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A Pile of News - August 2024
August 1, 2024READ E.D. Frank Peters' Guide to Using Your New Member Account System
July 31, 2024PDCA 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
July 31, 2024(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:
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
July 25, 2024Members 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.
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
July 23, 2024Van 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 Methods, John 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 Sands, Chuck 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 Structures, Gerry 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 Project, Jimmy 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 Safety, Silas 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 Success, Ken Gollon, Walsh Construction
Minneapolis FREE Happy Hour on 8/22 Is At Fulton Taproom; Sponsors Sign On
July 15, 2024The 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
Register now to secure your spot. See you in MPLS!
Will Winners of 2023 Best/Worst Categories Repeat at Aug. 9 NE Chapter Shoot?
July 10, 20242023 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
- August 8: South Carolina Chapter Dinner, Charleston, SC
- August 9: Northeast Chapter Sporting Clays Fundraiser, Coplay, PA
- August 22: The Twin Cities Social, Minneapolis, MN
- September 10-11: DICEP Conference, Chicago, IL
- September 24: Texas Chapter Golf Tournament, Houston, TX
- October 23-24: Engineers Driven Pile Institute (EDPI), Salt Lake City, NV
- November 6: Northeast Chapter Casino Night Dinner Meeting, Bronx, NY
- November 6-8: Deep Foundations Dynamic Testing & Analysis Seminar and Workshop, Cleveland, OH
- November 14: South Carolina Chapter Dinner: features Nigel's Scholarship Award Ceremony, Charleston, SC
- November: (voting open all month): PDCA leadership elections
- Ongoing: PDCA Standing Committees meet virtually, check PDCA Events Calendar for dates/times
- 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"
July 3, 2024(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!
A Pile of News - July 2024
July 1, 2024
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