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| From the Association & Chapters |
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Please join us for the PDCA 2020 Annual Conference Webinar Series, a five-part event coming to you via Zoom on the first Wednesday of the next five months, beginning this week. Registration is FREE to PDCA members; non-members can access the professional development content for $50 per session (ask us about applying your registration to a new PDCA membership). Following completion of each program, you will receive Professional Development Hours (PDH) credit.
- Webinar Series #1 (click to register) Aug. 5, 2020 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
3:004:00 PM Effects of Substance Abuse on the Construction Industry by Rick Kalson, Esq.
4:005:00 PM Are Ethics Ruining Your Business? by Dr. Brad Allenby
- Webinar Series #3 Oct. 7, 2020 (time, TBA)
Working Platforms Update by Peggy Hagerty Duffy, ADSC
- Webinar Series #4 Nov. 4, 2020 (time, TBA)
You've Stopped Getting Paid, Now What? by C. Ryan Maloney, Esq.
- Webinar Series #5 Dec. 2, 2020 (time, TBA)
Tilting at Windmills: Don Quixote Meets the International Building Code by Dale Biggers
Cue the Rocky theme song. If you haven't already, read the latest issue of PileDriver magazine, which goes in-depth on the winning entries in the 2020 PDCA Project of the Year Awards.
Will it be on the test? The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) Pile Driver Exam Management Committee welcomes two tenured practitioners with significant operational experience: PDCA members Tim Dutton, VP at Junttan USA Inc. and Joe Kinworthy, manager at Equipment Corporation of America begin service when the committee next convenes in October.
New member shout-out: Welcome Poydras Logistics Group, LLC and managing member Robert Lloyde. The New Orleans-based, non-asset carrier provides logistics services throughout the continental U.S.
Chapter events
- Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the PDCA of South Carolina has canceled its third quarter dinner meeting scheduled for August 13
- Gulf Coast: Likewise, the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter has also canceled its third quarter dinner meeting scheduled for August 20
Latest legal resources from PDCA member law firms
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Expansions:
- Shannon & Wilson, Inc. opens Chicago office; Jason Buenker and Jason Funk lead operations
- Universal Engineering Sciences acquires Georgia-based Contour Engineering, LLC
- Samuel Roll Form Group sister-company Associated Tube Group nears completion of 284,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Birmingham. Operations expected before December 31st.
Anniversaries:
- 1910: New York City was America's biggest city with almost 5 million. A few of them got together that year to form Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers. Happy 110th birthday, MRCE!
- 1980: As a Californian won the White House, a California pile driving company was born. Join us in congratulating Stroer & Graff, Inc. of Antioch, CA for 40 years of building deep foundations!
Recognitions:
- Massman Construction gets national accolades for a Louisiana lock and dam repair project
- Cape Romain Contractors is recognized for work on "Connecting the Creek" in Mt. Pleasant, SC, which has been selected as the 2020 Public Works Project of the Year
- Clark Construction earns a "first place" from the National Association of Women in Construction
- NOLA.com names Canal Barge Company to the list of 70 Best Workplaces in New Orleans
- The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report names the 2020 Top 100 Private Companies list in the region; PDCA members on it are Boh Bros. Construction and Cajun Industries, LLC
- GROUP Industries of Baton Rouge is a ConstructSecure, Platinum Safety Award winner
Ongoing COVID-19 response:
- GRL-Pennsylvania has practiced social distancing and still advanced ongoing projects with an uncommon tool remote testing technology. "We are uniquely capable of adjusting and assisting our clients at any time due to our unmatched experience, even with late notice or for an emergency repair with limited time and information," said branch manager Alex Ryberg.
- Pipe supplier AMERICAN collaborated with a Birmingham City Councilor to distribute food to families in need in Hooper City, AL
- Kiewit team members in Kansas City donate masks to Children's Mercy Kansas City
Other news:
From NJ.com Rebuilding from 2012's Hurricane Sandy continues in Jersey. George Harms Construction of Farmingdale has begun the first of a three-phase, federally funded bridge replacement project.
From NBC-15, Mobile, AL Road trippers tooling along SR-41 in Alabama will navigate Conecuh River bridge construction through December as Scott Bridge Company completes the ALDOT project.
In their own words WATCH Travis Schonacher and Kevin Passman of Sealevel Construction discuss the recent award winning floodgate project, among other critical infrastructure issues in southern Louisiana on HTV 10.
Partnership The Sullivan County Business Edge has published a story highlighting the New York county's ongoing relationship with Tectonic, which it directly ties to recent economic growth.
Long, hot, summer days Canal Barge Company is counting donations to the Power Up the River campaign, which closed on Friday. The effort benefits Louisiana families in need of food assistance.
Giving back Chair The Hope is dedicated to aiding disabled people with independence and mobility. It celebrates the completion of an Idaho project on which Sunroc was a labor and materials donor.
Is it a farm team for the Braves? In a display of community commitment, EMC Engineering Services, Inc. in Georgia is supporting the Lincoln County Rec Department and one of its 2020 T-ball teams.
Did you know? In 2013, Sunbelt Rentals was intricately involved in both the steel and concrete pile design and equipment delivery for South Florida's largest and deepest excavation on record.
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The monthly round-up
- Balfour Beatty US promotes Michelle Reiner to vice president in California.
- Cajun Industries, LLC names Stephen Chapman as new VP of mechanical services.
- Jason S. Hertz joins GeoStructures, Inc. as a NYC-based sales engineer
- Congratulations to Robert Krogsgaard of American Engineering Testing, Inc., who retires after 31 years serving as CFO. Filling his shoes at the St. Paul, MN firm is Kate Marcotte.
- Dewberry Engineers welcomes Robert Victor to lead the Mid-Atlantic office, John Hoole to the California transportation practice and Nicole Hopkins to business development in Tulsa.
- ECS Limited announces promotions, Derek Clyburn to subsidiary president in Southeast, Chris Lopez to COO in Midwest and John Hicks to regional manager in Florida.. Additions include Ezequiel Sepulveda, Louis Hatcher, Matthew Johnson, Robert Valorio and Aiden McGregor in Mid-Atlantic and Luke Johnson in Midwest.
- GeoEngineers, Inc. elevates 18-year veteran Lindsay Flangas to chief operations officer.
- Don Craig named new CFO at Haley & Aldrich, Inc. in Burlington, MA.
- Tom Muth is tapped to oversee the new tubular products division of Zekelman Industries; subsidiary Atlas Tube names 27-year company veteran Jeff Cole as its new president.
- Myles Stallings onboards at the Calsak Plastics Minneapolis office.
Other notes of interest:
- Andy Boeckmann of Dan Brown and Associates has co-authored a synthesis report on geophysical methods for transportation projects. Read the full publication disseminated by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program.
- The Wall Street Journal quotes Koppers CEO Leroy Ball in a story examining a dramatic spike in lumber demand since April 1st; read "America is on a Lumber Binge" [subscriber content]
- Steve Frost, safety manager at Balfour Beatty in Portland, is recognized for leading the company's "Need to Talk" program, which addresses mental health and wellness. Elsewhere, Earnest DeLoach, VP legal, moderated a panel for the Central Florida African American Chamber of Commerce, entitled "Emotional Impact of Racial Violence on Workplace Productivity."
- Jimmy Bennett of Braun Intertec receives a Minnesota Young Engineer award.
- Lucky Nagarajan of Giken America becomes the new chair of the DFI Women in Deep Foundations Committee.
- Meghan Brassard of Haley & Aldrich, Inc. earns professional development grant
- Shannon & Wilson, Inc. awards University of Washington student Emma Hutchinson with annual engineering scholarship.
PDCA sends heart-felt condolences to the surviving family members, CZM Foundation Equipment colleagues and friends of the late Ward Black who was a loyal parts and service representative. The company has established a GoFundMe account to assist his loved ones in this difficult time.
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Current events
- Regulation Alert: Now in effect, an Alteration of Terrain (AOT) permit in New Hampshire requires a biologist evaluation to address impacts on endangered species. Read amendment.
- From the Courts: Read an analysis from Dane Pehrman of Haley & Aldrich examining activity in federal court on ongoing viability of NWP 12, which impacts some underground construction.
- International Trade: Nucor and Gerdau were at the table as the U.S. International Trade Commission moved to maintain duty orders on steel wire rod imported from China.
- Painting messages on streets isn't new to 2020, Holland LP was using this tactic back in 2019!
A proud dad moment...Congratulations to Kaia Klotzbuecher for earning a college scholarship! Her dad David Klotzbuecher is a senior foreman at Corman Kokosing Construction, which qualified his family to apply the Metro DC-area award. Good luck to Kaia a future woman in construction?
Get on the bus A Zoom chat with NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis is how employees of Koppers spent a recent Friday morning. The program, entitled Building Our Success Through Inclusion and Diversity, featured the retired Steeler running back who gave a presentation and engaged in Q&A.
It's not Dylan, Prine, Felker or Lennon...it's Stu Sanders of AMERICAN who wrote "Colorblind" after the 2018 birth of his son. WATCH the Ohio-based sales rep perform his uplifting ballad using only his pleasant tenor and a six string.
Red balloons, more than just an annoying '80s song GZA Environmental offers insight on why you road warriors might occasionally see a solitary red balloon suspended in a rural skyline.
What's old is new again. The Bedford Gazette in Western Pennsylvania writes about a collaboration of local entities, including Creative Pultrusions, which are donating labor and materials to erect a new drive-in movie theater at a nearby fairgrounds.
Quittin' time A summer libation recommendation from Baton Rouge's Premier Geotech and Testing; liven up your hard, pink lemonade by adding a special garnish!
Quotable A fixture on the homepage of D.W. Kozera, Inc. in Baltimore: "On account of the fact that there is no glory attached to the foundations and that the source of success or failure are hidden deep in the ground, building foundations have always been treated as stepchildren and their acts of revenge for lack of attention can be very embarrassing." Karl Terzaghi, Father of Soil Mechanics, 1883-1963
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| Thanks for reading 2020's eighth installment of A Pile of News; please keep sending and posting your company announcements. And don't forget to include #PDCADriven on your social media, you might be randomly selected to win PDCA logo merchandise from The PDCA Store. |
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