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.