A Pile of News: July 2025

A briefing on news and information from the pile driving contractors, associated manufacturers, construction suppliers and affiliated engineers who comprise PDCA.

By Matt Bisbee, PDCA

Originally sent July 1, 2025

Top of the Pile

Welcome  PDCA enrolled new members during the second quarter. Thank you to the following organizations and individuals who pledged support to the driven pile:

• Contractors: Beaver Excavating Company, Canton, OH; Vecellio & Grogan, Inc., Beckley, WV; and Waff Contracting, Inc., Edenton, NC
• Associates: Browning Enterprise Inc., Attalla, AL; Reeve Trucking Company, Stockton, CA; Stab Cat, Inc. Anahuac, TX; RKW Pipe, Uvalde, TX
• Engineering Affiliate: CNT Geotechnical, North Charleston, SC
• Affiliated Services: Bateman Gordon and Sands, Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Government Employee: Vincent Hock of USACE, Mahomet, IL
• Academic Employee: Revanthnaidu Vasireddy of University of Alabama
• Retired: Marty Goff (USACE), Lewes, DE

Important headlines  PDCA participation is voluntary; by engaging in programs, committees and chapters, you make the organization happen. But things change:

• PDCA Executive Committee announced the PDCA Contractors Foundation Institute: Driven Pile Academy, scheduled for Nov. 1014, 2025 in Port Bienville, MS, is postponed, citing "more details to resolve than time to resolve them."
• PDCA Communications Committee seeks a new chair, following Jason Moore's decision to step down after four years. He plans to stay involved and shares thoughts on his tenure. Contact PDCA if you are interested in this role.
• The PDCA Board voted in May to deactivate the PDCA Membership Committee, noting its scope duplicates staff work. Past chair Rich Anderson continues to serve the industry as elected PDCA treasurer.
• As previously reported, Michael Kelly is the new chair for the PDCA Safety & Environmental Committee. Past chair Chris Normand is PDCA VP.

From the Association & Chapters

Mark your calendars:

• July 24: The Seattle Social a FREE reception, 5:307:30 PM: Join us at Freemont Brewing for industry networking, refreshments and a short program about growing PDCA. Membership not required, sponsorships available.
• July 24: Florida Chapter Networking Night, Part II, Orlando. Members and others in the industry are invited to the FREE event from 5-8p at The Porch. 
• Aug. 1: Texas Chapter Scholarship Applications Deadline: Click to obtain the application form; complete it and remit to Texas Chapter offices per instructions.
• Aug. 7: Florida Chapter Networking Night, South Florida. Details TBD.
• Aug. 14: South Carolina Chapter Dinner Meeting, Charleston, 6:30 PM: A reception, dinner, industry program are all part of the third quarter gathering.
• Aug. 14: Value Driven Webinar Series, Virtual, 2 PM: Free to PDCA member companies, one PDH available. Hear Richard Morales, M.SC, PE, F.ASCE from Bull Moose Tube discuss Steel Pipe Pile ERW Specifications.
• Sept. 9: Florida Chapter Inaugural Golf Tournament & Fundraiser, Orlando:Offered in conjunction with DICEP; participants support scholarship program. 
• Sept. 910: 2025 DICEP Conference, Orlando, FL: Attend PDCA's annual technical conference at Rosen Shingle Creek. Six presentations, PDH available.

From the piledrivers.org blog:

• Gulf Coast Chapter held a June meeting at L'Auberge Casino & Hotel in Baton Rouge, LA. In addition to an informational program, members conducted business. Click here for event coverage. 
• Texas Chapter members and friends participated in an informational visit/tour atBottom Line Equipment in Baytown, MKT Manufacturing was a sponsor. A happy hour courtesy of PACO Ventures, followed. EVENT COVERAGE.

WINNER: Congratulations, Ronald Hoefeld, you are this month's winner! Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of July to claim your prize!

