The 2026 PDCA Annual Conference officially got underway on July 7 with a lively Welcome Reception that immediately set the tone for the week. Many attendees proudly wore the commemorative resort-style conference shirt, featuring a custom embroidered logo celebrating the theme, Pile Driving Around the World. They either picked up their pre-ordered shirt or purchased one in the pop-up PDCA Store before joining colleagues for an evening of food, drinks, music, and networking in the indoor/outdoor venue.
The reception gave longtime industry friends an opportunity to reconnect; there were plenty of first-time attendees, such as new member contractors, suppliers, engineers, and students who quickly established new industry relationships during the kick-off networking event.. The global conference theme was reflected throughout the venue with festive décor, sponsorship displays, and a large world map where attendees pinned business cards to locations of their pile driving projects. By week's end, the map was nearly covered, highlighting the remarkable worldwide reach of the driven pile industry. A prize drawing added a fun finish to the popular activity.
The reception gave longtime industry friends an opportunity to reconnect; there were plenty of first-time attendees, such as new member contractors, suppliers, engineers, and students who quickly established new industry relationships during the kick-off networking event.. The global conference theme was reflected throughout the venue with festive décor, sponsorship displays, and a large world map where attendees pinned business cards to locations of their pile driving projects. By week's end, the map was nearly covered, highlighting the remarkable worldwide reach of the driven pile industry. A prize drawing added a fun finish to the popular activity.
Welcome Reception
It all starts at Registration
The PDCA 'Pop-Up' Store
Pile Driving Around the World
How it started...
....then attendees arrived...
...and the map filled up!
All the business cards from map were thrown in a bowl for a random drawing, facilitated by Jill Harris and Buck Darling, during the closing ceremony...
PDCA President Chris Normand announced the winners; Omar Pareja, Dr. Dick Hartman, and Harold Baur were among those to receive $100 in PDCA Bucks - congratulations!
