A Pile of News - August 2024

A Pile of News: August 2024
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, 2024
Top of the Pile
We got winners! We can't tell you here, but we can give you the hyperlink. PileDriver magazine exclusively announces the 2024 Project of the Year Award winners and it now available; read it here! The 2024 contest was highly competitive.

Update your PDCA account for the 2025 Membership Directory. PDCA executive director Frank Peters gives this easy-to-follow tutorial on The PDCA Connection, the new member account management system.

Read to the end for a college football special  see PDCA members impacting the sport. Plus, past presidents predict the SEC sorry in advance for any hurt feelings in the ACC, Big 12 and Pac 12.
From the Association & Chapters
Mark your calendars:
Aug. 8: PDCA Value Driven Webinar Series (virtual), 2 - 3 PM EDT. Hear an important presentation on Employee Mental Health & Suicide Prevention.

Aug. 8: South Carolina Chapter Dinner, Charleston, SC, 6 - 9 PM; networking and dinner meeting at the the Town & Country Inn and Suites on Savannah Highway. Nucor rep Louis Nash, PE presents sheet pile job.

Aug. 9: Northeast Chapter Sporting Clays Fundraiser, Coplay, PA, 8 - 3 PM: This popular event includes breakfast, shooting and lunch. Registration is open, sponsorships are available.

Aug. 22: The Twin Cities Social, Fulton Taproom, Downtown Minneapolis, MN, 5 - 7 PM: Attend the FREE networking reception, PDCA membership not required. Sponsorship available.

Sept. 10 - 11: DICEP 2024, Renaissance Chicago O'Hare, Chicago, IL: Conference theme Driven Pile Mega Projects, special rate at hotel good 'til Aug. 19; exhibitors/sponsors welcome.

Sept. 24: Texas Chapter Golf Tournament, Mont Belvieu, TX: Second annual event open to singles, twosomes and foursomes. Sponsorships available, but they're going fast!

Oct. 7 - 10: DFI Annual Conference, Aurora, CO: PDCA is a cooperating organization.

Oct. 23 - 24: Engineers Driven Pile Institute (EDPI), Doubletree, Downtown Salt Lake City, UT: Designed for mid-level engineers, 15 PDH available, sponsorship opportunities for benefactors.

From the Piledrivers.org Blog:
Did you hear? PDCA and its slogan, "A driven pile...is a tested pile," went viral. Kyrsten Garcia of Russell Marine shared the YouTube show, Practical Engineering, which has 3M+ subscribers!
Lally Pipe & Tube  Winner of the PDCADriven contest
Congratulations, Lally Pipe & Tube, you are this month's winner! Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of the month to claim your prize!
News from PDCA Companies
Giving back:
Clark sponsors PathForwardVA, and staff prepared meals for its homeless beneficiaries.

Mason Construction supports Beaumont's Children's Museum, STEAM education with fishing.

Morris-Shea Bridge Co. gave to a student scholarship fund through a Philadelphia golf outing.

Koppers Inc. honors its late company treasurer Louann Tronsberg-Deihle with a scholarship program administered through its employee resource group. Two awardees receive $2,500 each.

Gerdau awards 13 scholarships to employees' children pursuing higher ed; winners are featured in video series  Part 1 and Part 2.

Nucor names a new building at South Dakota Mines; Rapid City crews add the lettering.

Haley & Aldrich and builders around Boston hosted high schoolers at an active jobsite. Jessie Siegel, P.E., Allyson Wheelwright shared their experiences and talked geotechnics.

S&ME offers educational help to employees; beneficiary and geotechnical staffer Alexandria Smith thanks the firm for supporting her pursuit of a master's at University of Tennessee.

Government relations:
Aggregate Technologies, Inc. staff Matthew Knight, Michelle Aseltine attended the Port Arthur, TX, State of the City lunch, where they interfaced with Mayor Bartie and other municipal leaders. Also participating in the event was Kevin Johnson from GROUP Contractors.

Nucor stays in front of policymakers this summer. Congressman Jordan visited its Marion, OH, facility, where he met a remarkable, well-tenured staffer. Read more in the People section below. In Arkansas, U.S. Rep. Westerman toured its plant and met employees in Sheridan.

American Engineering Testing helped resurrect the unique "golden panels" on a portion of I-90 in Minnesota. U.S. Sen. Klobuchar proclaimed the development carries "historic significance."

Acquisitions & expansions:
C.J. Mahan Construction Co. enlarges its tug fleet and christens the Malcolm S. White, in honor of a longtime friend and partner on his birthday. The ceremony was at Cincinnati's Sawyer's Point.

Atlas Tube benefits from a $6M investment in its Birmingham factory, creating almost 100 jobs.

JD Fields & Co. forges a strategic partnership in Houston to add a 35-acre pipe yard, new services.

Terracon grows its portfolio in Rhode Island by acquiring the SAGE engineering companies.

UES gets a bigger midwestern footprint through purchase of CSI in Lexington and Cincinnati.

Recognitions:
CIANBRO continues the streak with its ninth consecutive win of an ABC Pinnacle Safety Award.

Tolunay-Wong Engineers, Inc. won the silver safety award from the SW Louisiana Safety Council.
People on the Move
Transitions:
Nicholas Murdock, MBA, joins project management at C.J. Mahan Construction Co.; also, Jose Gomez rejoins the contractor as a project superintendent.

Mark Weisz returns to CS Marine Contractors in Vallejo, CA, where he is VP of engineering.

Paul Leonard is appointed president of Keller North America, succeeding Eric Droof. He helms the company and 4,000 employees across the U.S. and Canada from Keller's Houston offices.

Trent Gherardini onboards at McCarthy Building Cos. as senior BDM in the St. Louis region.

Justin Sutton is the newest inside sales rep at Associated Pile and Fitting.

Mike Powers elevates to chief digital and technology officer at Seattle-based ARG Industrial.

Madeline Lato joins the inside sales team at Bottom Line Equipment in Baton Rouge.

Jim Fink elevates to chief operating officer at Chesterfield, MO-based Bull Moose Tube.

Allan Korte returns to Hammer & Steel in Florida, where he's been named technical director.

