A Pile of News: January 2025

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 Jan. 2, 2025

Top of the Pile

Ringing in the Year  Welcome to 2025! It's PDCA's 30th year in driven pile advocacy, please be advised that your annual member dues may be paid/renewed online when you visit your member profile. Designated personnel will open their profile, click Manage my Organization, select the Dues entry in the Unpaid Balances section, and electronically remit payment. An Easy Button will help you...just call Marian Phillips in the PDCA offices at 904-215-4771.

Remember the Alamo  The 2025 PDCA Annual Conference theme is History and Heritage is Foundational. It features a keynote speech from Retired Navy Seal Jason Redman, a case study on pile driving vibrations, a talk on business networking and MUCH more. A Western-themed reception (dress accordingly) opens the Feb. 4 - 6 event in San Antonio; there's plenty more so don't miss it and register today!

Big Star  You worked really hard on it and are deservedly proud of the foundation you helped create. Why not enter your driven pile project completed by Dec. 31, 2024 in the 2025 PDCA Project of the Year Awards? The members-only competition is FREE; winners in Land, Marine, Earth Retention, Associate/Engineering Affiliate and International categories earn significant industry recognition. Enter now through April 4.

From the Association & Chapters

Mark your calendars:

• Jan. 8: Board & Brews, Hilton Clearwater Resort, Clearwater, FL, 5:307:30 PM:The first FREE PDCA networking reception of 2025. PDCA board members will attend and mix with regional industry. PDCA membership NOT required.
• Jan. 17: South Carolina Chapter Oyster Roast, Charleston, 6 PM  The Lowcountry favorite attracts folks from far beyond. Generous sponsors support the annual, FREE, family-friendly social at Palmetto Pile Driving.
• Feb. 4 - 6: PDCA Annual Conference & Expo, San Antonio, TX  THE signature event for the driven pile industry is at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort. Impactful programs, a trade show, networking receptions, awards, PDCA committee meetings, optional golf and more. There's still time to register!
• Feb. 13: PDCA Value Driven Webinar Series, 23 PM EST. Topic TBD. This bi-monthly program is FREE to PDCA members, others pay nominal registration.
• Feb. 13: South Carolina Chapter dinner meeting, Town and Country Inn & Suites, 69 PM, Charleston. More info coming soon.
• Feb. 27: Networking in Norfolk, Part Deux  Details coming soon.

From the piledrivers.org blog:

• All the leaves were brown  and the PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter resumed a December tradition with the Holiday Luncheon at Biancoverde in the historic Hotel Mac in Richmond, CA.
• The Dropkick Murphys weren't there, but many PDCA members attended the Holiday Social industry event of the Foundation & Marine Contractors Assn. of New England which collected donations to Boston Area Food Banks.
• December brought new PDCA members  CMI Limited Co. in Georgia and Anchor QEA in Houston complete the list of Q4-2024 new PDCA members.
• Suppliers, take notice  if you want your product considered for use in the November 2025 Contractors Foundation Institute field training event in coastal Mississippi, you must attend monthly meetings of the PDCA Associate Member Council. The next virtual event is Jan. 16.
• Help thank your new leaders: Read continuing coverage of the new PDCA Board members (with photos) who voluntarily lead the organization in 2025.

Congratulations, Richard Northfield, you are this month's winner! Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of November to claim your prize!

News from PDCA Companies

Acquisitions & expansions:

• CZM-US Foundation Equipment in Savannah, GA, hosted Leandra Magalhães from CZM world HQ in Brazil. She learned about customer-focused innovations in U.S. operations, to consider for South American manufacturing.
• Giken America Corp. opens a 2nd sales office in the U.S. tomorrow. The press-in piling equipment manufacturer announced its new location in New Jersey.
• Stealth Pipe and Steel expanded its operations in Montreal. It opened a new yard and remote office facilities at the south shore of the Canadian city. 
• Haley & Aldrich finished 2024 with a new office in Barre, VT, just south of the Canadian border. Also, it relocated within Rochester, NY. Mayor Evans attended a celebration for the firm's 50 years of service in the community.

