PDCA Chapters Set Variety of Fall Events: Happy Hour-ing, Learning, Golfing:

September 10, 2026

Take the opportunity to engage locally with PDCA and consider attending one or more of the upcoming PDCA Chapter events this fall. Three PDCA Chapters offer a variety of functions this September and October; among them are a networking Happy Hour, a dinner program, and a golf tournament.

Texas Chapter Golf Tournament Sept. 22
The PDCA Texas Chapter hosts its 4th Annual Golf Tournament at Wildcat Golf Club in Houston. Golfers of all skill levels are welcome, with foursome, twosome and single-player options available. Not a golfer? Tee-box tent exhibits and sponsorship opportunities provide other ways to participate and connect with attendees. Following golf, the Chapter will announce the winning students who applied for the 2026 PDCA Texas Chapter Scholarship.

South Carolina Chapter Fall Kickoff Oct. 1
Join the PDCA South Carolina Chapter at Holy City Brewing in Charleston from 69 p.m. for a relaxed evening of food, drinks and networking. Registration is $25 per person and includes food and an open bar. Reconnect with your industry colleagues and friends in a casual environment. We hear that the weather in Charleston is lovely in October! Sponsorship opportunities are available.

Gulf Coast Chapter Annual Dinner Oct. 15
The PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter welcomes members and industry professionals to its 2026 Annual Dinner Meeting at the Golden Nugget Biloxi Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. From 5:458 p.m., attendees can enjoy cocktails, networking, a Deer Island dinner buffet and presentations from featured industry speakers. Book a room and enjoy the beach, the casino, and everything else available in southern Missippi.

Three events. Three great opportunities to strengthen industry connections. Mark your calendar and make plans to join your fellow PDCA members this fall!

Texas Golf Tournament

South Carolina Happy Hour

Gulf Coast Dinner

Posted in Chapter News Gulf Coast, Chapter News South Carolina, Chapter News Texas.

Crawfish, Collaboration, and Continuing Education at PDCA Gulf Coast

March 13, 2026

The PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter brought the driven pile industry together for two days of networking, education, and southern hospitality on March 11-12.

A traditional crawfish boil on March 11 kicked-off the 2026 Engineering Conference. It provided contractors, engineers, suppliers, and industry partners a relaxed environment to reconnect and strengthen relationships. The casual setting made it easy for attendees to catch up with colleagues, meet new faces in the industry, and enjoy one of the region's favorite delicacies. The evening served as the perfect prelude for the busy day ahead.

The focus shifted to professional development the next day as the Chapter held the 2026 Engineering Conference, a program it offers every other spring. The day-long educational program offered attendees up to seven Professional Development Hours (PDH) while they learned about a range of technical and professional topics relevant to today's pile driving and foundation construction industry.

Presentations included "How Legislation Impacts the Business of Engineering," delivered by Barker Dirmann of ACEC Louisiana. Scott Wall of Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering presented "Lessons Learned in Pile Driving: A Journey from the Dense Sand and Soft Clays Along the Atlantic Coast to the Karst Terrain of the Appalachian Mountains."

Technical insights continued with "Measuring Structural Response Resulting from Pile Driving Vibrations," presented by Dr. Cathy Martin of Aimone-Martin Associates. Attendees also heard "From Control to Digital Twin: How Survey, Datums, and Reality Capture Govern Pile Accuracy," presented by Brad Holleman of Forte and Tablada.

Additional sessions included "Design & Construction Optimization of Driven Precast/Prestressed Concrete Piles," presented by David Tomley, and an important professional session on Ethics delivered by Chris Knotts of Neel-Schaffer.

The chapter also recognized the generous support of event sponsors, including ICE International Construction Equipment, JD Fields & Co, Sealevel Construction, PVE USA Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering, Meever USA, GRL Engineers, Inc.,Gulf Coast Pre-Stress Partners, and Nucor Skyline.

The Chapter gives special appreciation to Ms. Lisa Smith of Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering for her efforts in planning and delivering the 2026 Engineering Conference. Lisa is pictured in the two photos above with Conference presenters, and with Marian Phillips and Frank Peters from PDCA.

With a blend of education, networking, and regional flavor, the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter delivered an event that reinforced the value of bringing the driven pile community together.
Watch your inbox and the Events Calendar on the PDCA website for announcements about more opportunities to engage with the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter in 2026.

PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter Crawfish Boil - March 11, 2026

PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter Engineers Conference - March 12, 2026

Posted in Chapter News Gulf Coast.

Gulf Coast Chapter Closes 2025 With Annual Clay Shoot

November 24, 2025

Members and friends of the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter got together for the annual clay shoot on November 21st. In its second year at the Covey Rise Gun Club, about an hour north of New Orleans, around 60 registrants gathered for the competitive shooting event, followed by the Chapter's final meeting of 2025.

The event was made possible by the large group of participants, but also Shooting Station and Event Sponsors. The PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter thanks the following sponsors for supporting the annual competition: Nucor Skyline, ICE-International Construction Equipment, Sealevel Construction, PVE USA, Bell Lumber & Pole, and F-S Prestress.

Chapter President Scott Williams served as the event host. He offered welcoming comments, facilitated the safety presentation, launched the competition, and when shooting finished, he announced the winners (see photos below). Later during lunch, he presided over the Chapter meeting, which included the election of the 2026 Chapter officers.

Team and individual winner photos are shown below, followed by some scenes from the event: