Gulf Coast Chapter Hosts Q4 Dinner Meeting in Biloxi

New member Omega Foundation Services
New Chapter officers: Sec. Haydel, Pres. Sepulvado, VP Williams 

November 9, 2023 (Biloxi, MS): In the final meeting of 2023, the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter gathered in Biloxi, MS for the 4th Quarter Dinner Meeting at the Golden Nugget Casino and Hotel. Attendees enjoyed a cocktail hour with ample networking opportunity. That was followed by a buffet dinner and a Chapter meeting for the purpose of electing Chapter officers for 2024. Eligible voting members ratified the leadership slate, and formally elected the following individuals to oversee Gulf Coast Chapter business next year:
  • President Tony Sepulvado from Boh Bros. Construction
  • VP Scott Williams from Keller
  • Treasurer Tyler Roberts from Premier Geotech and Testing
  • Secretary - Beau Haydel from Patriot Deep Foundations
On hand to congratulate the incoming Gulf Coast was PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters. He extended the new officers, the full support of PDCA as it enters what is expected to be a transformational year, as it incorporates new association management tools to better serve all members and affiliated Chapter organizations. Peters (pictured below) delivered words of encouragement to the Chapter and provided attendees with a general update of PDCA business. He concluded with a note of thanks to outgoing officers, Secretary Heath StevensTreasurer Brent Guthrie, and President Dylan AndrĂ©, for their dedicated support of the driven pile and the mission of PDCA.

Watch your inbox, revisit this blog, and follow PDCA social media for forthcoming announcements about upcoming events for the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter.  

November is Pivotal for PDCA Chapters, and Their Favorite CFB Teams


Penn State, UT, and Ole Miss have 8-1 football records as of this writing, making November a season-defining month. PDCA Chapter Members (pictured) show off their favorite contenders.

Much like college football in November, PDCA Chapters are at a pivotal point in the year which will determine how they enter 2024. During this week and next, PDCA Chapters are hosting meetings, and in most cases, they will be electing a leadership team to guide their 2024 meetings, educational seminars, and other events. If you are a member of a PDCA Chapter, or you are interested in participation in one of them, consider attending one of the following meetings:

PDCA Northeast Chapter Casino Night (click here to register): The Chapter meets on November 8th at 6:00 PM EST at Campino Restaurant in Newark, NJ. The event includes a business meeting followed by a presentation on piling technology by Matt Eastburn from Junttan USA. This is the final gathering for the group in 2024. After the work is done, Chapter members will partake in a Casino Night event. Your favorite casino games will be available on site. Despite it being a non-cash affair, there are several, highly desirable prizes, so long as you know when to hold 'em. You could win: 4 tickets to New Jersey Devils hockey with Lounge access and parking, admittance to a New Year's Eve NFL matchup between the Giants and Rams, various packages of spirits ahead of the Holiday Season, and a $100 gift card to Campino Restaurant.

PDCA South Carolina Chapter 4th Quarter Meeting (click here to register): It'll be a busy night in Charleston where the South Carolina Chapter meets for the last time this year. On November 9th at 6:00 PM EST, members will gather at the Town & Country Inn and Suites for networking and refreshments. The business portion of the meeting will determine the Chapter officers for 2024 and include a presentation called"Axial Load Limits on Prestress Concrete Piles," by subject matter expert John Ryan, PhD, PE. If that's not enough, there's more! One deserving engineering student from The Citadel will be announced as the 2023 winner of the annual "Mac" Nigels Scholarship and there will be final presentation for 2023 of The Harry Robbins Chapter Awards

PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter 4th Quarter Meeting (click here to register): There is no cost to attend the last 2023 gathering of the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter, but beware, the Golden Nugget Casino in Biloxi, MS where the event takes place, offers you plenty of opportunities to leave money behind if you choose to visit the floor when the meeting finishes. Beginning at 5:45 PM CST on November 9th, Chapter members and friends will participate in a networking happy hour and a plated dinner, followed by a business meeting. During that time, eligible, voting members will elect the leadership to guide Chapter activity in 2024. The meeting concludes around 8:00 PM, at which time, interested attendees may try their luck on the various games available at the Casino.