Giving back:

• Clark quadrupled its fundraising goal in support of the American Heart Association, much to the delight of elementary students at 12 Richmond, VA, schools, which received gym/sports equipment. Recess just got better!
• Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company met with students and attendees at the University of Hawaii engineering career expo.
• Morris-Shea Bridge Company sponsored a charitable race in Birmingham for KultureCity, a national non-profit supporting people with sensory deficiencies.
• Richard E. Pierson Construction toured New Jersey high schoolers around some job sites, including the Delaware Memorial Bridge project where crews are fortifying their driven pile construction with collision protection.
• The Walsh Group and Kokosing make the most of their time in Cincinnati where they are jointly building two bridges. While there, crews from the companies built a multi-family townhouse for Habitat for Humanity.
• Interpipe Inc. Canada hails a 2nd place finish for Ancaster Blitz girls basketball in the Toronto IEM tournament; the pipe supplier was a team sponsor.
• Tectonic Engineering Consultants, Geologists & Land Surveyors supported the Hudson Valley Honor Flight's annual lunch; the brother of asst. chief surveyor Jay Kimler was an honoree and keynote speaker.

Recognitions: 

• Baker GCI won a Louisiana Industry Award for safety. Logan Zeferjahn, Mark Mumford and Graham Fruge are the trio who coordinate safe practices.
• GROUP Contractors celebrates teams on two projects which earned excellence and safety awards from two Louisiana industry organizations.
• MEB is in progress on two high-profile projects for the City of Williamsburg, VA. The municipality produced the official State of the City video, which featured B-roll of MEB construction on a new sports center and a live performance venue.
• Omega Foundation Services strives for the highest safety standards. It was recently honored for that commitment by a Louisiana industry group.
• Orion is on a massive overhaul at the Ruston waterfront in Tacoma, WA. King 5 News airs video of crews removing 1,200 creosote-treated timber piling, which regional DNR and Tribal leadership report being environmentally hazardous.
• Gerhart Cole unapologetically recruits (and retains) talent from Utah State University. The school featured the engineering firm in its December magazine.

(Maine) Governmental relations:

• CIANBRO celebrated 75 years in business last year. Pres. Andi Vigue and VP Peter Cianchette met with Gov. Mills, who formally honored the company's longevity. In Washington, Maine U.S. Sen. Collins had an American flag flown over the Capitol in recognition of the company's Diamond Anniversary.
• Sargent president/COO Eric Ritchie stood with Gov. Mills to accept a 2024 Maine Governor's Award for Business Excellence on behalf of the contractor.

Anniversaries:

• International Construction Equipment demonstrated corporate generosity throughout 2024 as part of its 50th anniversary. In December, staff from around the world descended on the ICE, Inc. HQ in Charlotte, NC, for a celebration (pictured below) that included a charitable clay shoot, continued learning and the Denim and Lace ball featuring Nashville recording artist, The Huffer Brothers.

People on the Move

Transitions:

• Keil Propst, Juan Gomez Ramirez, Justin Berndt, Percy Flowers and Jesse Gonzalez (all in Texas) and Jeffrey Huff (East Coast) have earned recent promotions at Russell Marine LLC.
• Doug Barnes retires as "respected superintendent" after 42 years at Sargent.
• Mike Chaisson leaves a "lasting impact" in retirement; the parted superintendent served Sealevel Construction in Thibodeaux, LA, for 20 years.
• Madeline Lato shifts from inside sales to marketing coordinator at Bottom Line Equipment in Baton Rouge.
• Casey McCullar is the newest BDM at Corpac. The 10-year veteran of the structural steel industry is based in Ohio.
• Casey Cowen joins the service team at the Empire Crane New York facility.
• Leslie Hyde, SVP/chief sustainability officer and Joe Dowd, global VP of zero harm, announce upcoming retirements from Koppers, Inc. in Q1 2025.
• Dave Rettner reached a previously announced retirement from American Engineering Testing; 100+ people honored the past president at a Dec. party.
• Elie Cohen, P.E. joins CRW Engineering Group in Alaska as civil engineer
• Walter Kosinski, P.E., leaves a big footprint across multiple states through his work, and big shoes to fill at GZA GeoEnvironmental following his retirement after 46 years at the firm. He steps away as principal in the Livonia, MI, office.
• Leo Keegan was promoted to regional manager at Intertek PSI; he will oversee geotechnical, materials and integrity testing services in Louisiana.
• Thomas Smoak, P.E., achieves principal designation at Terracon; the firm's office manager in Charleston, SC, earns this 2nd promotion in less than a year.
• Magarita Restrepo onboards at Shannon & Wilson Denver as geotech.
• Jacob La Mere and Derek Southall join Southern Earth Sciences as CMT for the Panama City, FL, and Mobile, AL, offices, respectively.

