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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, 2024
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
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:
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