Rich Anderson, Equipment Corporation of America
Rich Anderson started his position with Equipment Corporation of America (ECA) in 2010, and has been a part of the pile driving industry ever since. Prior to ECA, he worked in the commercial building supply industry and found the transition to deep foundations fairly seamless.
Anderson works extensively with second and third generation family-owned companies, and enjoys sharing in their pride and passion for the business.
"I knew I had to be a part of that passion when choosing my path," said Anderson. "The people are what make working in the industry so enjoyable."
According to him, it's the relationships that he's been able to form that keep him looking forward to coming to work each day. As well, day-to-day challenges are always different and present ample opportunities for innovative problem solving to help his clients in the best possible manner.

Joining PDCA
"PDCA is the industry leader for the pile driving industry when it comes to standards, policy, procedures and education," said Anderson. "By coming together as a team, we constantly prove that pile driving is the preferred method in the foundation industry."
Anderson says that ECA frequently takes advantage of the many educational seminars PDCA hosts throughout the year. He also mentions that as ECA has several branches throughout North America, employees across the U.S. are able to take part in different local PDCA chapters.
It was his involvement in the board of the PDCA of the Northeast Chapter that sparked Anderson's interest in serving on the PDCA national Board of Directors.
"I wanted to be part of a team that made changes in an industry that I care deeply about," he said. "I consider my role as a member of the PDCA Board of Directors to fulfill the tasks and duties to carry out our mission statement to the best of my abilities."

Rob Braden, Skyline Steel
Rob Braden joined Skyline Steel, the largest supplier of steel foundation products, in 1998 as an outside sales rep working out of the Virginia office, serving and supporting contractors in the Mid-Atlantic area. In 2015, Braden became part of the leadership of Skyline, joining the executive team as vice president of sales, responsible for piling sales in all of North America. Prior to joining Skyline, Braden worked for Shirley Contracting (a heavy/highway contractor in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area) for 10 years, as a project engineer and then project manager. 
During an almost 20-year career at Skyline, Braden has recognized the value of PDCA. 
"I have enjoyed witnessing over the years the involvement of many of my teammates at Skyline Steel, at the different local and national levels within PDCA," he said. "In the early 2000s, while a sales rep in Virginia, I was part of a group, directed by Steve Hall, to establish the PDCA Mid-Atlantic Chapter. That initial opportunity to be involved with PDCA sparked my desire to do more, ultimately leading to my opportunity to serve on the board, for which I am grateful."
The values and vision of PDCA align very well not only with Skyline Steel's, but also Braden's own. 
"PDCA offers a great platform to promote innovation and advancement, not only in the pile driving industry but also in the construction industry as a whole," said Braden. "While earning my civil engineering degree at Virginia Tech, I look back and [recognize] the lack of class time related to the use of piling solutions for foundation designs, so opportunities to promote education of piling into college curricula are important to me as well as Skyline." 
Additionally, being a part of the Steel Sheet Pile Committee is an exciting avenue for the sharing of best practices, new applications and the latest advancements in construction, including a higher level of awareness directed towards safety. 
Braden is very excited and thankful to be part of a group that values all of these important facets of the industry. 
"I have had the chance to interact and network with many board members and seeing the commitment of Steve, Debbie and Marian allows any board member to feel comfortable, involved and ready to contribute from the 'jump!'" t