Recognitions:

• Scott Callaway, a past president of PDCA and SVP at Cajun Industries in Baton Rouge was SPOTTED in his ABC capacity in previous links in this publication; see the Recognitions in the Company News section. 
• David Mueller, P.E., from Richard Goettle, Inc. and Daniel Woeste, P.E., of Geosyntec Consultants presented to the 54th Annual Ohio River Valley Soils Seminar, a Cincinnati ASCE event held at the Great American Ballpark.
• Kena Yoke of Island Piling in SW Florida will present on business relationships at the PDCA Annual Conference. She got an unsolicited endorsement from a peer who asked about best building elements. Spoiler alert, it's driven piles! 
• John Hass from Veit will be honored with the Skill-Responsibility-Integrity Award by a Minnesota industry group during the February Construction Summit.
• Ronnie Wills, another presenter at the upcoming PDCA Annual Conference and Aggregate Technologies' president, gave an impromptu speech to a Houston business group where he was surprised as Member of the Year.
• Ginny Jarvis, manager at Dark Horse Metals near Austin, received her MBA in accounting from Texas Woman's University. It's worth noting that she did this while raising daughters and co-upstarting a piling business with husband Matt.
• Roy Kern, CEO at Equipment Corporation of America, is prominently quoted in Chapter 5 of the new book, From Status Quo to Status Grow. Best selling author Todd Cohen, a business consultant, dropped by ECA HQ in Pittsburgh to deliver a fresh copy. Summarizing Kern, collaboration + strategy = sales.
• Garrett Timm volunteered for storm clean-up at Duthie Hill, his favorite mountain biking park in King County, WA. The GeoEngineers, Inc. consultant thanks his employer for a "paid work day" to volunteer, as a company benefit.
• Bobby Ley, Katie McCoy, Grifin Savedge, all from Thomas & Hutton, have earned licenses from East Coast states as professional engineers.
• Sam Palmer, PE, CBO, CFM, branch manager for UES in Las Vegas has won election to the BOD for the International Code Council.

Sending sympathies:

• Albert "AP" Carline formerly with Patriot Construction and Industrial unexpectedly passed in December. The 59-year-old battled Leukemia. A Bayou Sorrel, LA, resident, he started a foundation construction career as a laborer, then pile driver, foreman and ended as a 15-year superintendent. Said his employer and longtime friend Kevin Gourgues, "He was a good man." 

On the Job

Blue Iron Foundations & Shoring installed steel sheet piling for new pumping plants in Marysville and Binney, CA, part of public investment into the water infrastructure.

DFI Piling crews work underneath the blue, clear (and likely cold) North Dakota sky installing 450 custom built steel pipe piles for a new compressor station.

East Coast Marine Construction & Design installed a 240 LF concrete seawall in Daytona Beach Shores for a resort company. The project completed in just three months, despite one hurricane and a couple Nor'Easters.

Orion won an $88M contract from South Carolina Ports to expand a wharf. We shared the award of the contract last month, however Workboat publishes more details about the high-profile job that includes installation of significant numbers of PSC piling.

SJ Hamill Construction, LLC has a crew "making progress" through H-pile installation for a drainage project near the historic district in Charleston, SC.

Atlantic Metrocast, Inc. is supplying 24-foot PSC piles for a JV that is installing the elements for emergency repairs on Piers 41 & 42 at Naval Station Norfolk.

Industry news: 

• The outgoing Administration reversed mandating government-registered apprenticeship, pleasing business and labor groups. It was considered DOA under the incoming Administration. ENR published a story by Jeff Yoders, with a photo of a Clark Construction pile driving crew at work in Chicago.
• In the name of safety, NCCCO certifies operators on using dedicated pile driving rigs; it involves passing a field test and written exam. Dan Dickey from CIANBRO was honored as the 2 millionth operator to test for CCO certification.

