April 29, 2025
Each April, members and friends of the PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter make the trek to Birds Landing Hunting Preserve, a rural location between Oakland and Sacramento, CA. And each April, that group demonstrates its sincere desire to assist young people chart their futures, while at the same time, it takes decisive action to grow a talent pool of future constructors. This is the model for the annual PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter Scholarship Shoot, an event that raises money to help students pursue higher education, particularly those who are studying a construction management, engineering or a related curriculum.
The 2025 edition of the Scholarship Shoot, notably it's 14th consecutive year, delivered on its promise to build funds that will award students pursuing construction careers. Attendees pay a registration fee and have options to sponsor the event and participate in a raffle featuring a highly desireable collection of donated prizes.
More than 100 registrants arrive at Birds Landing for the early start. Following a presentation on course rules and safety, the shooting teams embarked on path to various shooting stations where they tested their marksmanship.
Once all teams finished the course, participants gathered back at Birds Landing patio where a lunch and program would take place. During the program, PDCA President Buck Darling, who traveled from Buffalo, NY to attend (and compete), addressed the group, updated the audience on upcoming PDCA events, and thanked them for supporting the organization. He also shared that Dermot Fallon, the PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter President, had earned the PDCA Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year. (Fallon and Darling are pictured).
Also making the trip to Northern California was PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters, who also gave brief comments to the Scholarship Shoot attendees. He stressed the value to both the member and the organization that is realized when members participate in PDCA programs and attend events.
Chapter President Dermot Fallon then conducted the awards and recognitions portion of the program.
The Chapter thanks all attendees who participated in the shoot, as well as those who opted to only attend the lunch and raffle. Those who generously donated for raffle prizes included CS Marine Constructors, PILECO, Manson Construction Company, SGH-Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, and PDCA. Additionally, the following companies supported the scholarship fund through Shooting Station sponsorships: Nucor Skyline, Independent Pipe, Oldcastle Infrastructure, Northern California Carpenters Union, PJ's Rebar, Inc., and Anvil Builders.
The event concluded with a luncheon feast, along with the presentation of awards for the shooting competition and the raffle. Chapter President Dermot Fallon thanked the PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter team who helped organize the annual event, those included Treasurer Mark Weisz and Board Members Tommy Haupt, Matt Lehmann, Darren Riddle, Doug Ollis, Jeff Arkin, and Ryan Turner.
Watch your inbox for an announcement coming soon to signify the opening of the entry period for 2025 Chapter Scholarships.
See who was SPOTTED at the Scholarship Shoot:
Posted in Chapter News Pacific Coast.
April 25, 2025
(L-R:) Bethanne Mashburn, Cory Grober of The Loren Group (TLG), Stephanie Wynn of ALDOT, Jerry Hart of TLG
A joint-venture of PDCA members, geotechnical engineers and foundation experts and public infrastructure personnel is coordinating an initiative to collect, analyze and report on scientifically generated data for tapered steel friction piles (TSFP), a subset of deep foundation construction elements which lack in available, modern test-data. The JV consists of The Loren Group, Browning Enterprise Inc., Dr. Bengt Fellenius, and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). In mid-April, the stakeholders in the initiative, as well as other interested parties, gathered at a donated ALDOT property, immediately west of the ongoing construction of the I-10, Mobile Bay Bridge in the southern Alabama city, to observe TSFP installation, the data collection component of this eight week program. While many of those involved in this unique test piling program have donated their time and talent to the cause, the massive effort still carries a price tag estimated over $400,000, by the time the study is complete.
The program coordinator of the TSFP initiative and test-data collection event was Jerry Hart, a marketing and technical consultant with the The Loren Group and Browning Enterprise Inc. He recruited Mobile pile driving company Jordan Pile Driving to participate through installation of the piles on the test site; company CEO Curtis Johnson (pictured) performed the work with an American Piledriving Equipment (APE) D30-42 diesel hammer. Other key players included renowned foundation expert Dr. Bengt Fellenius from British Columbia who designed the test and directed the full program. Dr. Fellenius will also draft the final report once he and Dr. Sam Salem, president of Scientific Applied Concepts Ltd., complete a full analysis of the data generated on April 17th in Mobile. Alabama DOT deputy material and test engineer Kaye Davis was key to obtaining an original soil test, as well as securing the DOT-owned testing site..