PDCA Texas Chapter Q4 Meeting (click here to register): Plan to attend the Chapter's last 2023 meeting where members will elect officers for 2024. The event takes place at Spindletap Brewery (10622 Hirsch Rd., Houston) on November 16th, beginning at 4:00 PM CST. The PDCA Texas Chapter is coming off an exciting and inspiring, Inaugural Golf Tournament they held in Houston in September, and they invite you to attend this meeting to share in the success. The Chapter, now finishing its second year of existence in its modern form, is gaining momentum and striving for big goals in 2024. Members and participation are the fuel to its ongoing success. 

While there is not a November meeting of the PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter, the group is preparing to announce a brand new, 2024 leadership team and begin work on the annual Scholarship Shoot, coming to Birds Landing, CA next spring. If you missed it, the Chapter recently announced an impressive group of students who were named 2023 Scholarship Winners

Thank you for supporting PDCA Chapters, which are dedicated groups of volunteers who assist PDCA in the important task of driven pile advocacy in key regions around the U.S. If you are interested in getting involved with a PDCA Chapter, please contact us today at info@piledrivers.org.

Pile Driving Education a Big Part of Content at DFI Seattle Conference

For the purpose of maximizing pile driving advocacy, PDCA has established various deep foundations industry relationships to promote the driven pile through available channels. One such relationship is with the Deep Foundations Institute, or DFI. The education-focused organization gathers members of the industry on various occasions each year and PDCA serves as a Cooperating Organization at some of these events, the DFI Annual Conference is one of them. This event took place October 31-November 3, 2023, in Seattle, WA, and PDCA was on-location to support the event, engage with members who are DFI participants, and to attend various pile driving specific sessions that take place as part of the Conference, such as the Driven Pile Committee meeting, co-chaired by PDCA members Greg Canivan of S&ME, Inc. and Seth Hamblin of GTR Engineering Sciences, (pictured).


(L-R) Seth Hamblin, Greg Canivan

Dr. Katherine Petek

The event featured several educational sessions where PDCA members, academics and public officials presented content related to pile driving. PDCA congratulates longtime member Dr. Katherine Petek (pictured) of Shannon & Wilson, Inc., who served the 2023 DFI Annual Conference as Technical Program Co-Chair. PDCA member companies who presented content included Schnabel Engineering, Terracon, Universal Engineering Sciences, GEOKON, GRL Engineers, Inc., Giken USA, and Bauer Equipment America, in addition to representatives of Seattle-based, Shannon & Wilson.

Several PDCA Members participated in the DFI Annual Conference as exhibitors and sponsors. The Exhibit Hall was at capacity and the expansive space featured nearly 30 PDCA member companies who engaged with attendees about pile driving. They included:

  • American Piledriving Equipment (APE)
  • Alaska Rubber Group 
  • Associated Pile & Fitting
  • Atlas Tube
  • Bauer Equipment America
  • CZM Foundation Equipment
  • Dawson Contruction Plant LTD.
  • Duroterra
  • Equipment Corporation of America (ECA)
  • GEOKON
  • Giken
  • Hammer & Steel
  • JD Fields & Co.
  • Jinnings Equipment
  • Junttan USA
  • Keller
  • Liebherr
  • Meever USA
  • Morris-Shea Bridge Company
  • Nucor Skyline
  • OMS Pile Driving Equipment GMBH
  • PACO Ventures
  • PDI, Inc./GRL Engineers, Inc.
  • Pinnacle Drilling Products
  • PVE Equipment USA
  • Samuel Roll Form Group
  • Service Steel Warehouse
  • Sheet Pile LLC

Numerous PDCA members provided sponsorship of various activities at the DFI event, including the Women in Deep Foundations Reception, a 5K Fun Run, and more. The generous benefactors for these peripheral events included:
  • Bauer Equipment America
  • ECA
  • PDI, Inc./GRL Engineers, Inc.
  • ICE-International Construction Equipment, Inc.
  • Junttan USA
  • Keller
  • APE
  • CZM Foundation Equipment
  • Liebherr
  • Triad Metals Piling
  • GEOKON
  • Terracon
  • Mammoth Carbon Products
  • JD Fields & Co. 
  • GTR Engineering Sciences

The DFI Annual Conference reported to have around 950 attendees this year, offering them a wide variety of sessions and activities. PDCA staff was on-site and captured photos of various sites at the event. The photos below depict PDCA members who were SPOTTED during networking opportunities and the Women in Deep Foundations Reception which took place on Halloween. Enjoy!
   