Derek Brodnax is promoted to piling sales director at Service Steel Warehouse in Houston.

Stephanie Vezina joins Stealth Pipe and Steel in Montreal as administrative director.

Nathan Green, Perry Li, Muhammad Mehmood are the newest additions to the geotechnical staff at Shannon & Wilson; they serve Denver, Seattle and St. Louis, respectively.

Recognitions:
Numa Blanchard embraces Cajun Industries' employee growth program for PHR certification.

Sarah Johnson, a field engineer at McCarthy who leads crews on Gulf Coast marine projects, appears in Authority Magazine, where she advocates for women pursuing careers in STEM.

Travis Boone, CEO at Orion, appeared on the Schwab Network business program discussing recent successes for the marine contractor, including its addition to the Russell 3000 index. Boone also earned a spot on the Houston Business Journal's "Most Admired CEO" list.

Kelly Hansen, SVP at Veit, takes a seat on the National Assn. of Women in Construction MN-BOD. Also, training mgr. Jeff Madsen celebrates 35 years; driver Swain Wudtke has 30 years.

Brenna Moore, a heavy equipment operator at The Walsh Group, wrote an inspirational post that went viral. Here's a peek: If a woman wants to be out playing in the dirt, sitting at a desk will never make her soul happy. Read the post, and kudos Brenna (pictured) for speaking out.
Brenna Moore  a heavy equipment operator at The Walsh Group
​​​​Rodrick Pringle at Koppers Utility & Industrial Products in Eutawville, SC, visits on camera with CEO Leroy Ball to discuss the Zero Harm safety program at the timber pile manufacturer.

Francisco Barrera
spent his 69th birthday fabricating at MKT Manufacturing, Inc., something he's been doing for the St. Louis-based supplier for 38 years.


Roberta McCullough
is the longest-serving staffer at Nucor, where she is nearing a remarkable 70 years! She recently had a visitor and high-ranking official who took a special photo with her.


Bryan Connelly, CWI,
welding inspection director at Eustis Engineering, chaired the 2024 meeting of the Texas State Welding Advisory Committee at the TSTC Waco campus.


Ryan Cole
, principal at Gerhart Cole Inc., completed a one-year term as president of ACEC Utah.


Robert (Red) Robinson
was celebrated company-wide at Shannon & Wilson. Since 1974, he's built a rep as a geotechnical exploration expert; he's now the fifth employee to reach a half-century of service with the firm.


Gayle Packer
, pres./CEO of Terracon in Kansas, is the "Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 - Heartland Award" winner, a competitive, national honor from Ernst & Young that dates back to 1986.


Shayla Bradshaw
of Thomas & Hutton is an ENR "24 Top Young Professional, 35 Under 35 Women to Know in Georgia Engineering," and has earned her P.E. Also, Army reservist LTC Mark DeSouza takes command of the 478th Engineer Battalion in Ft. Thomas, KY.

Sending sympathies:
Patrick Dispoto (1965 - 2024) was highly regarded by colleagues at J. Fletcher Creamer & Son in New Jersey; when news circulated about his heroic last act that resulted in his untimely passing, condolences poured in. The New Jersey father of two entered a local beach in June to warn teens about impending danger at the onset of a storm, to which he was ultimately a victim.
On the Job
CIANBRO crews had a great seat for Fourth of July fireworks in Washington, DC. From his memorial, America's third president Thomas Jefferson watched over their job site and the red, white and blue GeoQuip hammer.

George Harms Construction won a $7.9M contract to build infrastructure for a commuter ferry service from Carteret, NJ, to the NYC financial district. Steel pile-supported walks are among the components.

Hal Jones Contractor drives piles for a downtown Jacksonville, FL bulkhead replacement on the St. Johns River to prepare for a new, adjacent high rise. JD Fields & Co. supplied steel sheet, king, and H-piles, and crews use machines from PVE Equipment USA and International Construction Equipment to install them. ECS Limited is the geotech of record.

Keller crews, also in Jacksonville, were directly across the river, driving steel pipe from John Lawrie Tubulars for another public initiative, a new waterfront parkGRL Engineers performed PDA testing on the piles, which were installed using a company-owned Junttan rig.

Kiewit is GC on Phase 1 of a bridge replacement, where it is building a new southbound span in West Baton Rouge Parish to improve travel for motorists on LA-1. A Liebherr crane is spotted on the job site.

Kokosing crews drive piling as they continue progress reworking the I-70/71 intersection in downtown Columbus, OH, an ODOT initiative. OSU Buckeye football fans, already known for their propensity to travel with the team, will be clogging this up soon enough.

Manson completed the U.S. Navy, Seal Beach Ammunition Pier replacement project in Southern California. Crews used company-owned hammers to install PSC piles, then added fender helmets from American Piledriving Equipment. PM Thomas Gomez joined Navy brass for a July ribbon-cutting.

Reagan Marine Construction won unanimous approval from the Newport, RI, city council for a $224K contract to perform a partial demo and temporary construction on the Elm Street Pier.

Russell Marine LLC won a contract to build a 1,100-foot wharf with fendering and high wind bollard points at the Port of Tampa. JD Fields & Co. will provide crews with pipe and sheet piling for installation as a combi-wall and other components. Construction is expected to begin in December.

CZM Foundation Equipment hosted academics from Georgia Southern University at its Savannah factory to share industry insights, part of its strategy fostering future talent and innovation.

Foundation Equipment Services, Inc. dispatched tech Luke Karr to Apple Grove, WV, to optimize Goettle pile driving equipment in advance of crews driving steel sheets and wide flange beams.
Industry News
PDCA Sports Shorts
NCAA football starts this month and here's preseason news from some PDCA members impacting teams from the biggest conferences across the country. (Warning: Material below may be offensive to sensitive fans.)
  • ACC: Did you know that Dallas-based SMU is now in it? JD Fields & Co. renewed its NIL partnership with SMU receiver Roderick Daniels, Jr. The Mustangs go to Reno to face Nevada on Aug. 24. Expect Rod-Dan to get some great exposure during the week one broadcast of College GameDay.
  • PAC-12: A job site photographer from Manson Construction caught the excitement fans can expect for the conference matchup this football season. Herbie and the guys should originate their first show at the SMU game might be their best bet for a meaningful appearance out west.
  • B1G: If they can repeat the magical '96 season, it'll be from a temporary home. (We don't see this happening.) Walsh Group, through a JV, begins privately funded construction of a new Ryan Field at Northwestern, completing in 2026. Evanston Mayor Biss and Ryan family members broke ground in June. 
  • Big 12: BYU is a long way from West Virginia, which is far from Houston, so air travel is essential for transporting teams and fans. With fewer motorists expected, officials in Kansas City okayed the Veit demolition of an historic bridge it might be the most exciting thing to happen this year in traditional Big 12 country!
  • SEC: Read to the end to see past PDCA presidents predict season outcomes for their teams.
  • Tailgaters: Regardless of the game you attend this fall, you will likely see cornhole tournaments at tailgate parties. If you're involved in a competitive bag-tossing group, consider adopting this prototype cornhole trophy used by the Maryland staff at Geo-Technology Associates (GTA).

And away from the gridiron...
  • Baseball: Pennsylvania as a 'swing state:' The Pirates beat their cross-state rivals when Equipment Corporation of America held a family outing at the Pittsburgh ballpark. Later in July, Richard E. Pierson Construction celebrated summers interns with a field trip to the nearby Phillies game. 
  • Ocean racing: The Carina team included navigator Devin Santa of RACE Coastal Engineering, and it won the biennial Newport to Bermuda Race. Santa also won an individual honor.
  • Bass fishing: Eighth-place at Bassmaster Elite went to Morris-Shea-sponsored angler, Logan Parks. After winning baseball and women's basketball, SEC fans followed fishing all summer.
  • Olympics: The 2034 Winter Games are back in Salt Lake City, where they last competed in 2002. Back then, a crew from R.L. Wadsworth Construction helped assemble the bobsled/luge track.
  • Raging: It's not likely to be an Olympic sport, but staff at USI Insurance in Virginia performed in a rage room. PDCA member Janice Graziosi says destroying a car is "stress relieving."
Maryland engineering firm cornhole champions and Virginia insurers de-stressing in a rage room
(L-R): Maryland engineering firm cornhole champions; Virginia insurers de-stress in a rage room
Thanks for reading August A Pile of News. By now, you realize that this publication is jam-packed with the hardest-hitting news in the driven pile industry. And there's still more!

Let's revisit the impending 2024 college football season. It's no secret how the SEC regards itself. And PDCA has significant influence from SEC country. In fact, five past presidents of the organization are outspoken loyalists to their favorite schools, and they share their predictions for how their teams will fare this year. Current president Brian Heck is a rabid Kentucky fan and tells us the Cats will go 8-4 on the season. His predecessor Kevin Gourgues, an LSU product, proclaims the Bayou Bengals win the conference, outright, with an 11-1 record. Fellow Tiger, and 2019 president Scott Callaway also predicts an 11-1 finish. And neither of them would say which game they expect to drop.

Take it back a couple decades to 2008 when Florida won the title; PDCA's president was a Gator, Van Hogan. He says this season won't be as glorious, but UF will finish respectably at 8-4. Finally, his immediate predecessor. John "Smells-Like-A-Gamecock" King. says the "original" USC ends at 9-3, with key wins over Kentucky and LSU. Time will reveal the best football prognosticator. And we hope YOUR team meets your expectations. We will see you back here on Sept. 3.
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Copyright © 2024 Pile Driving Contractors Association, All rights reserved.

Posted in A Pile of News PDCA Monthly e-newsletter.

READ E.D. Frank Peters' Guide to Using Your New Member Account System


PDCA executive director Frank Peters (far right) mingles with members at industry conference. Pictured, L-R: John King, Trey Ford, Jim Challenger, Peters

Let's Get Connected

At its core, a trade association is about connecting people. A good trade association allows people to connect at many levels. This could be a local, regional, or national connection. The connection could also be made around shared interests, job responsibilities, or social activities. People become involved in a trade association because it allows them to associate and connect with other individuals doing the same thing they are doing in a community of like-minded people.

When people come together and participate in opportunities available through a trade association, one of the biggest challenges is managing all the information, or data, that results. The PDCA staff has the primary responsibility of managing all this data. Consider that the number of data points created for a simple event could be in the hundreds if not thousands, and it must be kept accurately, readily available, and secure. Data points such as first name, last name, address, city, state, zip, country, primary phone, mobile phone, email address, how many are registered, are their guests, what are the special requests, and so on, are just a sampling. These data points are produced and kept for each individual and organization for each event or opportunity.

Before stepping into a new platform, the PDCA Staff kept all this information in various forms. Spreadsheets were a primary source, but other platforms were also used, and at any point in time, there could be many data sources that would need to be managed. This means that the integrity of the data between the sources would have to be handled manually by the PDCA Staff to ensure that each data source agreed with the other. In a sense, data management has become a full-time job. The more opportunities the Association presented, the more data would be produced, and more time would be spent making sure all the sources were up to date.

In addition to the opportunities PDCA has made over the past five years, PDCA staff have been increasing their efforts to bring administrative support to PDCA chapters. There are currently five PDCA Chapters, each with their own regular opportunities that require assistance and produce data that must be managed. The entire effort, managing data for all PDCA members and individuals and PDCA Chapter members and individuals, and engagement opportunities for both PDCA and PDCA Chapters can become an exponential effort. It doesn't just add one plus one plus one. It is four times five to the twelfth power.

Something had to change. PDCA has worked hard to ensure efficient, reliable, and sustainable processes are in place. This is precisely where the new PDCA Connection member engagement platform comes in. This new platform will allow PDCA to manage all the data created from member engagement opportunities under one source. This means that everyone involved in managing the data can look at the same information in the same place at the same time. No more guessing if we are looking at the latest spreadsheet and wondering who made the last change. More than that, this new platform will also allow PDCA members to manage their entire engagement with the Association in a way that could not be accomplished otherwise.

As previously mentioned, PDCA staff are responsible for managing all the data generated from PDCA member engagement. We will discuss this responsibility further in future communications. In the remainder of this article, we would like to discuss with PDCA members how to access and fully leverage the resources available through the PDCA Connection.

The first thing here is to recognize some terminology. When we say PDCA "member," we are talking about the entity or person identified as holding membership in the Association. Keep in mind that most of the PDCA membership categories are for organizations. This includes Contractors, Associates, Engineering, Affiliated Services, and Labor Organizations. These membership types are organization-specific. Each member organization has "representatives" who are named and recognized as part of the membership. These individuals are not "members" per se but are the representatives of the member organization.

PDCA also has several "individual" member types, including Government Employee, Academic Employee, Retired, and Student. In each of these membership types, the individual is the member.

We are explaining this so that we are all on the same page regarding the terminology PDCA uses to keep the membership categories in their respective data source. This is also important to understand because the new PDCA Connection member engagement platform works in this same way. The platform manages individuals separate from organizations. For example, one organization could have many representatives. It would be confusing and unmanageable to list one organization for each representative, especially if the organization we are talking about is the same organization that another individual represents. This is why organizations are kept separate from individuals in the new system.

Each organization and individual will have a "profile" in the PDCA Connection. The profile is the key to using the platform and the gateway to realizing all its benefits for member engagement. It is where all the information related to that organization or individual will be kept, and it is where most of the time in the platform will be spent.

Let's take the remainder of this article to access your profile. Start by opening your web browser and navigate to the PDCA website at www.piledrivers.org. In the upper right corner of the home page you will see "Member Login." Select this. This will be your access portal if you have previously logged into the new PDCA Connection. Enter your username and password and log in. Each PDCA "member" has a user profile. Not every individual member representative may have a profile.

If you have not logged into the new platform, you must create a new password. Once you have selected the Member Login link and accessed the login screen, select "here" under the "Forgot Your Password" text. This will take you to a screen where you can enter your email address and select submit. You should receive an email with a link to reset your password. Once you have reset your password, return to the PDCA website home page, select the Member Login link, and log in. You will be taken to your user profile in the PDCA Connection. This is where all the work will be done, and this is where the magic happens. Begin by updating your profile by adding your personal picture and ensuring your contact information is current. Member Representatives can also select the menu item on the left side of the profile page, "Manage My Organization," which will give you access to your organization profile. Once you have successfully accessed your organization profile, you can add your company logo and update the organization services and areas in the United States and around the world where you work, as well as ensure that the organization address, phone number, primary email, and website are current. This only scratches the surface of what PDCA members can accomplish in the new PDCA Connection.

If you have taken the steps to log into the system described above but are having trouble, please contact the PDCA Staff. We are here to help. We sincerely want you to enjoy this new technology, use it to the fullest, and experience a meaningful and successful engagement with your PDCA membership.

There will be much more about this new technology that PDCA uses to give members the best possible engagement experience. Take a few minutes today and log into your profile using the new PDCA Connection. Let's Get Connected!


 

Remaining '24 Webinars Address Mental Health, Sheet Pile Design, PSC Piles


(L-R) Dave Chapman and colleagues at the offices of Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc., founded in 1844 in Branford, CT

The PDCA 2024 Value Driven Webinar Series has three remaining installments this fall; industry professionals are secured to deliver presentations to the important topics that can inform your piling and business operations.


This series is a collaboration between the PDCA and the PDCA Standing Committees and strives to provide deep foundation industry professionals with education and information on committee initiatives, including safety, workforce development, industry equipment maintenance, and more.

Throughout 2024, the Value Driven Webinar Series has been held every other month on the second Thursday from 2:00pm - 3:00pm ET. Still to come, are the following sessions:
  • August 8 - Employee's Mental Health & Suicide Prevention by Bill Heffernan, LCPC, CEAP, ScreenSafe
  • October 10 - Sheet Pile Design: Introduction, General Concepts, Computation Methods, Software Overview, by Dave Chapman, Pres. of Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc.
  • December 12 - Introduction to Precast/Prestressed Concrete Driven Piles
As a member benefit, registration is complimentary for PDCA Members and their employees at all sessions. Individuals that are not members of PDCA are welcome to attend the sessions with a nominal registration fee of $50 per webinar.

Information regarding the webinars, speakers, and registration is available by clicking the button below:


The Big Reveal: Aug. PileDriver to feature 2024 Project of the Year Award Winners


Members of the PDCA Communications Committee attending IFCEE 2024 met informally for breakfast

The most prestigious honor bestowed upon a PDCA member is a Project of the Year Award, and winners of the 2024 program will soon be revealed PileDriver magazine. Each year, Issue #4 of the publication exclusively features the year's winning projects; member company submissions compete in land, marine, earth retention, and associate/engineering affiliate categories.

The PDCA Project of the Year Awards program is a longstanding, annual tradition at PDCA which the Communications Committee administers. Each year, the Committee receives submissions from members over a four-month period. All entries are reviewed and assessed by a panel of seasoned, pile driving veterans considered the official judges. Once the judges have spoken, the winning projects are rushed to PDCA publisher Lester, which builds a hard copy and digital manuscript that commemorates each project in picture and narrative. Once the magazine is distributed, PDCA celebrates the winners in social media and other communications channels. Needless to say, its a very exciting time for the member companies which earn the prestigious honor of a Project of the Year Award. But it's also satisfying for the PDCA Communications Committee which effectively helps promote pile driving through highly visible media channels. 

Watch your inbox and your mailbox this August - when you see the release of PileDriver magazine Issue #4, make sure to page through it and check out the winning projects...maybe one of them is yours! And if you know a winner, why not drop them a congratulatory note?

If you want to be part of this exciting effort each year, but you don't care to submit a project for consideration, maybe you would like to help coordinate the program as a member of the PDCA Communications Committee? Contact PDCA if you are interested.

DICEP 2024 Heads to Chicago Sept. 10-11; Agenda Offers Expert Insights on Piling


Van Komurka P.E., D.GE, John Peirce, Jr., P.E., D.GE among DICEP 2024 presenters

Have you registered to attend DICEP 2024? The annual PDCA technical conference will be held in Chicago on September 10 and 11 at the Renaissance Chicago O'Hare Suites Hotel; hotel rooms are available until August 19th at a special conference rate. Register to attend and secure your room before this insightful, educational event is full. 

