September 17, 2025
For the past 24 months, the PDCA Associate Member Council (AMC) has been meeting to develop the 2025 PDCA Driven Pile Academy which will run from November 10-13 in Port Bienville, MS. Committee members have put together a schematic for the hands-on, field training event, where attendees will learn about the pile driving practice by visiting at least 15 unique stations which will feature mock jobsite set-ups, complete with piling equipment and material.
This event will include demonstrations of impact hammers, vibratory hammers (conventional and excavator-mounted), presses, swinging leads & offshore setups, and designated piling rigs. The various installation apparatus will be on display for Driven Pile Academy attendees who will have the opportunity to ask questions of the manufacturer/supplier, coordinate in equipment operation, and assess its viability for their anticipated needs in a live setting. In addition to the hammers, vibros and presses, attendees will get to see how the machines operate with popular piling materials such as composites, steel, timber, and concrete.
Thanks to the leadership of PDCA Associate Member Council co-chairs Pollyanna Cunningham and Diane Fischer, members have worked with suppliers and manufactures throughout the country to obtain the largest variety of equipment and materials possible in the planning for this all-inclusive demonstration and training event for pile drivers. Those providing for the field needs of the Academy are valuable event sponsors who graciously make the opportunity available to the industry.
Event sponsors such as PVE Equipment USA and CMI Limited, which will team-up in a Driven Pile Academy station to demonstrate vibratory hammer installation of vinyl and composite sheet piling, have earmarked the the products they will be sending to Port Bienville, MS. Part of their preparation in advance of shipping their goods, several employees of both PDCA member companies gathered in the Jacksonville, FL yard of PVE on September 11th for what might be compared to a 'dress rehearsal,' illustrated in the photos on this page. Other attending sponsors are preparing in similar ways at their respective company yards.
Meantime, many participating suppliers and sponsors are plotting their shipments, travel and set-up at the Port Bienville Industrial Park, a facility on Mississippi's Gulf Coast which is owned and operated the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. At the same time PDCA staff and members of the PDCA Associate Member Council are finalizing details on the yard arrangement for the Driven Pile Academy. As shown below, PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters, Event Manager Kathy Harper, and AMC Member and representative of Gulf Coast Prestress Partners Heath Stevens recently completed a site visit to the facility to inform the schematic development for the Academy.
September 11, 2025
The
2025 DICEP Conference is in the books! Attendees spent Sept. 9-10 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando, FL where they participated in a full day of in-depth, technical education focused on innovative and practical approaches to driven pile design and construction. The program is curated to provide valuable insights into strategies aimed at improving project efficiency, reducing costs, and addressing complex site conditions.
With a mix of technical sessions, real-world case studies, and networking opportunities in the Exhibit Hall, DICEP 2025 provides lasting, actionable knowledge and tools to optimize driven pile design and performance for geotechnical and civil engineers, contractors, and other foundation professionals. Licensed PE's earned professional development hours (PDHs) for completing the sessions. The program for DICEP 2025 consisted of the following presentations:
- A two-part session from Van E. Komurka, P.E., BC.GE, GRL Engineers, Inc.: Part I - Foundations of Cost-Effective Driven Pile Design: Framework Overview & Support Cost, and Part II - Advanced Strategies for Cost Savings: Load Matching & Set-Up Techniques
- Design of Driven Piles, by Paul Cosentino PhD., P.E., The Inaugural Edward H. Kalajian Professor, Florida Institute of Technology
- Engineering and Construction Challenges for Seawalls, by Lina Garcia-Martin, VP Engineering, Orion and Maria De Avilla, P.E., Marine Structural Engineer, Orion
- Getting Design Values from Boring Logs and Geotechnical Reports, by David Chapman, president, Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman
- Effective Driven Piles Practices in the Challenging Geology of Florida, by Mohamad H. Hussein, P.E., LM.ASCE, Pile Dynamics, Inc.
In addition to a full slate of educational programming, DICEP 2025 also featured a capacity Exhibit Hall where a reception, breakfast, lunch and session breaks occurred. The following companies hosted booths in the Exhibit Hall, including;
APE-American Piledriving Equipment, Nucor Skyline, GRL Engineers, Inc./Pile Dynamics, Inc., Kingdom Pipe & Steel, Sealevel Construction, JD Fields & Company, Equipment Corporation of America, Giken, Junttan, Hercules Machinery Corporation, GeoQuip, America Equipment & Fabricating, Liebherr, Lodge Lumber, Meever USA, and Kubota.
PDCA thanks all exhibitors, as well as the following sponsors:
- American Equipment & Fabricating
- ICE-International Construction Equipment
- HF Darling
- Kingdom Pipe & Steel
- Liebherr
- Lodge Lumber
- Sealevel Construction
- APE-American PileDriving Equipment
- Northwestern Mutual - Patrick A. Di Cerbo, CFP
- Bay Area Pile Driving
- Valiant Steel and Equipment, Inc.
