual function at PDCA is a formal celebration of industry contribution and excellence. PDCA recognizes excellence through the annual Project of the Year Awards program where winners are chosen through a consensus of industry veterans serving as voluntary judges who consider entries in categories of Land, Marine, Earth Retention, Associate/Engineering Affiliate, and International projects. 

Representing industry contribution are the annual Association Awards which include; Committee Chair of the Year, Associate Member of the Year, John T. Parker Industry Ambassador Award, Dr. Frank Rausche Professional Engineers Service Award, Presidential Award for Distinguished Service, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Nominations for these awards are collected and winners are ultimately determined through a consensus of PDCA leadership.

This year, the PDCA Awards Ceremony & Luncheon is scheduled to take place on May 10th, from 12:30-2 PM CDT at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, in Dallas, Texas, at the conclusion of formal programming at the International Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo (IFCEE). Registration is independent of IFCEE, and is offered at NO COST. Please attend and help PDCA celebrate industry contribution and excellence!

Sponsorship for the PDCA Awards Ceremony & Luncheon is available. If you and your company want to be recognized as supporting the PDCA members who voluntarily and positively impact the driven pile-based, foundation construction, and demonstrate notable levels of industry contribution and excellence as defined by the various awards, consider supporting this annual ceremony. 

To register for this FREE event in Dallas on May 10th following IFCEE and/or sponsor the luncheon, please click the registration button to secure your options. Thank you for your support of PDCA.


 

It Became a Big Deal, But How Did IFCEE Start? One PDCA Visionary Can Tell You


South Carolina Chapter leadership, (L-R): Board Members Jason Moore, Greg Canivan, Immediate Past President John King (standing), special guest Mohamad Hussein, President Kent Parker

In case you hadn't heard, IFCEE 2024 is right around the corner and the entirety (we hope!) of the deep foundations construction and engineering industry is finalizing travel plans to Dallas, TX to attend the triennial event at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, from May 7 - 10, 2024. Short for the International Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo, IFCEE dates back to 2009, and has convened every three years, since then. It is a highly successful collaboration among some of the biggest stakeholders in deep foundation construction, including PDCA, the International Association of Foundation Drilling (ADSC), the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI), and the GeoInstitute (G-I) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Each convention features industry and technical education, exhibitors who bring the latest in foundation technologies, a massive, outdoor equipment show, inspiring presentations, unequalled networking, and plenty of memorable fun.

One might wonder, how did all this start? PDCA Technical Committee Chairman Mohamad Hussein is someone who knows the history well. The Executive Director for Global Industry Relations at GRL Engineers, Inc. and Pile Dynamics, Inc., and world-renowned civil engineer, has had decades of involvement with all the deep foundations organizations mentioned above. He conceived the idea for an 'industry-wide convention' and effectively advocated for the first event, which came to fruition a few years later. Many people may know that he was involved in the original concept of IFCEE, but we asked him to tell the story in his own words:

"The seed for the first of its kind mega-event encompassing all aspects and organizations of foundations was planted by myself and a few others in 2005 when I was Chair of the Deep Foundations Committee of the ASCE's Geo-Institute by a wishful suggestion to various industry leaders.  What became the International Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo (IFCEE) in 2009 was a phenomenal success. Fifteen organizations from around the world (including the then relatively young PDCA) were involved.  Over 2,500 attendees took part in the 52 technical and professional development sessions and enjoyed the unprecedented outdoors and indoors equipment exhibitions ($150-million worth of equipment, as I recall).  The technical presentations and papers were compiled in the 2,000-page, 3-volume proceedings books that represented the state-of-the-art and practice of foundations engineering.  IFCEE has since become the industry's landmark that everyone looks forward to every three years." (Mohamad Hussein, in his own words, about the origin of IFCEE.)

In March, the PDCA South Carolina Chapter hosted Mohamad for dinner the evening before he would present at the Chapter's Driven Pile Technical Seminar the next day. During that dinner, Chapter leadership held a short recognition ceremony applauding Mohamad's contributions to PDCA and celebrating his operative work that put PDCA on the stage as a key partner in IFCEE with the biggest organizations in deep foundation construction.  

Thanks to the work of Mohamad and the dozens of others that joined his campaign for IFCEE as an entity in the 2000's, and PDCA's initial inclusion in the industry marvel, the PDCA of today can enthusiastically promote the 2024 event that is almost here. As we have told you, IFCEE 2024 will include some PDCA-specific events such as the festive Texas Chapter Happy Hour on Wednesday evening (5/8), the venerable E.A.L. Smith Awards Lecture featuring a presentation from Dr. Richard Hartman on Thursday morning (5/9), and the PDCA 2023 Awards Ceremony & Luncheon taking place on Friday (5/10) where we will honor the 2023 Project of the Year Awards and Association Awards winners during a FREE, 90-minute luncheon. And just a heads-up to all PDCA members attending IFCEE next month, a special gift from PDCA will be waiting for you, so make sure to connect with someone from PDCA staff during your time in Dallas. And make sure to introduce yourself to Mohamad Hussein, he will be there! 
 

click to Register for IFCEE


ifcee archives
(L-R) ASCE President, Geo-Institute President, IFCEE Chairman M. Hussein,
US Army Corp of Engineers Lieutenant Commander, ADSC President, and PDCA President.

These archives about the first IFCEE in 2009 are from the collection of Mohamad Hussein




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