For the purpose of maximizing pile driving advocacy, PDCA has established various deep foundations industry relationships to promote the driven pile through available channels. One such relationship is with the Deep Foundations Institute, or DFI. The education-focused organization gathers members of the industry on various occasions each year and PDCA serves as a Cooperating Organization at some of these events, the DFI Annual Conference is one of them. This event took place October 31-November 3, 2023, in Seattle, WA, and PDCA was on-location to support the event, engage with members who are DFI participants, and to attend various pile driving specific sessions that take place as part of the Conference, such as the Driven Pile Committee meeting, co-chaired by PDCA members Greg Canivan of S&ME, Inc. and Seth Hamblin of GTR Engineering Sciences, (pictured).

(L-R) Seth Hamblin, Greg Canivan

Dr. Katherine Petek

The event featured several educational sessions where PDCA members, academics and public officials presented content related to pile driving. PDCA congratulates longtime member Dr. Katherine Petek (pictured) of Shannon & Wilson, Inc., who served the 2023 DFI Annual Conference as Technical Program Co-Chair. PDCA member companies who presented content included Schnabel Engineering, Terracon, Universal Engineering Sciences, GEOKON, GRL Engineers, Inc., Giken USA, and Bauer Equipment America, in addition to representatives of Seattle-based, Shannon & Wilson.

Several PDCA Members participated in the DFI Annual Conference as exhibitors and sponsors. The Exhibit Hall was at capacity and the expansive space featured nearly 30 PDCA member companies who engaged with attendees about pile driving. They included:

American Piledriving Equipment (APE) Alaska Rubber Group  Associated Pile & Fitting Atlas Tube Bauer Equipment America CZM Foundation Equipment Dawson Contruction Plant LTD. Duroterra Equipment Corporation of America (ECA) GEOKON Giken Hammer & Steel JD Fields & Co. Jinnings Equipment

Junttan USA Keller Liebherr Meever USA Morris-Shea Bridge Company Nucor Skyline OMS Pile Driving Equipment GMBH PACO Ventures PDI, Inc./GRL Engineers, Inc. Pinnacle Drilling Products PVE Equipment USA Samuel Roll Form Group Service Steel Warehouse Sheet Pile LLC

Numerous PDCA members provided sponsorship of various activities at the DFI event, including the Women in Deep Foundations Reception, a 5K Fun Run, and more. The generous benefactors for these peripheral events included:

Bauer Equipment America ECA PDI, Inc./GRL Engineers, Inc. ICE-International Construction Equipment, Inc. Junttan USA Keller APE CZM Foundation Equipment

Liebherr Triad Metals Piling GEOKON Terracon Mammoth Carbon Products JD Fields & Co.  GTR Engineering Sciences

The DFI Annual Conference reported to have around 950 attendees this year, offering them a wide variety of sessions and activities. PDCA staff was on-site and captured photos of various sites at the event. The photos below depict PDCA members who were SPOTTED during networking opportunities and the Women in Deep Foundations Reception which took place on Halloween. Enjoy!