Notes from the Field

Did I do that? An internal program for staff at Keller has a funny title, but is likely a critical resource. It's called Keller What Do We Actually Do? The final 2024 installment may have been the most important; engineering VP Tanner Blackburn presented on geotechnical engineering with a slide highlighting pile driving.

Three Score Pour is a spirit-filled salute (7.7% ABV) to 60 years of civil engineering at Boston-based GZA GeoEnvironmental. The annual beer creation from firm brewmasters debuted in December. The name refers to GZA's six decades of work (1 score = 20 x 3). The custom IPA is produced at Castle Island Brewery, GZA's partner in the annual initiative, which now offers it on tap. Raise your glass!

You Never Call Me By My Name  Would you name your baby after your employer? Haley Aldrich could work for a daughter. Katherine Coco, P.E., teased the idea, but it was just a setup to share a sweet, social media message of thanks to Haley & Aldrich for the supporting her during pregnancy. We still don't know the name of the baby girl, but congrats to Katherine on the addition to her Connecticut family.

Members or mates? The latest newsletter from Junttan had a story about the hot infrastructure market in Australia that keeps them busy with equipment orders. It made us think, could a PDCA chapter down under be viable? If so, we would suggest that Dr. Martin Larisch from engineering affiliate member Larisch Consulting in nearby New Zealand give one of his educational presentations at the next meeting.

Cheeky Rubbish or Bloody Cheers? PDCA members shared Holiday greetings and scenes from celebrations on social media. It's fun to see your teams and traditions; we hope it was a great season for all! A standout post came from across the pond, as its author gave readers a lesson in using adjectives. The Dawson Construction Plant Christmas dinner post shows that the Brits are the masters of the English language.

In this space in August's newsletter, some past PDCA Presidents gave predictions on how their favorite SEC college football teams would finish the regular season. John King was the only one spot-on accurate with a 9-3 prediction for the University of South Carolina. Good season, Gamecocks! Then, they reached their Bowl Game and the dream of a 10-win season ended with a crushing defeat by the superior University of Illinois. 

PDCA membership qualifies your company news for coverage in this publication; this is a FREE marketing channel and a benefit of your financial support of the driven pile industry. Not a member? Join PDCA today, Student, Academic Professional, and Government Employee memberships are offered at no cost.

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A Pile of News: December 2024

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 Dec. 2, 2024

Top of the Pile

Black tie ball for Buck? Votes are counted and new PDCA leadership will guide the organization next year; welcome 2025 Executive Committee and Board members:

• President: Buck Darling (Pres. and Dr. Inger Darling pictured below)
• Vice President: Chris Normand
• Secretary: Doug Keller
• Treasurer: Rich Anderson
• Past President: Brian Heck
• Board members: Harold Baur, Greg Canivan, Jim Dempsey, Diane Fischer, Mike Juneau, Randy Kelly, David Price, Brad Roberts, Condon Verble

Snow won't delay digital delivery  The newest issue of PileDriver magazine has just dropped in digital format. Read Issue #6-2024. Your hard copy is in the mail. ATTN Canucks: The ongoing Canada Post strike may delay your hard copy of PileDriver. Enjoy the digital edition in the meantime, and mailing to Canadian addresses will resume once the strike is over.

We're glad to have you! Welcome new members from Q4, to date:

• Associate: Alfred Miller Companies of Lake Charles, LA; Big Bear Pipe & Steel of Hesperia, CA; Empire Crane Company of North Syracuse, NY; Locke Solutions of Houston, TX; and SyteHawk of Metarie, LA.
• Engineering Affiliate: DRW Associates, Inc. from Twinsburg, OH; Soil & Materials Engineering, Inc., of Windsor, ON.
• Retired: Paul Bailey; Jim Cooke

From the Association & Chapters

Mark your calendars:

• Dec. 12: Value Driven Webinar Series, 2 PM EDT: Hear subject matter experts, including Justin Yard of Gulf Coast Prestress Partners, present Introduction to Precast/Prestressed Concrete Piles. FREE to members.
• Dec. 19: Pacific Coast Chapter Holiday Luncheon, Richmond, CA, 12; the popular, annual gathering for the season returns to the Biancoverde in the newly renovated Hotel Mac. Registration required, $100/person.
• Dec. 25-Jan. 1: Wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season!
• Jan. 8: Board & Brews, Hilton Clearwater Resort, Clearwater, FL, 5:307:30 PM:The first FREE PDCA networking reception of 2025. PDCA board members will attend, mix with regional industry. PDCA membership NOT required.
• Jan. 17, 2025: South Carolina Chapter Oyster Roast, Charleston, SC, 6 PM  This annual social event is a Lowcountry favorite that has grown to attract attendees from throughout the east coast. Thanks to the generous sponsors, the family-friendly gathering is FREE to the industry at Palmetto Pile Driving.
• Feb. 4-6: PDCA Annual Conference & Expo, San Antonio, TX  It's the signature event for the driven pile industry, coming to the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort. Impactful programs, a trade show, networking receptions, awards, PDCA committee meetings, optional golf and more. Register now!
• Feb. 13: PDCA Value Driven Webinar Series, 23 PM EST. Topic TBD. This bi-monthly program is FREE to PDCA members, others pay nominal registration.
• Feb. 13: South Carolina Chapter dinner meeting, Town and Country Inn & Suites, 69 PM, Charleston. More info coming to your inbox, soon.
• Feb. 27: Networking in Norfolk, Part Deux:  Details coming soon.

From the piledrivers.org blog:

• New president at PDCA Gulf Coast: Scott Williams will helm the chapter in 2025. Beau Haydel is VP, Scott Gros is secretary, and Tyler Roberts is treasurer. Elections took place on Nov. 22, after the annual clay shoot.
• Safety First: Have you utilized the FREE resources developed by the PDCA Safety and Environmental Committee? Download Toolbox Talks.
• Chapter awards student: PDCA South Carolina met in November to celebrate Citadel Cadet Grady Meeks, winner of annual Mac Nigels Scholarship. Presenter Scott Nigels (son of Mac), was honored for his years of service. The agenda included the 2025 leadership election, and a case study presentation.
• Women win leadership posts: Texas Chapter got together last month to elect new treasurer Erica Ferens and secretary Jene Adler. Their predecessors, Derek Brodnax and Mike Leal, are chapter-founding members who completed two-year terms. Matthew Knight and John Burns fill new, appointed roles.
• Vote early and often is an infamous phrase popularized last century in Chicago. Also rooted in Chicago, the team at Thatcher Foundations provided PDCA a photo of its staff sporting their 2024 I Voted stickers. The image was a key piece of PDCA GOTV efforts for the November election of 2025 leadership.

News from PDCA Companies

Acquisitions & expansions:

• JD Fields & Company has formalized a marketing and distribution agreement with Kubota Corporation. The steel manufacturer gains access to exclusively offer their Laqnican Mechanical Splice Joint technology in North America.
• Schnabel Engineering opens in Gladstone, MI (UP). The new midwest location offers geotechnical and other services. Matt Wachholz is principal. Elsewhere, the firm expands its New York metro office to include Jersey City.
• Tectonic Engineering Consultants, Geologists & Land Surveyors announces a strategic investment from Good Springs Capital. The Mountainville, NY firm, founded in 1986, expects continued growth and expansion.

Giving back:

• Bechtel Corporation donated tools and supplies to vocational education programs in the Sabine Pass and Port Arthur, Texas school districts. Their contributions will enhance programs that teach welding, millwrighting and more.
• D.A. Collins Construction awards scholarships to eight students of employees.
• GROUP Contractors supports emergency operations at Baton Rouge General Hospital; it served as title sponsor at the Foundation's annual TopGolf fundraiser.
• Sargent hosted University of Maine students in FIN 350; senior staff discussed business finance and ESOPs, held a lively Q&A and gave them a tour.
• Weeks Marine, Inc. resumed participation in Veterans Build Week by installing windows and sheathing for home builds in Perth Amboy, NJ. It is an initiative of Habitat for Humanity, which helps families in need in the community.