Meitzler at ECA Wins October, #PDCADriven Contest

A Pile of News - November 2023

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A Pile of News: November 2023
A briefing on news and information from the pile driving contractors,
associated manufacturers, construction suppliers and affiliated engineers
who comprise PDCA.
By Matt Bisbee, PDCA

Originally sent Nov. 1, 2023
Top of the Pile PileDriver magazine, Issue 5 2023 dropped in October. C.J. Mahan Construction Co. graces the cover for a story about a job in Brandenburg, KY, where they installed nearly 84K linear feet of driven piles to found a new steel mill for Nucor. Last month, leadership at the steel giant hosted Gov. Beshear, State Sen. Meredith, and many others to formally open the new facility.

Voting opens today for the 2024 PDCA Board of Directors. Ballots are en route to eligible members' inboxes, and due back to PDCA by Nov. 30.

IFCEE 2024 is May 7 - 10, and sponsors/exhibitors may secure space now; attendee registration opens Dec. 1.
From the Association & Chapters
Mark your calendars:
Nov. 8: Northeast Chapter Dinner, Casino Night at Campino Restaurant, Newark, NJ, 6 PM Event includes a piling technology presentation by Matt Eastburn of Junttan USA, then non-cash gambling.

Nov. 9: Gulf Coast Chapter Q4 Meeting, Golden Nugget Casino, Biloxi, MS, 5:45 - 8 PM Chapter members hold a networking reception, then meet to elect the leadership team for 2024.

Nov. 9: South Carolina Chapter Q4 Dinner Meeting, Town & Country, Charleston, 6 PM Be there for the annual 'Mac' Nigels Scholarship presentation to a worthy student at The Citadel.

Nov. 15 - 16: Engineers Driven Pile Institute (EDPI), Hilton Baltimore (MD) Airport This two-day program strives to enhance pile driving education for mid-level engineers. 15.5 PDH available.

Nov. 16: The Maryland Mixer PDCA reception, Crooked Crab Brewing, Odenton, MD, 5:30 - 7:30 PM  A FREE industry event for PDCA members, non-members, with networking, food, drink and a short program. EDPI attendees welcome, so are pregamers for Ravens v. Bengals TNF!

Nov. 16: Texas Chapter Q4 Meeting, Spindletap Brewery, Houston, 4 PM Agenda to include officer elections, chapter updates, sharing in success of inaugural golf tournament.

News and PHOTOS from the PDCA Blog:
New chair takes the reins to the PDCA Technical Committee: Mohamad Hussein of GRL Engineers, Inc. aspires to lead the panel "with state-of-the-art technical work to help advance the state of the practice."

Dynamic Testing & Analysis Taught in Cleveland: The Biannual DFDTA took place Oct. 11 - 13 at the offices of Pile Dynamics, Inc. in Cleveland, PDCA's partner in this repeating educational seminar and workshopIf you missed it, watch your inbox for spring and fall dates in 2024.

Cheers! To New England Pile Drivers (PHOTOS) was a lively and productive PDCA reception in Massachusetts. Brad Roberts of GZA GeoEnvironmental said at the night's end, "That was so good, how do I join again?" A non-profit should be able to make this happen, right?
#PileDriven winner
Congratulations, Keith Meitzler, you are this month's winner! Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of the month to claim your prize!
News from PDCA Companies
Acquisitions & expansions:
Sealevel Construction Inc. enhances its marine practice with the addition of 265 acres of waterfront property along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Bourg, LA, south of Thibodaux.

South Shore Pile Driving grows out of its existing Marshfield, MA, HQ and is building a new facility nearby on a 1.5-acre lot with a 60 x 120 shop and yard space for pile stock.

Equipment Corporation of America now serves the Midwest from a new Sturtevant, WI, shop, between Chicago and Milwaukee, off West I-94. Mgr. John Devine could use "a tech or two."

Junttan enters partnership with Leica Geosystems to advance digitization of piling construction.

Schnabel Engineering grows its tunnel engineering practice by acquiring Boston-based JCK Underground.

Shannon & Wilson opens in Denver; City of Wheat Ridge leadership helps cut the ribbon.

Thomas & Hutton opens a new office in Summerville, SC its second Charleston-area facility.

Giving back:
Bowen Engineering golf event nears $500K in funds raised over eight years. The Evansville, IN, office hosted the charitable tourney for the local CASA, the haul for 2023 was an impressive $86K.

C.J. Mahan Construction Company sent a foursome and sponsored the Hole-In-One contest at a Chillicothe, OH, golf outing, benefitting a local youth drug prevention program.

Scott Bridge Company recalls a tragedy that employee Erica and her family experienced in 2019, when an EF-4 tornado ripped through their Central Alabama home. While no one was hurt, their lives were upended. WATCH Erica describe the support from her employer during the tragedy.

Veit contributed to Children's Minnesota by sponsoring Minnesota Contractors Association Day. The event educated kids and families about the construction industry with hands-on activities.

BAUER Equipment America assembled a group of staff from its Conroe, TX, facility to compete in the YMCA Dragon Boat Challenge, an event that raised more than $95K for Y programming.

ESP Associates, Geosyntec are among supporters of Catawba Lands Conservancy in Charlotte.

S&ME, Inc. brought a strong contingency of staff, their families and their pups out to the Triangle Heart Walk in Raleigh, NC, raising more than $9K for the American Heart Association.

Recognitions:
Cajun Industries lands on the 2023 list of America's Safest Companies as compiled by EHS Today. The Baton Rouge-based contractor prioritizes its people and public trust.

McCarthy Building Companies, Aggregate Technologies, Inc. among the Houston area PDCA members to win safety commendation as Zero Lost Time Awardees from a local industry group.

Orion brought home the Company Award when a coalition of dredging and marine constructors gathered in Washington, DC for the annual Leadership in Safety Awards Dinner (CDMCS).

Nucor Skyline and Service Steel Warehouse were among many companies involved in the emergency rebuild of Florida's Sanibel Causeway, following regional devastation from 2022's Hurricane Ian. This is one of several projects up for a national award being presented Nov. 16.

Governmental relations:
GROUP Contractors visited Capitol Hill with a Louisiana construction delegation to brief lawmakers on issues facing Bayou State builders. They met with Members of Congress including Sen. Cassidy and Reps. Graves and Letlow. They also met LA Rep. Johnson, who unexpectedly catapulted to the position of Speaker of the House, shortly after this visit.

And that's just one instance of newly-minted Speaker Johnson's connection to the pile driving industry. We learned that he and PDCA past president Scott Callaway of Cajun Industries are both Shreveport, LA natives and were groomsmen together in a wedding 25 years ago. We have the exclusive photo, below:
Future PDCA President and Future Speaker of the U.S. House
Veit earns municipal proclamation from Rogers, MN. Mayor Ihli presents corporate counsel Peter Williams recognition of Veit's 42 years of "contributions" to the Minneapolis-area town.

Meever USA
manager Dawn Kieffer was spotted at a re-election event for Clerk Green, a Florida court official. She wasn't seeking to influence the justice system, just supporting a friend.đŸ˜‰

Anniversaries
Walters Marine Construction reaches 35 years in business, driving piles in southern New Jersey; the Ocean View, NJ-based team has completed numerous seaside and other waterfront projects.
People on the Move
Transitions:
Jean Luc Sebudandi has joined Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman Inc. in Branford, CT, as a project EIT.

Ty Akin onboards with the C.J. Mahan safety team; he's a spring '23 grad from Murray State.

Courtney Fournet appointed new corporate counsel at Cajun Industries in Baton Rouge.

Edgar Romo is a new senior PM at Forefront Deep Foundations in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

Kelly Blythe, P.E. named new project sponsor at Manson Construction Co. in California.

Ben Eccles joins the team at Mason Construction as a new BDM for Beaumont, TX contractor.

Sean Vandedrinck is a new senior PM at Houston-based Russell Marine; with high profile international and U.S. experience, he assumes operational leadership for Russell's East Coast endeavors.

Jim Gould, steel sales veteran, joins the team at JD Fields & Co.

Michael Leal elevates to regional sales manager Gulf Coast at Lodge Lumber.

Mohamad Hussein, P.E., named executive director of global industry relations at Pile Dynamics, Inc. and GRL Engineers, Inc.

Austin Dabbs of Anchorage-based CRW Engineering Group earned his P.E. license. 

Jordan Patterson, a geotech staff PM at ECS Limited in Roanoke, VA, obtained his EIT.

Benjamin Stephens, P.E., a PM at Geo-Technology Associates in Maryland, has earned his P.E.

Recognitions:
David Mueller, P.E. from event host Richard Goettle, Inc. and Daniel Woeste, P.E. from Geosyntec Consultants presented to a Cincinnati gathering of geotechs.

Tenari Tauvao of Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction, and his wife Melanie, joined thousands of disaster workers to help victims of Hawaiian wildfires; read their firsthand report from Maui.

Mark Johnson, Cameron Toups, Zachary Pelton represented their employer Russell Marine, which was awarded for safety practices in the Texas Gulf region.

John Wysockey of Thatcher Foundations gave the keynote address at a Chicago ASCE event.

Allie Brady, a PM at Veit, is a social media influencer for her LinkedIn demonstration of the five critical pieces of PPE. This online celebrity attended PDCA's April networking event in Chicago.

Chris Allen from Aggregate Technologies, Inc. was part of the foursome to win a Houston-area competitive clay shoot. The winners each received an attractive belt buckle trophy.

Matt Scerbak, manager at Associated Pile & Fitting in Clifton, NJ, begins year 44 at the company. Congrats to Matt, also a longtime volunteer in leadership at the PDCA Northeast Chapter.

Kevin Gooch reaches 40 years at Bull Moose Tube in MO; staff celebrated him with BBQ and cake.

Graham Wogan of Canal Barge Co. "inspired" and presented "pearls of wisdom" to students at the University of New Orleans supply chain, operations, and logistics class.

Leon Topalian, CEO at Nucorelected chair of the World Steel Association Board for 2023/24. 

Ben Cody, P.E. of Eustis Engineering in New Orleans was celebrated as Outstanding Civil Engineer of the Year during the Louisiana Engineering Conference. Firm president Gwen Sanders, P.E. moderated a session and Patrick Thurmond, P.E. and James Williams, P.E. were presenters.

Sam McCachern, Thomas & Hutton CEO, inducted into Junior Achievement Georgia Hall of Fame.

Aneesh Goly explores AI, IoT and other issues found at the intersection of construction and technology. The Smart Structures president publishes Smart Infrastructure Hub weekly.

Mark Wilson (35 years) and David Barwick (32 years) reach significant employment anniversaries at Southern Earth Sciences, Inc.; both gentlemen hail from the Tallahassee, FL, office.

Newsmakers:
Marty Brodnax, the Baton Rouge-based Baker GCI president, shares his perspectives with ENR: A Commitment to Quality.

Robert Moser, CEO at Clark Construction, spoke with The Washington Business Journal, where he discussed filling an industry-wide, labor shortage. A key, he says, is supplier diversity.

Chia Wang, president at Gerdau North America, participates in a steel industry CEO Huddle and projects "optimism for economic resiliency" when asked to comment on a potential recession.

Jay Fields, CEO at JD Fields & Co., which hosted PDCA for a September on-location webinar broadcast from his office, was selected as a Houston Man of Style in October's Modern Luxury magazine.

Bethanne Mashburn owns steel piling processor The Loren Group in Birmingham, but the serial entrepreneur has other interests, like an Alabama bowling center. Her creativity there caught the notice of a bowling industry magazine, BCM, which put Mashburn on the October cover.

Berk Turkel, Ph.D. from Geosyntec Consultants coauthored a paper published by ASCE entitled Semiempirical Model of Vibration-Induced Ground Deformation Due to Impact Pile Driving.

Industry resources for government contractors:
Wendy Salazar, Trey Camet at Baker GCI co-author a resource to guide owners who seek full tax benefits for clean energy projects, available from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Ed Bisono at ASAP Group shares an article analyzing state allotments in federal infrastructure law funds; READ: $61B for Roads, Bridges Released See How Much Your State Gets.
On the Job
Blue Iron Foundation & Shoring forms a cofferdam with steel sheet piling, part of a new wastewater control facility for the City of Stockton, CA, utility authority.

GROUP Contractors has a full plate to close out 2023; it reports 15 projects between East Texas and Western Mississippi, five of which involve the deep foundations team.