If you are seeking an opportunity to market your products and services in the deep foundations industry, you might consider becoming an event exhibitor or sponsor; openings are still available. Please visit the the DICEP 2024 website to view the full event program, you can see a shortened version at the bottom of this page. Or, click the button below to complete your registration and/or secure your exhibition space or sponsorship, today.



DICEP 2024 Agenda-at-a-glance

Tuesday, September 10, 2024
  • 7:15 AM 8:00 AM        Short Course Breakfast
  • 8:00 AM 12:30 PM      Optional Short Course: *Advanced registration required; Quality Control and Quality Assurance of Driven Piles Foundations and Steel Sheet Walls, Mohamad Hussein, PE, GRL Engineers, Inc.; Gerry McShane, Service Steel Warehouse 
  • 2:00 PM 2:30 PM         Registration / Coffee & Snack Break
  • 2:30 PM 3:00 PM         DICEP Opening Ceremony & Welcome Announcements
  • 3:00 PM 4:00 PM         Pile Driving Design & Operation Challenges in Mega Projects Panel Discussion
  • 4:00 PM 4:45 PM         Cantilevered Sheet Pile Walls Comparison of Design MethodsJohn J. Peirce, Jr., P.E., BC.GE, Peirce Engineering, Inc.
  • 4:45 PM 5:15 PM         Subsurface Pile Driving Induced Ground Motions, A Review; and Implications for Volumetric Change of Saturated SandsChuck Dowding, PhD, Northwestern University
  • 5:15 PM 7:00 PM          Meet & Greet Reception
 
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
  • 7:00 AM 8:00 AM         Registration / Breakfast 
  • 8:00 AM 8:15 AM         Welcome & Announcements
  • 8:15 AM 9:15 AM        Tentative: US Army Corps Technical Presentation
  • 9:15 AM 10:15 AM      Designing Durability into Steel Sheet Piling StructuresGerry McShane, Service Steel Warehouse
  • 10:45 AM 11:15 AM      Automated Pile Driving Data Collection on INDOT Bridges,Mir A. Zaheer, P.E., Manager Geotechnical Consultant, IN DOT
  • 11:15 AM 12:00 PM     Driving Excellence: Cajun Industries' PLNG Driven Pile Mega ProjectJimmy Nettles, Senior Project Manager, Cajun Industries, LLC and Jordan Romero, Project Manager, Cajun Industries, LLC
  • 12:00 PM 1:00 PM        Luncheon 
  • 1:00 PM 2:00 PM         Bridge Design Criteria with Driven Pile Foundations / Bridge SafetySilas Nichols, PE, FHWA
  • 2:00 PM 3:00 PM        Deep Foundations Comparison: Driven and Drilled, Michael Wysockey, PhD, PE, Thatcher Foundations
  • 3:30 PM 4:30 PM        Soil / Pile Set Up in Driven Pile Foundation Design & Installation, Van E. Komurka, P.E., GRL Engineers, Inc.
  • 4:30 PM 5:00 PM        Driven Pile Foundations for Design-Build Bridge Project SuccessKen Gollon, Walsh Construction

Minneapolis FREE Happy Hour on 8/22 Is At Fulton Taproom; Sponsors Sign On


The Twin Cities Social is a FREE regional networking reception, offered to the driven pile industry. It is open to PDCA members and non-members. Attend an evening of networking with colleagues, friends, and associates in driven pile construction.
  • What: FREE networking happy hour for regional pile driving industry
  • When: August 22, 2024, 5-7 pm
  • Where: Fulton Taproom, 414 6th Ave. N, Minneapolis, MN
  • How: Register by clicking button below
PDCA will provide food, drink and a short program about participation in the only organization that exclusively advocates pile driving. Sponsorships are available and encouraged. Many thanks to American Equipment & Fabricating Corp. and Lester for helping underwrite this event. If you are interested in pledging support for The Twin Cities Social, click the button at the bottom of the page. 

 Register now to secure your spot. See you in MPLS!
 

Will Winners of 2023 Best/Worst Categories Repeat at Aug. 9 NE Chapter Shoot?


2023 Sporting Clays winners, (L-R): Danielle Chiolo - Best Female Shooter, Slavic Mokienko - Best Male Shooter, Craig Valente - Worst Shooter

PDCA Northeast Chapter members and friends will gather on August 9 for the 9th Annual Sporting Clays sport-shooting event at Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays in Coplay, PA. The event features 15 challenging shooting stations for marksmen to compete individually and as teams. The day begins with a continental breakfast, followed by hours of competition, and concludes with lunch and awards. Registration is open for this popular, annual event, please click its entry below to be redirected to registration. Proceeds for this Northeast Chapter function support ongoing educational programming and scholarship awards.
More events happening around the country:

There are several more PDCA events taking place in the second half of 2024 in locations scattered throughout the country. From virtual learning to committee meetings, technical conferences, a golf tournament, Chapter meetings, scholarship awards, and a leadership election, you have numerous opportunities to engage with PDCA and your friends and colleagues in the driven pile industry. And don't miss the just-announced PDCA Regional Networking Reception, coming August 22nd to Minnesota!

Browse through the following list of upcoming events and click those that interest you for more information and registration. 
2024 2025 (Save these dates!)
  • February 4-6: PDCA Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX
  • November 10-14: Contractors Foundation Institute: Driven Pile Academy
 

Popular Social Influencer Plugs PDCA, "A Driven Pile...Is A Tested Pile"


(L-R) Kyrsten Garcia from Russell Marine, Grady Hillhouse, P.E. from Practical Engineering

PDCA is fortunate to have proverbial 'eyes and ears' scattered throughout the world, and we are especially appreciative when our members and friends bring our attention to news and developments that we may not know about, that impact the pile driving industry. One notable example happened this week when Russell Marine LLC executive assistant Kyrsten Garcia shared a YouTube video distributed through the Practical Engineering channel entitled Why Bridges Don't Sink. Spoiler alert, it gives PDCA some significant visibility!

