Get Engaged, PDCA
April 8, 2019As with anything in life, the more engaged we all become, the more our teams become energized. I have always found that the more interaction I have with my team and the more we emphasize our company's strategic goals, the greater the benefit for us, our clients and even our suppliers. Coming out of PDCA's strategic planning, I feel renewed listening to members from contracting companies, just like mine, who want to get all the benefits out of working together with PDCA and its members.
Being involved and interactively discussing common ground can and does produce a positively charged energy. I want all PDCA members to discover this type of energy by getting involved. There is no better time for all member companies to be active with PDCA. One of the easiest tricks to get involved starts with logging into your PDCA web portal. If you don't know how, it's easy:
Type in your company email address (not a generic email address such as info@yourcompany.com your own email address at your company) and click "recover password." If that doesn't work, call the PDCA office at 904-215-4771, and they can take care of you it will be completed in the time it takes you to make your coffee.
And, of course, for those of you reading this message in PileDriver magazine, there are numerous opportunities outlining how you can get more involved in PDCA in the pages. One of the most important opportunities includes attending our 2019 PDCA ExPEERience:
Read more about this year's PDCA ExPEERience starting on page 55 of this issue of PileDriver.
PDCA's 2019 vision: Where you fit in
PDCA is quickly diving into 2019 with an outstanding strategic plan that focuses on engagement, education and outreach.
Our Board of Directors has been working diligently to find the best ways to interact with other organizations involved with the driven pile industry and that are in need of our expertise to enhance their programs.
In keeping with that plan, the PDCA Communications Committee will be working hand-in-hand with the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI)'s Driven Pile Committee on several projects; and the PDCA Education and Safety Committees are considering a much-needed ground safety program to be adopted by certain training organizations.
The above efforts, when more developed, will undoubtedly pay dividends when it comes to strengthening the driven pile industry. But one PDCA committee has overwhelmingly taken the lead as far as cross-organizational outreach, and has already had a direct positive impact on our industry. The PDCA Technical Committee has been engaged in a collaborative effort with DFI to improve the IBC 1810 Foundation Section (International Building Code 1810).
This has been an ongoing partnership since 2012 and deserves more recognition than it has been given. This project continues to gain strength, again via partnerships, and the participant group has taken to calling itself the 1810 GeoCoalition Code Committee. The partners on the 1810 GeoCoalition Code Committee come from strong groups of contributors and are lead by the committee chairman (and the chair of PDCA's Technical Committee), Dale Biggers of Boh Bros.
The 37 members participating in the 1810 GeoCoalition Code Committee are from the following groups:
PDCA Technical Committee
DFI Code and Standards Committee
DFI Augercast Committee
DFI Helical Committee
ADSC Drilled Shaft Committee
ADSC Micropile Committee
If updating building codes and discussing future safety qualifications and accreditations are not what speak to you as you venture into becoming a more engaged PDCA member, there are myriad other options available to you.
All of PDCA's active committees would love your ongoing involvement, and at the very least would be thankful for your input to identify like-minded organizations that PDCA should be partnering with. Help PDCA by telling our committees what you think the most important association initiatives should be. Find a list of PDCA committees and the contact information for each chairperson on page 18 of this issue of PileDriver. And you can always reach out to me or any of PDCA's staff members to discuss your options!
PDCA Project of the Year Awards
For members looking for some more immediate engagement gratification, the PDCA Communications Committee is accepting submittals for the PDCA 2019 Project of the Year Awards. The Project of the Year Award program is open to all PDCA membership categories contractors, associates and engineering affiliates. The deadline to submit your project is April 26 and the winners will be announced at the PDCA 22nd Annual International Conference & Expo 2019 in July. You and your company automatically benefit by sharing your project; all entries will be published in PileDriver magazine.
PDCA Member Engagement Campaign and Awards
For the PDCA members that are already actively involved in our rapidly growing organization, we have something new for you. (The opportunities for PDCA members to become more involved in the organization seem to grow on trees!)
The Associate Member Council, which helps grow our organization and whose members sponsor our events, has created the PDCA Member Company Engagement Campaign and Awards! This program is a very straightforward involvement campaign whereby PDCA members evaluate their own company's engagement with the association. Check it out on the PDCA website and see if your company is a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum member!
Again, to log in, just type in your personalized company email address and click "recover password," or log in if you've previously done so. If you encounter any difficulty, call the PDCA office (904-215-4771) and they can get you access in no time.
Once you've logged in, go to the Member Engagement content and check off the boxes you have completed.
Active members will be honored at the annual conference in July, so complete your evaluations ASAP! The deadline to have your activities considered for an award at our annual event is May 1, so don't delay. This is an easy way to get you and your company recognized at PDCA's largest meeting!
In closing, thank you to every PDCA member for your support and participation. I'll see you in July in sunny Orlando, Fla. at the PDCA 22nd Annual International Conference and Expo 2019!
Pile on!