Prior to conducting the test, the JV determined the novel testing would have two primary goals: 1. To understand the physics of the TSFP design and how it reacts with residual forces and dynamics of the soil under an external compressive load. And, 2. To understand a comparison between the performance of a straight side round, steel tubular pile and a tapered steel tubular friction pile in coarse grain soil. The team used five piles over the course the testing program.
As previously stated, Dr. Fellenius is developing a formal report on the program, and will coordinate with representatives of The Loren Group to deliver presentations on the program before academics, entities owning public infrastructure projects, and parties interested in obtaining TSFP for foundation installation purposes. The program team has also indicated it would submitting its findings in narrative form for potential publication in an upcoming PileDriver magazine.
Photos from the TSFP test program:
April 24, 2025
While professionals in the pile driving industry gathered to learn about technical developments and supplier solutions related to modern day deep foundation construction, they were also treated to the formal introduction of a new scholarship program designed to attract current students into careers involving pile driving and geotechnical engineering. The PDCA Texas Chapter hosted a Lunch & Learn on April 22nd in Mont Belvieu, near Houston, which attracted contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and engineers who work in foundation construction throughout the state.
Chapter President Condon Verble (pictured above) opened the program in which he discussed the significant strides the organization has made since its rebirth in 2022. He credited the growing membership for positioning the Chapter into an industry resource that provides regular educational opportunities, strategic networking events, a widely-popular annual golf tournament, and now an impactful program to promote the industry to an upcoming generation of young people.
Verble credited several sponsors for their support of Chapter's growth, including those who helped underwrite the April Lunch & Learn. Those included OTTO Fabricators, CPS Houston, McCarthy, JD Fields & Co., Aggregate Technologies, and Russell Marine.
He also thanked the Texas Chapter leadership team, which includes VP Mickey Thatcher, Secretary Jene Adler, Treasurer Erica Parker, Planning Committee Director Matthew Knight, Chapter Administrator Shiri Foster, and Scholarship Committee Director John Burns.
Later in the program, Burns would detail the new Chapter Scholarship Program.
Lunch & Learn Presenters
Following registration and networking, Lunch & Learn attendees dined together on a catered lunch from Eagle Point Golf Club which has the meeting room that served as the event venue. As lunch was finishing, the two segment, educational program began.
The first presenter was Kyle Yarborough from CPS Houston who informed attendees about expanding options that are available to pile drivers such as mobile splicing, advanced coatings, customized services, and more. He was joined by colleagues from the Houston-based company to provide a thorough presentation of their competencies.
Next, Brandon Phetteplace, PE from GRL Engineers, Inc. in Houston presented an overview of static load testing, complete with photographic imagery and charted data. His content served as a good reminder to some of the industry veterans in the room, but also generated audience questions stemming from a practice that embraces evolving technologies.
New Scholarship
Once the presentation concluded, Planning Committee Director Matther Knight invited Chapter members to get involved in the various initiatives that are scheduled for 2025. He was excited to report that volunteers have been coming forward to assist and help enhance various programs.
Then, Scholarship Committee Director John Burns (pictured), announced the creation of a new Scholarship Award that is now open for entry. It is limited to high school and college students in Texas who are pursuing college and/or trade school education with a construction and/or engineering focus. Four awards will be presented in September during the Chapter golf event. Applicants must submit their materials by August 1st. Four awards of $2,500, each, are available.
Click the button below to be redirected to the Texas Chapter Scholarship Award webpage which list rules and parameters for this program.
Texas Chapter Scholarship Application
Seen at the PDCA Texas Chapter April Lunch & Learn
Chapter VP Mickey Thatcher gave concluding remarks at the end of the program. He reiterated sincere appreciation to all supporters and participants of Chapter initiatives. He also shared dates about upcoming events for the organization.
Thatcher had also arranged for an informal golf outing for interested attendees. Once the meeting ended, nearly two dozen stayed to play a round of golf.
If you are interested in joining the PDCA Texas Chapter, you may enroll as a member by completing an online application. Click the button below to JOIN PDCA TEXAS Chapter.
JOIN PDCA TEXAS
Posted in Chapter News Texas.
