Hussein Appointed to Chair PDCA Technical Committee

October 3, 2023

'Going viral on the Internet' or 'being a social media influencer' were likely not among his goals when he joined GRL Engineers, Inc. back in 1982, but 40+ years later, Mohamad Hussein, P.E. is on his way to achieving both feats according to the analytics on PDCA's LinkedIn page. The highly accomplished, affable, and revered engineering professional was appointed by the PDCA Board of Directors to Chair the important PDCA Technical Committee, a role that has significantly impacted the driven pile industry during the past two decades. PDCA issued a LinkedIn announcement welcoming Hussein to committee leadership, and it quickly generated a flurry of 'impressions' and other user activity in support of the appointment.

Regarding the PDCA Technical Committee, the late Dale Biggers of Boh Bros. Construction chaired the panel for several years, during which time it was highly consequential for the deep foundations industry. One recent, significant accomplishment of the group was rewriting the deep foundations section of the International Building Code (IBC), the majority of which was formally adopted by the IBC governing board in early 2021.

Hussein has been consistent educational contributor and, at many levels, an engaged member at PDCA. For years, the newly-minted Executive Director of Global Industry Relations at GRL Engineers, Inc. and Pile Dynamics, Inc. has contributed to the PDCA Technical Committee, and he was kind enough to answer a few of our questions regarding his new role in the organization:

Why did you decide to accept the chair position for the PDCA Technical Committee?
(MH) The PDCA represents driven piles and plays a major role in the deep foundations industry, and the Technical Committee plays an essential role within the PDCA. I believe it is important that the crucial work of the committee continues after the relative slow down following the passing of its legendary past Chairman Dale Biggers (God bless his soul). I enthusiastically accepted to Chair the Technical Committee in order to serve the interests of the PDCA membership and the industry at large with state-of-the-art technical work to help advance the state-of-the-practice.

What will be your first priority for the Technical Committee?
(MH) The primary function of the Technical Committee is to develop and maintain PDCA's design and installation specifications. There are perhaps other activities that the Committee may be able to undertake which further serve the membership's interests. I intend to start by reaffirming the commitment to actively serve current committee members and reach out to others with driven piles expertise from the fields of engineering, construction, and academia to also join the committee. Collaboration with other industry organizations' technical committees in areas of common interests with the PDCA's may also be another area where an initiative can possibly be pursued.

PDCA committee participation is voluntary and can become a significant commitment. What qualities are you looking for in members of this committee?
(MH) As a Technical Committee member, one should have significant knowledge, experience, and expertise in the general area of driven piles foundations and be able and willing to energetically and positively participate in committee meetings and activities. Involvement of individuals from engineering, construction, suppliers, academia, public and private sectors, and other aspects of the pile driving industry is needed and welcome.