First, this video features Practical Engineering executive producer and host Grady Hillhouse, P.E. presenting an overview of the engineering fundamentals and concepts that are involved in bridge construction. He then speaks to the reliability and functionality of a bridge as a safe structure in the matrix of infrastructure relied upon by earthlings. Why Bridges Don't Sink is just the latest in an ongoing series of videos and other media that Mr. Hillhouse offers through his public portfolio of educational resources targeting an intellectually curious audience that may not be familiar with the science behind the engineering concepts that he tackles.

Why Bridges Don't Sink runs for approximately 18 minutes and as one might expect, it references the installation of driven piles as a common practice involved in the construction of a bridge substructure. The video also discusses lateral loads and uplift forces, scour, battered piles and more. You will hear the host mention the Pile Driving Contractors Association around the 6:00 minute mark, then subsequently call attention to the PDCA battle cry, "A driven pile...is a tested pile!"

A few members of the PDCA Communications Committee informally discussed the video and concluded that Mr. Hillhouse's product is well-produced, informative, articulate, educational, entertaining, and helpful to the most mechanically-uninclined consumer, in understanding some highly complex topics. They noted that is important to address some of the perceived "cons" of driven piles mentioned in the video; the quality and consistency of the product far outweigh the negative perceptions. In fact, equipment has improved and comes in many variations that mitigate most of the mentioned concerns. Aside from that, PDCA is certainly a proponent of exposing our industry to a wider audience; such is the case of this YouTube channel which has a whopping 3.77 million subscribers who may have watched the video. He's a legitimate social influencer!

This video is worth your time, so take a moment to watch the program. And if you have children, let them join you. It's a good education on an important subject and helps a viewer better understand the built environment. Thanks to Ms. Garcia for bringing this video to the attention of PDCA, and thanks to Mr. Hillhouse for the shout-out!







Stealth Pipe and Steel Wins July #PDCADriven Contest

A Pile of News - July 2024

A Pile of News: July 2024
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 July 1, 2024
Top of the Pile

We start with a warm welcome to the members who joined (or rejoined) PDCA in Q2:
  • Contractors Power Engineering Construction Co., Alameda, CA; The Walsh Group, Chicago, IL
  • Associates Foster Stone International, Houston, TX; Lally Pipe & Tube, Taylor Mill, KY; Stealth Pipe and Steel, Montreal, Quebec; West Coast Spiral Pipe, Rialto, CA
  • Engineering Affiliate VMS/Allnamics USA, Montgomery, TX
  • Government employees Chris Nickel, P.E. and Kylie Beadle, P.E., both from Louisiana DOTD
New PDCA members
(L-R) Ken Gollon of Walsh Construction; Kylie Beadle of LA-DOTD; Rich Northfield of Lally Pipe and Tube, West Coast Spiral Pipe

The PDCA Connection offers new, online enrollment in PDCA and PDCA chapters for those of you readers who are not currently members. JOIN TODAY! This new cloud-based, member management system gives you one-login access to your PDCA account, PDCA event registration, chapter and committee engagement, The PDCA Store and more. Learn more here.

Save these dates! PDCA turns 30 in 2025 and is hosting two major industry events as part of the celebration. You won't want to miss:
  • Feb. 4 - 6, 2025 the PDCA Annual Conference at the J.W. Marriott Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, TX. It offers industry learning, a trade show, golf tourney, awards and more.
  • Nov. 10 - 14, 2025 Contractors Foundation Institute: Driven Pile Academy in Port Bienville, MS. It features hands-on training and field tests for pile drivers.
From the Association & Chapters
Mark your calendars
DUE TODAY: Pacific Coast Chapter Scholarship applications for college students If you know of an aspiring engineer or construction professional in college, share this application with them.

Aug. 8: PDCA Value Driven Webinar Series (virtual), 23 PM EDT. Hear an important presentation about Employee Mental Health & Suicide Prevention.

Aug. 8: South Carolina Chapter Dinner, Charleston, SC

Aug. 9: Northeast Chapter Sporting Clays Fundraiser, Coplay, PA

Aug. 22 The Twin Cities Social, Minneapolis-St. Paul, SAVE THE DATE

Sept. 10 - 11: DICEP Conference, Chicago, IL

Sept. 24: Texas Chapter Golf Tournament, Houston, TX

Ongoing: PDCA Committees meet virtually visit Events Calendar for dates/times
Winner of the PDCADriven contest
Congratulations, Stealth Pipe and Steel, you are this month's winner! Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of the month to claim your prize!
News from PDCA Companies
Recognitions:
Atlas Foundation Company holds a Level 2 classification in a rigorous Minnesota health and safety initiative in partnership with OSHA. And Minneapolis-region neighbor VEIT just reached a Level 3 classification, based on two projects, for what's called the CHASE program.

Mason Construction, LLC repeats as winner of the Torch Award, a high honor that recognizes a southeast Texas business exemplifying ethical practices and outstanding service.

Orion wins in Safety Excellence and Hal Jones Contractor parent company Vecellio & Grogan is honored for DBE Utilization from the Florida Transportation Builders Association.

Scott Bridge Company is honored for safety practices in Georgia.

The Great Lakes Construction Co. has won two high-profile awards in 2024. The Cleveland area heavy contractor received hardware for the relocation of SR-62 from OCA/O-DOT, while ACEC recognizes its work at Aqua Ohio's historic Ashtubula water treatment plant as "engineering excellence."

Geosyntec Consultants received two prestigious awards from the National Safety Council; one for Operational Excellence Achievement, and one for Million Work Hours.

Giving back:

Bechtel opened the Craft Professional Recruitment Center in Brownsville, TX.

Bowen staff in Morristown, IN, led a volunteer effort to renovate the rural community's ball field. Area suppliers "pitched" in too, and the results exceeded expectations. Play ball!

Dissen & Juhn Co. supports advocacy striving for healthy waterways on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The Stevensville contractor sponsors the State of the Rivers series from ShoreRivers.

MEB brought more than 80 employees to participate in Clean the Bay Day, a Chesapeake Bay Foundation program.

Richard Goettle, Inc. is a 2024 benefactor of the Spirit of Construction Foundation, an organization that works to contribute to the collective wellbeing of the Cincinnati region.

R.E. Pierson Construction donated a truckload of goods to a New Jersey animal shelter.

Acquisitions & expansions:
Sealevel Construction Inc. adds to its equipment portfolio; now offers foundation installation through use of a Giken Silent Piler.

Bull Moose Tube opened their newest manufacturing facility in 2023 in Sinton, TX. Last month, the "cutting-edge" factory debuted on Manufacturing Marvels, a Fox Business Network program. 

CPS Houston, which offers pile coating, has earned QP3 Shop Painting accreditation

PVE Equipment USA moves its Gulf Coast Division office into a new, permanent home at 8718 Freedom Drive in Baytown, TX, near Houston.

Government relations:
Nucor Skyline received a visit to its home office in Charlotte, NC, from U.S. Sen. Budd. Elsewhere, state-based lobby teams representing the steel supplier visited several state capitals to meet with legislators

Tectonic Engineering is retained for Phase II of the I-91/691, Route 15 interchange improvements in Meriden, CT. Gov. LamontU.S. Rep. Hayes and other officials participated in a groundbreaking event with the engineers and stakeholders. 

Anniversaries:
Cianbro, founded in Pittsfield, ME, in 1949, is a large American construction company, rich in history. Early on, it secured a subcontract on a Cold War-era military base project. In 1969, it assembled the largest crane in the Western Hemisphere. A decade later, its robust Mid-Atlantic operations grew out of a Virginia bridge job. It introduced the full-body construction harness in 1987. Many more milestones are on the Cianbro timeline... and PDCA extends you a happy 75th!

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) is a valued industry partner to PDCA and a great member. The organization celebrates 70 years in existence this year. PSC piles are among the foundation building materials that prove the old saying: "A driven pile...is a tested pile..."
People on the Move
Transitions:
Brendan Wilson is the newest estimator at C.J. Mahan Construction Co. in Ohio.

Malik Tromblee was promoted to safety specialist at D.A. Collins Companies in Wilton, NY.

Justin Ballard joins MEB as director of business development and client solutions; also, Adrienne Iachetta elevates to project manager at the Chesapeake, VA-based contractor.

Krista Miller has been promoted to director of communications at Orion.

Sharon Rowe
moves up to preconstruction and engineering specialist and Robert Truszkowski becomes a project manager at Alameda-based Power Engineering Construction Co.

Mary Marek recalls starting at Aggregate Technologies 20 years ago. Self-described as "blunt," she'd tell the bossman "how it is." Now, the bossman and team miss her in retirement.

Tyler Weisinger is new in outside sales at Dark Horse Metals; he's a Jiu-Jitsu black belt!

Melanie Schmitt appointed VP, Finance at American Engineering Testing, Inc. in Minnesota.

Fernanda Moraes joins GRL Engineers, Inc. in its California office; Anvir Ahmed onboards with the Pennsylvania office; and Syed Hussan is newly named to the Illinois office.

Annika Goozen, EIT, joins the Anchorage, AK, office of PND Engineers, Inc., where she interned prior to earning her master's degree in civil engineering.

David DeBerardino, P.E., named transportation director of construction, engineering and inspection (CEI) group at S&ME in Raleigh, NC.

Susheel Kolwalkar, Ph.D. rejoins Terracon as manager of regional services. We dare you to challenge him in ping pong! #IYKYK

Recognitions:
Joey Fontenot, Parker Berry, Milton Graugnard and student interns from Cajun Industries were featured at the 41st Annual LSU Construction Student Association Banquet.

Peter "Andi" Vigue, chairman and CEO at Cianbro, joins the JA Maine Business Hall of Fame. Elsewhere, Justin Bright in Suffolk, VA, obtained CCO-dedicated pile driver certification.

Bridget Costello, a senior P.E. at J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, took advantage of the company's tuition reimbursement program to earn an MBA from Rutgers University.

Randy Dietel has spent a career serving interests beyond his Texas City company, Piling, Inc. The PDCA past president is recognized in his community through service on the school board, rotary and other groups. He was named finalist for 2024 Citizen of the Year in his home county.

John Bush snags a loyalty bonus after 30 years at Atlas Tube; he works in Kansas City.

Randall Frost from Canal Barge Co. earns 40 Under 40 Award from Inland Marine Expo.

David Jasinski from ESC Steel LLC appears on the cover of South American magazine GEO-5.

Andrea Rocha of GeoEngineers won Member of the Year in a Seattle marketing organization.

Tony Canale, P.E., BC.GE, from Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers in New York, earns distinction from the Academy of Geo-Professional Engineers as a board certified.

Allen Cadden, P.E., BC.GE from Schnabel Engineering submitted the winning Industry Competition Poster at IFCEE 2024; his work addressed "geotechnical data conversion."

Taylor Johnson from Soil Consultants, Inc. in Charleston is among the representatives of PDCA member engineering affiliates to be named a South Carolina Future Leader from the American Council of Engineering Companies of South Carolina. Also earning the distinction: Lauren Retivo from Schnabel Eningeering, Zack Simpson from GeoEngineers Inc. and Katie McCoy from Thomas & Hutton.

Tammie Barry celebrates 35 years at Southern Earth Sciences, Panama City office.

And let's congratulate some proud PDCA parents!
Dr. Peyton Galbreath, OTD, daughter of Pile Dynamics, Inc. marketer Diane Fischer, has passed her occupational therapy board examinations, earning her entry into the profession.

Joanna Hueber celebrates a new marriage to Rob, after their June wedding in Cape Cod, MA; the event gives father-of-the-bride Brad Roberts from GZA GeoEnvironmental "in-law" status.

Sending sympathies:
Ryan "Heath" Forbes (19802024): Heath was a career geotechnical engineer at S&ME, Inc. in Charleston, SC, and leaves his mark on some significant U.S. projects, including the widened I-95 in South Carolina, the Indian River Inlet cable-stayed bridge in Delaware and the Portsmouth Bypass in Ohio. He also worked on a port development at the Panama Canal. In his spare time, Heath and his wife Jill owned a local axe-throwing lounge. Heath is survived by Jill and their three children.
On the Job
ASAP Group installs steel sheet piling from Meever for a luxury residential complex in Juno Beach, FL.