The 2025 DICEP Conference kicked-off with a welcome reception held the evening before the educational program commenced on Sept. 10. The reception featured industry networking, heavy hors d' oeurves and an open bar. Uniquely, the reception was held in conjunction with a post-golf gathering of participants in
The PDCA Florida Chapter Inaugural Golf Tournament which took place earlier on Sept. 9. Some DICEP attendees arrived early to play in the industry golf outing.
Dr. Paul Cosentino
(L-R) Lina Garcia-Martin, Maria De Avila
David Chapman
Van E. Komurka
Mohamad H. Hussein
Scenes from the DICEP Opening Reception in the Exhibit Hall
September 10, 2025
It was only January of this year when the PDCA Florida Chapter established as the newest regional organization to affiliate with PDCA, the only international organization that exists exclusively to represent the driven pile. Fast forward nine short months, and the fledgeling Chapter has built an impressive membership roster, held two successful Networking Nights, and attracted 94 registrants to its first-ever golf event in Orlando.
The PDCA Florida Chapter, under the leadership of Pres. Lina Garcia-Martin, VP Dean Cacio, Sec. Samantha See, and Treas. John Hayes, organized the Inaugural Golf Tournament and Chapter Fundraiser for Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. The event would be held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Course as a precursor to the PDCA DICEP Conference, which would take place the following day at the Rosen Shingle Creek conference center.
It was no secret to any of the 90+ players who attended, that heavy rains were in the Orlando forecast for the day. However, that didn't stop the dozens of enthusiastic and energetic golfers to promptly depart for their assigned starting holes after the 12:30 PM shotgun start. It should be noted that the golf course director had indicated that severe thunderstorms would likely begin during the afternoon hours, and in the case of lightning sightings, golfers would be required to immediately return to the clubhouse shelter. In this author/participant's case, we played through 8 holes before racing back to find shelter.
Once all golf teams safely returned to the Shingle Creek Golf Course shelter area, the energy and enthusiasm among the players that was evident at the time they teed-off was still strong, and most of them remained gathered under shelter to drip dry together for the next 90 minutes. Even the driver of the golf course refreshment cart was required to shelter from lightning, and the rain-soaked golfers happily shifted their carts around to make space for her to join the impromptu gathering under cover. And the play stoppage did not appear to hamper her business.
So, despite not finishing the full 18 holes of best-ball play for the PDCA Florida Chapter Golf Tournament on Sept. 9th, the event was deemed a success, thanks to the circumstances which brought all golfers together after a couple holes of golf, and strengthened the Chapter network with a unique, shared experience. Most participants will remember the time they had at that Orlando golf tournament that got rained out!
Before the event even took place, registration for the golf tournament was full and several of the sponsorship options were sold out. Thanks to many industry benefactors, golfers were provided a box lunch, on-course refreshments, and a post-golf reception with awards ceremony. Event sponsors included Orion, Equipment Corporation of America, ICE-International Construction Equipment, R.W. Harris, Inc. - A Goettle Company, American Equipment & Fabricating, Nucor Skyline, Lodge Lumber, Hercules Machinery Corporation, Junttan, GeoQuip, Bateman, Gordon & Sands, Inc., and Dobbs Equipment. Hole sponsors were APE-American Piledriving Equipment, Axiom - A Goettle Company, Triad Metals, Valiant Steel & Equipment, Service Steel Warehouse and JD Fields & Company, Inc.
Enjoy the following images from the PDCA Florida Golf Tournament; be sure to scroll to the end to see coverage and photos from the post-golf reception and awards program that coincided with an opening reception for the PDCA 2025 DICEP Conference which would take place the following day. (And special thanks to Krista Miller of Orion for contributing to this event photography!)
After golf, Many Players Attended awards ceremony at dicep opening reception
PDCA President
Buck Darling opened the evening reception which would highlight the PDCA Florida Chapter Golf Tournament from earlier in the day, and kick off the PDCA DICEP Conference. With respect to the golf event, Chapter leadership joined President Darling to reveal the tournament winners. Due to the inclement weather and the unusual end to tournament play, Chapter organizers and special golf consultants had devised a special scoring formula to calculate those winners. The list follows:
- 1st Place Team: Vecellio & Grogan
- 2nd Place Team: Blue Foundation & Shoring
- Closest to the Pin (#1): Ricardo Portello
- Closest to the Pin (#2) Tim Dutton
- Longest Drive (Male): Kyle Searcy
- Longest Drive (Female): Karen Somerder
Once the winners were recognized, the Chapter hosted a live auction. But like the golf event, it came to a unique conclusion. While four items were available to auction, one bidder donated a lump sum that far-exceeded the opening bid price of each, to purchase all four prizes. According to Chapter leadership, the registered golfers, event sponsors, hole sponsors, and auction winner combined to raise the PDCA Florida significant funding to support future Chapter initiatives, including a forthcoming scholarship program. Thank you to all who supported The PDCA Florida Chapter Golf Tournament & Fundraiser.
Posted in Chapter News Florida.
