Facility Tour/Happy Hour Event From Texas Chapter Attracts Civil Professionals

June 20, 2025

On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, members and guests of the PDCA Texas Chapter engaged in an outing that included an informational visit and tour at a large equipment supplier in Baytown, TX, followed by a Happy Hour event in nearby Mont Belvieu.

Bottom Line Equipment hosted nearly 55 contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and other civil construction professionals at their large Baytown, TX facility where they rent and sell heavy construction equipment and specialty attachments. Company leadership was on hand, as well as local staff who took questions and participated in tours of the expansive grounds.

PDCA Texas Chapter President Condon Verble (pictured) opened the program, thanking the attending Chapter members and encouraging the non-members to consider joining. Pres. Verble also thanked the event sponsors which included MKT Manufacturing, Inc., Vacuworx and Peryn Heavy Haul. Finally, he invited all attendees to spread the word to interns and students in higher education to apply for the PDCA Texas Chapter Scholarship; application materials are due by August 1st.

Providing the welcome message from major sponsor and host Bottom Line Equipment was Scott Phillips, the Region 2 Market Leader. He thanked company founder and owner Kurt Degueyter for opening up the Baytown facility for the event, and introduced his leadership team who attended from some of the company's 11 other offices. Scott impressed upon the attendees that Bottom Line Equipment only offers 'quality, name-brand, and hard-to-find specialty equipment' and proudly serves all of Texas and Louisiana; they also serve outside of the region on a case-by-case basis.

Attendees were then released to network within the shop, enjoy the unique appetizers from Refined Cajun & BBQ Caterers, and tour the grounds. Gerardo Acosta Rios provided the walking tour and took questions about various aspects of the company. Fun fact we learned: Bottom Line Equipment brands in the colors red and black, and the rock throughout parking lot and equipment grounds is also red and black! This event was coordinated by Bottom Line's Territory Account Representative Samara Granger and PDCA Texas Chapter Administrator Shiri Foster.

When the visit to Bottom Line Equipment concluded, all attendees were invited to a Happy Hour, sponsored by Paco Equipment, in nearby Mont Belviue. There, several people gathered for additional refreshments and networking at The Barn - Whiskey Bar. Thanks to all those who attended either or both PDCA Texas Chapter events, see who was SPOTTED in the photos below:

Site visit and facility tour at Bottom Line Equipment

Happy Hour by paco equipment

Posted in Chapter News Texas.

PILEDRIVER Issue #3 - 2025 is Online

June 11, 2025

June brings a brand-new issue of PileDriver magazine; flip through the digital edition!

A Better Bridge

Pile driving operations at the site of the new fixed-span bridge being built over the Indian River near Fort Pierce, Fla.

Fort Pierce, Fla., is a city of 50,000 people about a two-hour drive north of Miami. Its amenities include the National Navy SEAL Museum, as well as state parks and recreation areas located on nearby barrier islands that are so common along Florida's southeastern coast.

To get to these attractions, motorists need to travel on the North Causeway Bridge, a drawbridge on the SR A1A highway that connects Fort Pierce to North Hutchinson Island. Spanning the busy Intracoastal Waterway, the drawbridge built in 1963 was deemed structurally deficient. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has started building a new fixed span bridge to replace the old one.

Driven piles are an important aspect of the $111.5-million initiative, which is expected to be completed in 2026. For this work, FDOT is relying on the expertise of PDCA member Vecellio & Grogan (V&G), a heavy/highway, bridge and marine construction firm based in West Virginia and servicing the southeast region of the United States.

Read about V&G's pile driving work for the new North Causeway Bridge general superintendent Sonny Greene laid it all out in this issue's cover story.

Here's how V&G built A BETTER BRIDGE.

The Walsh Group Building Connections & Communities

The Walsh Group may be one of the country's largest contractors, but its roots remain grounded in old-fashioned family values. The company started as a one-man show in 1893, and Matthew Myles Walsh grew his business one relationship at a time. Today, the company is about as far from a one-man show as you can get. About 8,000 employees work on Walsh's projects across North America.

When it comes to pile driving, this PDCA member often performs its own works, driving all kinds of pile concrete, steel, timber, etc. in both land and marine environments.

Get insights from the largest bridge builder in the U.S.

Exclusive Interview:

Orion's Lina Garcia Martin, P.E., M.Sc.

Lina Garcia Martin, P.E., M.Sc. in front of a worksite

Lina Garcia Martin, P.E., M.Sc., is the vice president of engineering at ORION. She's also the president of the brand-new PDCA Florida Chapter.