Hal Jones Contractor has a crew at St. Augustine Beach, FL, installing steel sheets from Nucor Skyline with an ABI from Hammer & Steel to form a new bulkhead in an area that battles beach erosion.

R. Kremer & Son Marine Contractors shows off its latest bulkhead in Brick Township, NJ, which is constructed using 475 flat panel vinyl sheets.

Richard E. Pierson Construction Co. Inc. preps the job site where they will construct new bridges on concrete piling for a bypass coming soon to Millboro, DE.

SJ Hamill Construction keeps the schedule installing a public combi-wall for the City of Savannah with a GeoQuip, Inc. hammer and JD Fields & Co. steel. 

Equipment Corporation of America sent a GeoQuip HPSI 300 XL to a North Wildwood, NJ, beachfront lifeguard station where a crew installed an emergency pile wall to prep for Tropical Storm Ophelia.

JD Fields & Company offers two free tech seminars, both offer 3.5 PDH. Click the links to register:
ESC Steel LLC was on island time to show its marine piling fenders at the Dipolog Port in the Philippines. The company also provided Type IV SY295 sheet piles in 12- and six-meter lengths for this job.

Jinnings Equipment, also on island time, was spotted driving spun concrete piles in St. Thomas USVI.

Pileco shows off a D70 driving steel pipe from Nucor Skyline at Galveston's Cruise Terminal in Texas.
Notes from the Field
East Coast rappers, the next generation It's mad rhymes and timber pile installation for Connecticut-based Norwalk Marine Contractors; notice America's first Junttan rig on site, dropping the beat. #IYKYK.

Parental discretion advised Consumers of media know that warnings can exist for content they find on television, online and elsewhere. As we scoured the interwebs in October for news from PDCA members for this publication, we noticed a highly unusual warning. In a post about its new website congrats! Southern Earth Sciences cautions browsers about "traces of excessive engineering charisma."

Picture to burn Skip this if you're exhausted by ubiquitous reporting on the love life of power couple Swelce. Like it or not, it gets attention, and one PDCA member company recognizes that. The new social media campaign for intern recruitment at GeoEngineers, Inc. used the power of Taylor Swift's picture, cheering from the suite at a Chiefs game, to get the attention of prospective Swifties...er, interns.

Be true to your school Two current PDCA members were Yellowjackets in high school. BOD member Mike Juneau of Premier Geotech and Testing and Courtney Stricklin of Omega Foundation Services went to Denham Springs High by Baton Rouge where they were known as the Denham Jackets. Get it?

You look like fine unpstandin' young men  When your staff is at at a gun range in rural Sumpter County, FL, you might consider adopting an alternative name like, say, Equipment Corporation of 'MuricađŸ˜‰ Sending regards to John HayesRob Likens and Matt Shelley from ECA for supporting the Construction Angels charity.
Equipment Corporation of America sign and four men
As Americans pause this month for the annual observance of Veterans Day, we are reminded of the sacrifices that the men and women in uniform have put forth for the past 247 years. This reflective day falls this year on Saturday, Nov. 11. In wartime and peacetime, the U.S. Armed Forces have been a consistent shield against rogue actors seeking to cause the nation harm, strip its freedoms, or breach in any way, the uniquely American way of life. PDCA thanks our Veterans.
 
Each month, we compile this publication by gleaning relevant news items from PDCA member web and social sites. Not a month goes by where we don't encounter a member's salute to America's military, whether it is a Veterans' cause, support for those on active duty, helping Vets who are disabled or facing dire circumstances, and even providing support to military-adjacent families. A recent example, Orion Marine sponsored the Virginia Beach Seabee golf event for youth education initiatives. We make a point to highlight some of these instances each month. And in November, we send our sincerest appreciation to those of you who have sacrificed a portion of your life for your country.

Posted in A Pile of News PDCA Monthly e-newsletter.

PileDriver Magazine - Issue #5, 2023

C.J. Mahan Construction Company, LLC handles the pile driving for Nucor's new Kentucky plate mill.
 
