The Chapter is giving away fishing poles and a brand new ice chest - if you don't win this prize, you can try your
luck on the fishing slots following the Chapter's 2nd quarterly meeting at L'Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge!
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Gulf Coast Chapter to Host Quarterly Meeting on June 1 at Baton Rouge Casino
May 22, 2023The Chapter is giving away fishing poles and a brand new ice chest - if you don't win this prize, you can try your
luck on the fishing slots following the Chapter's 2nd quarterly meeting at L'Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge!
Pile Drivers Hammer Golf Balls at Annual Northeast Chapter Outreach Event
May 18, 2023
For the third year in a row, members of the PDCA Northeast Chapter congregated at TopGolf in Edison, NJ to hold a Meet and Greet social which was also an opportunity to introduce potential new members to the organization. Dozens of contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, and other affiliates of the driven pile industry enjoyed showcasing their golf swings, networking with colleagues and friends, filling up on BBQ, and hearing a briefing on the latest in PDCA news, both at the Chapter and national levels.
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Once all participants had arrived and settled in for the evening, President David Price publicly thanked event sponsors R. Kremer & Son Marine Contractors, Junttan USA, and Clydesdale Steel, before welcoming attendees and encouraging those who are not already members, to consider joining PDCA. He also gave the group a sneak preview of the next Chapter event coming August 11th, the very popular Annual Sporting Clays Fundraiser, which will again take place in Coplay, PA. Watch PDCA Publications and your inbox for forthcoming announcements. In support of the Northeast Chapter, staff from the PDCA office attended the TopGolf function and provided an update on news from the national organization.
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The PDCA Northeast Chapter thanks all members for ongoing support of the driven pile industry and hopes to see you again in August.
See who was SPOTTED at Annual TopGolf Meet and Greet and New Member Outreach event:
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Chapter Hears Tech Presentation about Below-Grade Parking Garages
May 15, 2023 Ric Anderson, PE, SE presents technical project story to SC Chapter |
 Marty Swain, Candi Stegall, Kent Parker, Pete Adams of Parker Marine Contracting |
Initially, it was an industry breakthrough for the Charleston, SC market. Now, it has become a prototype for similar driven pile projects in the fast-growing historical city on the eastern seaboard. Attendees at the Quarterly Dinner Meeting of the PDCA South Carolina Chapter heard a presentation entitled "Below-Grade Parking in Charleston" by Ric Anderson, PE, SE - Nucor Skyline. As the supplier of the structural steel for two underground parking garages, including The Bennett Hotel in 2017 and 595 King Street in 2019, Mr. Anderson discussed many of the technical considerations that builders encountered when constructing those facilities Local deep foundations contractor Parker Marine Contracting installed the driven pilings for both projects and several representatives from the company were in attendance to hear the presentation on May 11th.
In addition to the technical program, the meeting included a separate segment to honor Richard Gilbert for his years of dedicated industry contributions. Now retired, Mr. Gilbert spent decades with Nucor Skyline and was instrumental in growing and strengthening the PDCA Chapter in South Carolina up until his 2015 retirement. He was introduced by Chapter founder Harry Robbins and presented a miniature pile driving rig trophy for his years of work advocating the driven pile.
(L-R) Richard Gilbert, Harry Robbins
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SC Chapter members honor Gilbert
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The PDCA South Carolina Chapter thanks all attendees of the May Quarterly Dinner Meeting, the group will next convene on August 10 at the Town and Country Inn & Suites in Charleston. Watch for future announcements in your inbox and on the PDCA Events Calendar online for forthcoming registration information. All 2023 Quarterly Dinner Meetings of the Chapter are brought to you by PDCA members Koppers, Nucor Skyline, Junttan USA, Palmetto Pile Driving, Inc., ECS Limited, and ICE-International Construction Equipment.
See who was SPOTTED at the PDCA South Carlina Chapter dinner:
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This Month in PDCA History...20 Years Ago, A Chapter Was Born
May 11, 2023
L-R: Harry Robbins, John King, Richard Gilbert, Marty Swain
Did you know...The PDCA South Carolina Chapter incorporated as a registered nonprofit organization 20 years ago this month and held its first Membership Meeting on May 6, 2003. The Chapter affiliated with the international organization and was designed to provide a local presence that, to this day, serves and educates the driven pile industry primarily in The Palmetto State while also reaching interested parties in North Carolina and Georgia.
The first meeting of the PDCA South Carolina Chapter was held at T-Bonz, a former steakhouse in Mount Pleasant, SC. The charter leadership team consisted of founding member and president Harry Robbins of Palmetto Pile Driving, vice president John King of Pile Drivers, Inc., and secretary/treasurer Andrea Edwards of what was Cox Industrial and today is Koppers. The initial at-large board members included John Parker of Parker Marine Contracting Corp., Richard Gilbert of Nucor Skyline Steel, Bob Musselwhite of Cape Romain Contractors, and Keith Plemmons of The Citadel.
While some of the founding members have entered retirement or moved on in different capacities, some of them are still active with PDCA today. Several of them participated in a Charleston golf outing this month and gathered to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the PDCA Chapter they established. And if you know anything about the PDCA South Carolina Chapter, you know that they are strong proponents of industry swag...and as you would expect, they produced a stadium cup to mark their two decades in existence.
