Sponsors Support, Help Fill Brewpub for Networking In Norfolk - Part Deux

February 28, 2025

Networking in Norfolk - Part Deux brought the driven pile industry in Virginia together for a festive networking social with a special appearance from 2025 PDCA President Buck Darling. Contractors and suppliers in the Hampton Roads region and beyond met at Afterglow Brewing in Norfolk where they had a buffet of BBQ, an open bar for all the beers that are made onsite, and plenty of time to catch up with one another and meet someone new from the industry. PDCA hosted a similar event in 2022, and there were plenty of return attendees.

About one hour into the 5:30-7:30 PM event, PDCA President Darling called attention to the crowd to present a short update on the state of PDCA. He referenced the membership growth, the fiscal health, the successful Annual Conference that just completed, and gave a strong sell to folks to submit their project for the 2025 Project of the Year Awards program, which closes to entry on April 4th.

In addition to words from Pres. Darling, PDCA invited all attendees to introduce themselves and then applaud the very generous sponsors for the happy hour, all of whom had representatives present. Those sponsors were GeoQuip, American Equipment & Fabricating, Atlantic Metrocast, DarkHorse Industries, Junttan, Koppers, Northwestern Mutual - Pat DiCerbo, Nucor Skyline, PVE USA, and Triad Metals.

PDCA is planning additional regional networking receptions throughout 2025; watch your inbox to find out when and where the next event will take place.

Photo Dump from Networking in Norfolk - Part Deux...

South Carolina Chapter hears talk on groundworks technology

February 18, 2025

Coming off one of its most successful oyster roasts, to-date, the PDCA South Carolina Chapter returned to its regular business meeting format for its first dinner gathering of 2025. Members met on Thursday, February 13th in a familiar banquet room at the Town and Country Inn & Suites on Savannah Highway in Charleston where they engaged in an hour-long networking reception, followed by a business meeting.

President Kent Parker called the meeting to order shortly after 7:00 PM and sent attendees to the buffet line which featured a local-favorite fried chicken, among other dinner items. Once the meal was blessed, Parker gave announcements and opening remarks, handed the floor to a representative from the PDCA home offices to deliver an update from the organization about the recently concluded Annual Conference and future initiatives the organization is planning for 2025, and then introduced the evening's technical program.

Hailing from pile driving rig manufacturer Junttan, sales engineer Matt Eastburn was given the floor and would present Trimble Groundworks Innovation in the Pile Driving Industry. This was an overview of digital developments that are beneficial to driven pile contractors who use Junttan rigs equipped with Trimble groundworks technology which is said to enhance safety and efficiency in the workplace. Attending engineers were provided with one-hour PDH for attending the program.

After fielding questions from the audience, Eastburn concluded his presentation, Parker conducted a business card raffle, and the meeting came to an end. The PDCA South Carolina Chapter will be hosting additional membership meetings at the same Charleston facility in May, August, and November, this year. Watch your inbox for announcements of these coming events.

See who was SPOTTED at the South Carolina Chapter meeting in February...

Posted in Chapter News South Carolina.

Conference Features State of the Driven Pile: Past, Present & Future

February 16, 2025

Among the closing events of the 2025 PDCA Annual Conference was a star-studded panel discussion among leading voices deep foundations construction. Together, they addressed the conference theme of History and Heritage is Foundational. Conceived by the PDCA Education Committee, this panel brought together seasoned pile driving contractors, a leading industry voice from the US-DOT Federal Highway Administration, and a veteran geotechnical engineer as moderator. For nearly 90 minutes, the panel presented answers and perspectives on the state of the pile driving industry through their professional experiences over several decades.

Meet the panelists: Rusty Signor, Silas Nichols, PE, Brian Heck, Bradford Roberts, PE (moderator), Buck Darling, Clayton Signor, PE (virtual).

PDCA Standing Committee Meetings

The Education Committee, responsible for the State of the Driven Pile panel discussion, was one of eight PDCA Standing Committees which met in abbreviated meeting during the Annual Conference. The gathering of all Committees for back-to-back, shortened meetings was designed to present interested attendees in pursuing a seat on one or more of the important groups which are charged with advancing the driven pile through assigned functions. For instance, The Safety & Environmental Committee, under the Chairmanship of Chris Normand, introduced the new Pile Driving Safety and Environmental Best Management Practices guidebook, which modernized a legacy document that PDCA unveiled several years ago.

Safety Committee Chair Chris Normand debuts new resource Committee meetings.

Associate Member Council Co-Chairs, Pollyanna Cunningham, Diane Fischer	Education Committee Chair Gerry McShane
Communications Committee Chair Jason Moore	Membership Committee Chair Rich Anderson
Chapters Committee Chair Harold Baur	New Florida Chapter leaders Lina Garcia-Martin and Samantha See, introduced during Chapters Committee segment

* Technical Committee Co-Chair Clayton Signor and Steel Sheet Pile Committee Chair David Borger both attended the Standing Committees virtually; they provided attendees with information about the scope of work each of their Committee pursues.

Standing Committee meeting attendees participate in Q&A and discussion with Committee Chairs.

Registration Desk and Timeline Feature

Drawing further on the Conference theme of History and Heritage is Foundational, the Education Committee also developed a corridor-long timeline containing significant dates spanning millennia, which highlighted notable years in which advancements in driven pile construction occurred. This installation provided attendees with plenty of subject-matter fodder throughout the run of the program.

The timeline was the first exhibit conference-goers saw, once passing by the registration desk, en route to the conference auditorium and/or Exhibit Hall. Meantime, PDCA staff Kathy Harper, Marian Phillips and Mason Phillips assisted attendees with any and all Conference registrations, questions, and guidance.