She sat down for an exclusive interview about her career, covering what sparked her early interest in engineering, how she persevered in her educational journey, moving from Colombia to the U.S., the impact her mentors have had, and why she fiercely advocates for women's visibility and representation in construction.

Learn more about Lina.

Installing Billboard Structures

Billboard installation using a vibratory hammer

Ultra-Lum Services, LLC a contractor servicing the outdoor advertising and billboard industry since 1998 had a problem in 2008. It was a job in downtown New Haven, Conn., and the foundation option for the billboard was not practical or cost-efficient. Company owner Greg Ziomek had a hard time convincing others to try a different route.

And then he called Rick Sadler with ICE® International Construction Equipment. Ziomek and Sadler discussed the project, and Sadler advised a vibratory installation was doable.

Today, Ultra-Lum and ICE have worked together on more than 43 jobs.

Find out how getting creative with vibro hammers opened a world of possibilities.

Storm Season Doesn't Wait

Intense lightning striking the ground during a storm

In our line of work, we often face hazards that are loud, heavy or obvious. But one of the most dangerous threats we face gives no warning, doesn't care about schedules and kills more outdoor workers each year than you might expect severe weather.

Using the latest Toolbox Talk from PDCA, refresh your crews about what to watch for as storm season ramps up. Lightning, heavy winds, sudden downpours, flooding, dangerous heat what does field-ready preparedness look like?

Don't wait until it strikes be ready for severe weather.

Considerations for Testing

Every project can benefit from a well-designed, properly executed and carefully interpreted test pile program.

Across the industry, load tests are often thought of as merely a box that must be checked in order to fulfil project specifications. The REAL value of a load test program is using them to optimize the project and provide value to all parties, contractors and owners.

Read the summary article of Ryan Allin, P.E.'s April 2025 webinar.

Are you interested in being interviewed or writing an article for PileDriver magazine? Editorial coverage is one of the FREE benefits of PDCA membership! The PDCA Communications Committee is always looking for companies, pile driving projects and industry stories to write about. To learn more or to ask about how you can join a PDCA Communications Committee call email matt@piledrivers.org.

Posted in PileDriver Magazine.

PDCA is Cooperating Organization for DFI SuperPile '25, in Cleveland, June 18-20

June 10, 2025

PDCA Members to participate in DFI SuperPile '25: Gerry McShane, Mohammad Hussein, Seth Hamblin

Content concerning driven piles will be among the program highlights at DFI SuperPile '25, In Partnership with ADSC, an annual conference for which PDCA serves as a Cooperating Organization. The conference takes place June 18-20 at the Cleveland Hilton Downtown, in Cleveland, OH. Several PDCA members are involved in the program, as sponsors, exhibitors, presenters, attendees, committee participants, and more. Here is a quick reference to PDCA members who will have a function promoting driven piles at SuperPile '25.

On June 18, all DFI Technical Committees will meet at dedicated times throughout the day. Among those will be the Driven Pile Committee, which is co-chaired by Greg Canivan (S&ME) and Seth Hamblin (GTR). This group will assemble for one hour at 2:30 PM on Wednesday afternoon.

Moving to Thursday, June 19, Mohamad Hussein (GRL Engineers) will deliver the venerable Hal Hunt Lecture, which will take place at 2:15 PM. He will present Dynamic Testing Results Explained: From Basic to Advanced Analyses.

Then on Friday morning, a Parallel Session dedicated to Driven Piles will feature a presentation from Van Komurka, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE, Life Member, (GRL Engineers) entitled Calculated Load-Transfer Responses from a Tensile Static Load Test on an Internally Instrumented Concrete-Filled Steel Pipe Pile. Later in the same Session, Gerry McShane (Service Steel Warehouse) will explain how Nothing Has Harmed the Driven Steel Pile More Than Resistivity.

Members from other PDCA companies, including Kiewit, Keller, Dan Brown Associates, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers, GRL Engineers, and Pile Dynamics, Inc., will also be presenting on various subject matter during the course of SuperPile '25.

Of note, SuperPile '25 will kick off on the evening of June 18 with the Cheers to 50 Years reception at the nearby Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is a ticketed event and a portion of proceeds support the DFI Educational Trust Women in Deep Foundations Fund.

There is still time to register for DFI SuperPile '25, click the button below to reserve your spot.

SuperPile '25 Registration