PDCA thanks all current and former members of the PDCA South Carolina Chapter for its work in establishing a strong, singular voice for the driven pile in a critical, American marketplace. In addition to its work successfully building a robust coalition of contractors, equipment manufacturers, industry suppliers and civil engineers, it has also started and continues great industry traditions such as the Annual Oyster Roast which draws attendees from throughout the eastern U.S. to Charleston every January. Make sure to watch the PDCA Events calendar for upcoming dates for all PDCA Chapters.
Annual Scholarship Shoot Raises Funds for West Coast Students
May 5, 2023 |
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One of the most highly anticipated events each year at the PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter is the annual Scholarship Shoot, a competitive target shooting outing which attracts members and supporters throughout California and beyond. This year's event took place on April 28, 2023 on what turned out to be a perfect weather day at Bird's Landing, the event venue located midway between Sacramento and San Francisco.
The festivities began at 8:00 AM with registration and breakfast as more than 125 participants made their way to the Solano County gun range. Shooters were provided with 100 targets, 100 rounds of ammo, ear and eye protection, BBQ lunch, and beverages. As usual, a large variety of amazing raffle and auction prizes were also distributed to those who chose to test their luck. All money raised is distributed to rising or current college students who are pursuing higher education in a construction and/or engineering field.
The 2023 Pacific Coast Chapter Scholarship Shoot was made possible by several sponsors, including PDCA Members Foundation Constructors, CS Marine Constructors, Inc., Stroer and Graff, Balfour Beatty, Pileco, Nucor Skyline, and JD Fields & Company. Special thanks to Pacific Coast Chapter President Dermot Fallon for his continued commitment to promoting construction careers to younger generations through a coveted scholarship program.
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See You at the Northeast Chapter TopGolf Meet and Greet
April 28, 2023
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Northeast Chapter Delivers 2023 Professional Develoement Course
March 30, 2023 |
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The 2023 PDCA Northeast Chapter Professional Development Course took place Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at George Harms Construction Company, Inc.; dozens of industry professionals heard enriching presentations from leaders in deep foundation construction.
Among the presenters was Dr. Cathy Aimone-Martin who has more than 40 years experience as an applied researcher in vibration monitoring and structure response and she shared her thoughts on Vibrations In Pile Driving. This topic is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented considerations about the pile driving process. Other topics she addressed:
- Ground vibrations for pile driving
- Site attenuation model - vibration vs distance
- Structure response to pile driving
- Vibration standards
- Responding to complaints
- Pile driving vs Mother Nature
- Need for more data
Later, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers (MRCE) presented on practical design of driven piles for foundations. The following are the professionals from the New York engineering firm who participated in the program, along with the subjects they addressed:Andrew Tognon - Proven Design Concepts to Improve Pile Performance
- Field testing of the performance of driven taper tip piles vs drilled displacement piles in subsurface conditions ideally suited for both types of displacement piles
- Comparative performance during axial and lateral load testing
- Please click this link to read the full Andrew Tognon Bio
James Tantalla - Use of Driven Piles for Ground Improvement
- An overview of various ground improvement techniques and discuss different applications of driven piles to ground improvement including settlement mitigation, densification, column supported embankments, and slope stabilization.
- Please click this link to read the full James Tantalla Bio
Walter Kaeck - Geotechnical Considerations in Selection & Design of Driven Pile Foundations
- A review of suitability of alternative driven pile types in different site and ground conditions. This presentation included case histories to illustrate successes and failures o alternative piles in various ground conditions.
- Please click this link to read the full Walter Kaeck Bio
Sitotaw Fantaye - Use of Driven Piles for SOE and Retaining Walls
- An overview of the use of driven pilles as they relate to excavation support, retaining walls, and flood walls from conventional H piles to large diameter pipe piles with case histories to illustrate design concepts and methods to evaluate and mitigate impacts when driving in close proximity to existing structures.
- Please click this link to read the full Sitotaw Fantaye Bio
Professional Development Hours (PDH) were provided for participants that will apply to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Thanks to Program and Lunch sponsor for significant support for the 2023 PDCA NE Chapter Professional Development Course.
Texas Chapter Announces 4/11 Meeting, Networking Happy Hour
March 28, 2023
| You're invited to join the Texas chapter for our Q2 meeting & Networking Happy Hour on April 11 from 4:30 - 6:30pm at St. Arnold's Brewing Company, graciously hosted by Service Steel Warehouse. Please RSVP by clicking this link! Saint Arnold Brewing Company 2000 Lyons Ave. | Houston, TX 77020 |
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Pacific Coast Chapter: 12th Annual Scholarship Shoot Coming April 28th
March 21, 2023 |
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Scenes from the 2022 PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter Scholarship Shoot at Birds Landing, CA
The Pile Driving Contractors Association Pacific Coast Chapter 12th Annual Scholarship Shoot is coming Friday, April 28, 2023, to Birds Landing Hunting Preserve, at 2099 Collinsville Road, Birds Landing, CA. Registration starts at 8:00 AM and the action begins at 9:00 AM. Stick around for lunch (included), immediately after you complete the shoot.
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Northeast Chapter Professional Development Course Coming March 29
March 9, 2023
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