Recognitions:

• Locke Solutions is named by the Houston Chronicle as a top place to work.
• Geo-Technology Associates brought home the Wavemaker Award from the Urban Land Institute for its retrofit of Baltimore row houses into a unique apartment complex. The firm performed geotechnical engineering and testing.
• PND Engineers contributed to a new housing development at the U.S. Coast Guard Base Kodiak. The work won a project of excellence award from the Society of American Military Engineers Seattle & Mount Tacoma Post.

Governmental relations:

• Beard Construction Group business development rep Travis Frederic often circulates in Louisiana business and industry groups. He heard a presentation from U.S. Sen. Cassidy at a recent West Baton Rouge Chamber lunch.
• Power Engineering Construction overcame unforeseen challenges while driving 92 square concrete piles as part of its scope for the "significant" India Basin Waterfront Park in San Francisco. Outgoing Mayor Breed and area officials attended the grand opening for the $200M public park investment.
• Nucor leadership recognized outgoing U.S. Sen. Manchin with the Man of Steel Award. The West Virginia lawmaker was lauded for steadfast commitment to American manufacturing and work on the company's new mill in his state. Related: U.S. Rep Miller, also helpful with the mill, toured the developing site.
• Gerhart Cole principal engineer Ryan Maw served as a panelist alongside Utah State Rep. Christofferson and other stakeholders in Beehive State transportation matters. ACEC organized the Utah Transportation Conference.

Anniversaries:

• Liebherr reaches 75 years in business; the crane-maker proclaims that "innovation and reliability drive us." PDCA can relate. Congratulations!

People on the Move

Transitions:

• Brady Williams graduates Ohio State this month in civil engineering and has secured employment as an engineer at C.J. Mahan Construction.
• Matt Gibson onboards as a new safety specialist at Sargent, where he will coordinate with the construction crews in southern Maine and New Hampshire.
• MiKayla Beals has accepted a job with The Walsh Group, following her upcoming graduation from Purdue. Fortuitously, company co-chair Dan Walsh recently visited the West Lafayette, IN-based school to guest lecture a PM class, appear on a podcast, and personally welcome MiKayla to the team.
• Coleman Kitchens is new sales engineer at John Lawrie Tububulars. The Auburn grad brings four years of geotech experience to the Houston supplier.
• Barry Jenkins retires as an engineering technician at Thomas & Hutton, the Savannah, GA-based firm where he spent 39 years of his career.

Recognitions:

• Andi Vigue, CEO and chair at CIANBRO, credited the company's 3,500 employees for the successes for which he was honored during his induction into the Junior Achievement of Maine Business Hall of Fame.
• Cayden Isaiah Lee, son of Omar Lee, an operator at Blue Iron Foundations & Shoring, graduated USMC boot camp at Camp Pendleton.
• Dan Fowler, VP at J. Fletcher Creamer & Son in New Jersey, visited his daughter's class for STEAM career week, where he engaged students in a discussion about how AEC careers impact the modern, built environment.
• Eric Wong from Jacksonville, FL, led all Manson Construction colleagues from five U.S. offices in "total steps" for November. The company held the Move for Movember Step Challenge to inspire staying active and supporting men's health.
• Ryan Cullen, Mike Cyr, Carter Patterson, Brandon Powell and Hunter Proffitt from Sargent graduated a course on fundamentals for construction supervision offered through a Virginia industry organization.
• Jerry Outlaw from Ardaman & Associates is honored by the WTS Greater Baton Rouge Chapter as the 2024 Honorable Ray LaHood Man of the Year.

Sending sympathies:

• Mark Guin (19552024) is remembered as an "extraordinary individual" who bolstered the "reputation of reliability and quality" of Scott Bridge Company, where he served as VP of equipment. After passing unexpectedly, he was laid to rest on Nov. 22, in Opelika, AL. He leaves behind wife Kay and two daughters.

On the Job

DFI Piling, Inc. hosted Demo Day at its Conroe, TX yard. The lunch and learn event attracted more than 35 professionals from Texas and Louisiana. Attendees got to see action from their custom hammers and cranes, manufacturing operations and more.

Manson Construction is involved in a Myrtle Beach, SC, project, where crews are fortifying the waterfront to better mitigate imminent storm surges. And at an adjacent job site, we've learned that GeoQuip, Inc. hammers were used for a pier rebuild.

Orion secures more than $100M in new contracts expected to start in 2025. The marine group will install PSC piling at the Port of Charleston, SC, for one project, and through a subcontract, it will build a pedestrian bridge in downtown Tampa, FL.

R. Kremer & Son Marine Contractors, LLC can't help you avoid the water hazard, but they have improved the aesthetics of the shoreline with the wood bulkhead they built on hole #7 at Metedeconk National Golf Club in Jackson, NJ.

Reagan Marine Construction completed the first of multiple bulkheads it is building for the U.S. Navy in Newport, RI. Crews installed steel sheets from Nucor Skyline with an International Construction Equipment 44B. Work has begun on the second wall.

SJ Hamil Construction has a crew in Savannah, GA, performing maintenance and remodeling of waterfront installations at the Kinder Morgan Southern LNG facility.

JD Fields & Co. supplied materials for the HZ-M combi-wall system that construction crews in Forestville, QC, installed using ICE, Inc. machinery. It will become part of the revitalized municipal wharf at the regional transportation and business hub.

Trinity Products is secured as the supplier for OD pipe to create 946 king piles, which will be installed to construct a cofferdam for a new dredged material management facility for various public entities at Milwaukee's harbor.

Peirce Engineering provided critical analysis on slope stability at the Indian River Inlet in Delaware, which, upon USACE approval, allowed a contractor to install sheet piling.

Thomas & Hutton is part of the development of the South Atlantic Logistic Terminal near the SC/GA border. It provided civil engineering for the complex. Michael Roach, Jim Collins, Brad Rife were at the groundbreaking, which made local TV.



Industry news:

• Atlas Tube parent sues Mexico for dishonest trade practices, alleging tariff avoidance through fraudulently stamping Chinese and Indian steel.
• Giken is part of the Space Construction Innovation Project in Japan. The manufacturer has conducted scientific tests like simple SLTs on its foundation equipment and findings suggest that Press-In piling technology is optimal for foundations on the moon. This is part of that giant step for mankind.

Notes from the Field

Full cylone  Bowen PM Mark Cvetkovich was in Ames, IA, with colleague Jay Watts, recruiting students to the building company. Mark recruited Jay there, 10 years ago. Chances are it was a more lively campus this year since Cyclone football is at the top of the Big 12 with a chance for a Natty. In 2014, not so much.

Dark horse  who would've thought a decade ago that Dallas-based SMU would be in, and would be the team to beat, in the Atlantic Coast Conference? A big part of the Mustangs' success as a P5 league-leader has been JD Fields & Co.'s NIL partner, junior wide receiver Roderick Daniels Jr., whom the Dallas Morning News featured for his clutch play and on-field versatility.

The 13th Man  Football fans can agree that the renewed rivalry game between Texas and Texas A&M is good. NCAA conference realignments enabled the resumption of the storied Lone Star Showdown this year. The Horns and Aggies met Saturday in College Station for their first meeting since 2011. Fun fact, a sister company of Kingdom Pipe & Steel handles waste management at Kyle Field; they earned their money yesterday!

This bet is a Locke  Through a new partnership, Houston-based, international supplier of precast concrete products, Locke Solutions is an official 2024 sponsor of Houston Rockets basketball.

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season: PDCA is thankful to the driven pile industry for supporting this organization as a member, participant, content contributor or even just a reader of A Pile of News. We are closing out another year, however, PDCA is excited for 2025, which will bring you a variety of impactful programming, unique opportunities and continued advocacy for the driven pile. Don't miss out!

Holiday-themed observations from the social sphere to close out 2024: At Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction, company swag matters; marketing graphics can double as Christmas cards. Lally Pipe & Tube resurrects a neo-traditional Christmas theme with a new claymation-like marketing series, sans Rudolph. Veit could've been in the North Pole, AK, rather than Duluth, MN, when it participated in the Christmas City of the North Parade. From where we sit (the south), there doesn't appear to be much difference. Have a happy and safe holiday season, y'all!

RLW marketer Kelsee Bishop and family sport RLW gear. This could be a holiday card!