Cape Romain Contractors starts a Mount Pleasant, SC, shrimp dock Rebuild at popular Shem Creek. Crews will install piling for the seafood facility. T&H is providing engineering services.

DFI Piling is in North Dakota to install driven piling for a new bridge. The crew uses DFI-built equipment, including an RGZ 225 crane and a HH350-60 hydraulic hammer.

Forefront Deep Foundations completed another phase for the California High Speed Rail project; the latest was a pile-supported, temporary trestle over a Central Valley waterway near Hanford. Crews drove 118 steel pipe piles from Mammoth Carbon Products using their vibro and impact hammer.

Foundation brought the California Bay Area piling industry to its waterfront property in Oakley for the annual Horseshoe Tournament. Sponsors/participants came from Nucor Skyline, Hammer & Steel, GRL Engineers, Inc., Independent Pipe, PILECO, Inc. and McNeil, Silveira, Rice & Wiley.

George Harms Construction Co. continues work on the Point No Point Railroad Bridge in Newark, NJ. Crews finished pre-driving H-pile using a vibro from Equipment Corporation of America, and have now begun final installation with an RG-21T, shown in this photo from ECA's Bruce Langan.

J. Fletcher Creamer has entered a JV and signed the charters for the engineering and design of New Jersey's first offshore wind project. President Martin Downs, Jr., P.E., participated in the formal launch with other stakeholders aiming to bring clean energy to 700,000 homes and $2B to the state's economy.

Norwalk Marine Contractors Inc. returned a crew to the cranberry bogs, this time in Carver, MA, where it is installing H-piles to eventually support solar panels on the dual-purpose property.

Power Engineering Construction built the Belmont Gravity Pipeline, part of the Silicon Valley Clean Water regional sewer system upgrade called RESCU. The scope included sheet pile installation for which crews used Hammer & Steel equipment to drive PZ sheet piling from Nucor Skyline.

Reagan Marine Construction completed a new dock for the City of Newport, RI, a project that took two months. Work included in-house fabrication of many finishing components and timber pile installation using an International Construction Equipment vibro from the Reagan-owned crane barge.

Specialty Underwater Services (SUS) expects to finish a new vessel lift travel pier in New Jersey for the U.S. Coast Guard in mid-month. The Maryland contractor designed the pile-supported structure, then installed the pipes after D.W. Kozera testing. Crews used an International Construction Equipment vibro and an American Piledriving Equipment diesel hammer to drive the Nucor Skyline steel pipe piles, one batter and one plumb, for each bent.

Wren Works LLC reports from Grand Portage, MN, where it completed the Hat Point Ferry Terminal and Marina, a federal and tribal initiative. Project manager Brian Rankila says they installed sheet, H- and vertical piles from Nucor Skyline, using equipment from International Construction Equipment and Hammer & Steel. The 70-day job ended with "The Eh Team" (Canadian border thing) posing for Facebook in matching red hoodies.

GeoQuip, Inc. is in Lake Charles, LA, with its HPSI Model XL vibro and clamp extension; Cajun Industries uses the equipment to drive sheet piling adjacent to a bulkhead. In Savannah, McCarthy uses a GeoQuip diesel hammer and an HPSI vibro for the Georgia Port Authority Overpass project.

Dewberry won the design contract of a new WTP at the Twentynine Palms, CA, U.S. Marine Corps base.

GRL Engineers, Inc. releases case studies from Mohamad Hussein, P.E., and Ben White, P.E., showing that dynamic pile testing resulted in cost and time savings on Florida and Ohio bridge projects.
Notes from the Field
Check "yes" or "no" Do you want a bulkhead like this around a pond in your yard? Orion can do it! In contract with Brazoria County, TX, crews installed a barrier wall in the shape of Texas at a local park, consisting of approximately 850 LF of vinyl sheet piles.

All my exes live in Texas We know one LSU alum who now lives in Houston and works at Aggregate Technologies. However, the concrete demo specialist serves Baton Rouge and beyond, and recently performed concrete sawing at Tiger Stadium for a scoreboard upgrade. The Bayou Bengals hope to keep visiting Nicholls State off the new display during the 9/7 home-opener.

I can still make Cheyenne from the south, even as crews from R.L. Wadsworth Construction work on I-25 between Denver and Ft. Collins, CO. Through a JV, they are expanding the north-south artery to open a third lane for motorists. Summer travel reminder: Drive slowly when workers are present!

I got a car NASCAR fans may recall last month's Enjoy Illinois 300. Driver Christopher Bell, in a DEWALT-sponsored Camry, displayed a McCarthy Building Co. logo on the hood.

Unwound Team building, work-play balance and mental health can contribute to greater workplace productivity. Examples of PDCA members unwinding include CRW Engineering Group adventure-seeking staff on a backpacking trip at Denali, Alaska's K'esugi Ridge. Also, Lloyd Engineering indulged in a staff outing at a Houston mini-golf park. Even extracurricular unwinding is necessary, see below:
Service Steel Warehouse employees at a George Strait concert
Brenna Spillmann, other McCarthy staff, and Derek Brodnax of Service Steel Warehouse attended the June George Strait concert at Texas A&M; they sent APON some photos from their experience in the record-setting, 110,905-person crowd. #kingatkyle

You finally made it to the end of another A Pile of News, now get back to work! If your job involves marketing for your piling industry employer, consider adding your banner advertisement to the last open spot in this publication it's affordable. We don't mind telling you that readership of this publication is just shy of an unheard-of 50% open rate, with another nearly 25% click rate. And the subscriber list grows each month by double digits. This author is certain that our friendly ad sales reps can find a marketing package to fit your needs. But at minimum, keep reading. Our present advertisers appreciate it!

To our friends up north, Happy Canada Day. And to those of you in the good ole' U-S-A, have a happy and safe 4th of July. August 1st brings our next installment, so... starting right... NOW, send us news items from your company that you want considered for broadcast here, to matt@piledrivers.org. It's a FREE benefit of your membership. We will see you in a month.
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