Don't miss these articles:
Toolbox Talk page
TOOLBOX TALK
Solid Ground
Safe working platforms for deep foundation construction

Read more
Succession planning graphic
DEAR DARLING
Succession Planning
Advice on considering the inevitable transfer of family businesses

Read more
Steve Whitty
CAREER STORY
Steve Whitty
Now retired, but always an advocate for the driven pile industry

Read more
Aerial view of a D.A. Collins Family of Companies job site
PDCA CONTRACTOR MEMBER
D.A. Collins Family of Companies
A legacy of excellence and innovation

Read more
Dow Eagleray project
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Dow Eagleray Project
Challenge after challenge after challenge ... but GROUP Contractors come out on top

Read more
PDCA Media Kit
ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES
New Media Kit Launched
Discover ways to increase brand awareness in PDCA's printed and digital publications

Read more

Posted in PileDriver Magazine.

Upon Board Request, Committee Enhances PDCA Social Media Presence


(L-R): PDCA Communications Committee Chair Jason Moore, Social Media Subcommittee member Amy Cristiani 


Internet users understand the importance of technology in business operations, and most are aware that online technologies are continually evolving. One example of an evolving technology is the powerful tool of social media. Barely two decades old to mainstream audiences, social media has become a reliable tool for communication through its capability to expeditiously distribute multiple forms of media including photographic images, video, live production, and many other resources unheard of just one decade ago.

PDCA has maintained an online presence through a few generations of its website over the years. It has also established a social media presence on various platforms. In addition to more traditional communications, PDCA has increasingly used social media to bolster its dissemination of news, announcements, and other communications that are relevant to PDCA members. 

Thanks to PDCA publications partner Lester, which also produces PileDriver magazine and A Pile of News e-newsletter, PDCA boasts a professional social media product, often incorporating new and emerging effects. As the popularity of social media continues to grow, PDCA has gained a growing demand among stakeholders for more and diversified content. Jill Harris (pictured), PileDriver publisher, oversees the social media production and advised that in order to maximize PDCA's social media reach and reliability, some content parameters to protect the consistency of the PDCA brand were needed. 

The PDCA Board of Directors learned of the impact that PDCA's social media has on the organizational membership and industry at-large, and embraced Jill's expert advice. The leadership tasked the PDCA Communications Committee Chairman Jason Moore to address some of the shortcomings with social media operations. Moore assembled the Social Media Subcommittee which involved a handful of the Communicaitons Committee members, to develop necessary guidance for the increasing desire of PDCA Chapters and PDCA Committees to include their content on the PDCA social media platforms, predominantly, LinkedIn. (The Association also has a presence on Facebook and Instagram.)

Amy Cristiani from Associate Member company THI Pipe and Piling was a participant on the Social Media Subcommittee and is credited with helping develop the concepts and deliverables for two new resources that are now available to PDCA Chapters and Committees, to contribute to the PDCA social media feed. Said Cristiani of her motivation to volunteer in this capacity, "By streamlining PDCA social media submission guidelines, we have made it easier to ensure communication requests are tracked, time-stamped, and executed with greater efficiency. We want your voice to be heard and your experience to be hassle-free."

PDCA Chapter leaders and committee chairs who are interested in submitting content to PDCA social media platforms are encouraged to contact the PDCA staff to obtain two new resources: 1) PDCA Style Guide for Social Media, and 2) PDCA Social Media Submission Guidelines. Please send your requests to matt@piledrivers.org.

Sponsorships Still Available for Inaugural EDPI in Baltimore


Thank you to D.W. Kozera, Inc. for supporting the PDCA Inaugural EDPI with the Conference Name Badge Lanyard sponsorship!

The Engineers Driven Pile Institute (EDPI) is an innovative, professional development program geared toward engineers who have gained 2-10 years of career experience. Attendees who complete the two-day program, gain in-depth instruction on current driven pile foundation design and construction practices, under the tutelage of recognized industry experts Jerry DiMaggio, PE, D.GE, a senior principal civil engineer with Applied Research Associates, Inc., Patrick Hannigan, PE, president emeritus at GRL Engineers, Inc., and Van E. Komurka, PE, D.GE, senior engineer at GRL Engineers, Inc. The objective of EDPI is to provide mid-level engineers with additional tools to recommend, design, specify and/or inspect driven pile foundations. 


EDPI presenters, (L-R): DiMaggio, Hannigan, Komurka
 
EDPI offers opportunities for sponsorship and support of the first-of-its-kind, program. These opportunities will provide a unique experience for the attendees, as well as support the course in order to offer lower registration fees. Parties interested in helping underwrite this innovative program may consider the following, sponsorship options:

1. Conference Support Sponsor: Directly support the EDPI Conference with a sponsorship that offsets conference expenses, such as food & beverages, AV support, and attendee materials. All sponsor logos will be co-branded on coffee cup sleeves for the two-day course, as well as on event signage displayed during the conference.

2. Marketing Sponsor: Support the overall EDPI Conference and engage attendees with a promotional item (provided by sponsor) in their conference bag. Examples of promotional items include, but are not limited to, hats, koozies, tech gadgets, hard hat stickers, etc.

To register as an attendee, and/or a sponsor of EDPI, please click the button below to be redirected to the event website. Thank you, in advance, for supporting EDPI!





Next, FREE, Regional Reception Coming Nov. 16 to Baltimore Metro


The Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. has a long tradition of participation and leadership in the Pile Driving Contractors Association; several current members are based or operate branch offices in the area. In some instances, local members have elevated into organizational leadership at PDCA. Two recent Executive Committee members include past president Larry Moore and past secretary Karl Higgins, both pictured below. For several years, a PDCA Mid-Atlantic Chapter was available to members in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (the DMV), to provide opportunities for consistent, local participation and engagement. In the absence of a Mid-Atlantic Chapter, PDCA is working to reignite local involvement.  In 2022, it hosted 'Networking in Norfolk' to serve membership in the southern part of the region. Now, PDCA announces a similar event coming to the northern part of the former chapter. It is called The Maryland Mixer, happening November 16th at the Crooked Crab Brewing Co. in Odenton, MD.


(L-R) PDCA Executive Committee alumni from Mid-Atlantic: past president Larry Moore, past secretary Karl Higgins


This event is FREE to PDCA members and non-members in the pile driving industry. It's an evening of networking with colleagues, friends, and associates in driven pile construction. PDCA will provide food, drink and a short program about participation in the only organization that exclusively advocates pile driving. Sponsorships are available, secure your spot today. See you there!

Sponsorships are available for The Maryland Mixer. If you are interested in helping PDCA grow in the Baltimore/Washington metro, consider one of the following options for underwriting this event.
  • $1,000 'Drive 'Em Deep' Sponsorship: Booth space at venue, name/logo on event marketing, recognition at The Maryland Mixer
  • $500 'Sure, I'll Pitch In' Sponsorship: name/logo on event marketing, recognition during short program at The Maryland Mixer
There is no cost to register and attend The Maryland Mixer, but we ask that you let us know you are coming so we can be prepared to provide you refreshments. Attendees and sponsors, alike, can secure space at the event by clicking the button below and completing a short registration form.



Biannual Testing & Analysis Seminar Attracts Large Class to Cleveland


Fall 2023 class of participants in DFDTA Seminar and Workshop

If you missed the October 2023 Deep Foundations Dynamic Testing & Analysis Seminar/Workshop (DFDTA) coordinated through an ongoing partnership between Pile Dynamics, Inc. (PDI) and PDCA, you will have two opportunities to attend the 2024 classes taking place in the spring and fall. The three-day event is traditionally offered in Orlando, FL March and then in Cleveland, OH in October. Watch your inbox and the PDCA website for forthcoming announcements containing further details about DFDTA in 2024.

The Fall 2023 DFDTA brought a variety of engineers, project owners, contractors, and other deep foundations professionals to the PDI corporate offices in Cleveland from October 11-13, where the group of 'students' heard a one-day seminar on Deep Foundation Integrity Testing and Wave Equation Analysis. Then, it participated in a workshop on High Strain Dynamic Foundation Testing, concluding with an optional proficiency test.


Subject matter experts including Patrick Hannigan, PE, Michael Morgano, PE, and Garland Likins, PE, M.ASCE (pictured above, L-R), all from PDI and sister engineering firm, GRL Engineers, Inc., presented during the span of three days, on various topics pertinent to the testing and analysis.

In addition to gaining expert training on topics such as wave mechanics, non-destructive testing, PDA Applications, CAPWAP, and more, attendees were also provided with a copy of the presentation (digital/hard copies), a Certificate of Completion, and proficiency certification for those who took and passed the exam. 

PDCA recognizes the Fall 2023 DFDTA class for its participation in this rigorous, professional development program.


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