Acquisitions & expansions:

• Orion gains listing on the NYSE Texas, a Dallas-based, fully-electronic equities exchange opened this year. Like on The Big Board, its ticker symbol is ORN.
• Veit threw the ceremonial dirt to start a "major shop expansion" at HQ in Rogers, MN. It will include space for maintenance, inventory, offices and breakroom.
• Koppers, Inc. has opened its new Performance Chemicals Headquarters and Research & Development Center in Peachtree City, GA.
• Eustis Engineering hangs a shingle in Glastonbury, CT, a position to better serve its New England/New York Tri-State area clientele. VP Sean Walsh, P.E.,will lead operations there for the nearly 80-year old, New Orleans-based firm.

Giving back:

• Kokosing staff in Columbus, OH, suited up in pink PPE to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, raising funds to combat breast cancer.
• AET supports future engineers in Minnesota through the EEFA's Jurassic Park-themed golf fundraiser. There, staff engineer Kristen Hanson won women's longest drive.
• H&H highlights staff who volunteer outside of the office; Chelsie Scarafile, P.E.,fundraises for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Steve Nappi inspires public service through Move Mountains, Gerry Nova helps homeless at The Hoboken Shelter, Alexandra Tilley, P.E., fights food insecurity at EVLovesNYC, and Ryan Nolan shapes young men with The Christian Brigade.

Recognitions: 

• APC Construction snags two awards from the Gulf Coast Safety Council. The New Orleans contractor credits Supt. Todd St. Martin in the achievement.
• D.A. Collins Companies, shaping the Albany, NY, region for 77 years, wins the prestigious Golden Boot from the Empire State Highway Contractors Assn.
• GROUP Contractors wins trophies for Outstanding Safety Performance from the Safety Council on two Louisiana jobs that involved timber pile installation.
• Mason Construction professionals appeared on the Southeast Texas Works podcast last month. Le Short, Kyle Kibodeaux and Butch Hart shared their workforce development experiences in the Beaumont region.
• Morris-Shea Bridge Co. receives the Liberty Mutual Gold Safety Award.
• Orion has secured the 2025 Best of Construction Award for Partnering, a distinction from FTBA, which celebrates Florida's NASA Causeway Bridge.
• Bull Moose Tube sponsored the Missouri S&T Steel Bridge Student Design Team, which won their region and placed fifth in a national competition.
• Canal Barge Company is the 2025 Oscar J. Tolmas Business of the Year, a distinction from the Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans.

Governmental relations:

• Sargent workforce development manager Peter Parizo earned a nomination from Gov. Mills, and won confirmation to the Maine State Workforce Board.
• Nucor toured U.S. Rep. Guthrie around its Brandenburg, KY, steel mill. The Kentucky congressman chairs the House Energy & Commerce Committee.
• H&H leads concept development, design and construction support for Phase 2 of the new Raritan River Railroad Bridge near Perth Amboy, NJ. Gov. Murphy led area dignitaries in the ceremonial groundbreaking.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) designed the foundation for the new BWC Terminals at the Port of Stockton. It was a legislative initiative of California State Sen. McNerney, who met the design team during a visit to the finished product. Other PDCA members involved in the construction: CS Marine Constructors drove piling from Nucor Skyline and Anchor QEA consulted. 

Transitions:

• Dermot Fallon has resigned from Oakley, CA-based Foundation. Fallon won the PDCA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.
• Ryan Cullen moves up at Sargent; the former foreman is now project engineer.
• Kathleen Rodrigue, a contributor to this and other PDCA publications, leaves Sealevel Construction for a new industry opportunity. We wish her the best!
• Henry Noha has joined Texas Pile, LLC in Austin as a new project manager. The past recipient of the DFI Scholarship graduated Texas A&M in 2024.
• Ginny Jarvis rises to EVP at Dark Horse Metals. She recently shared a potentially prehistoric artifact company crews unearthed in Central Texas. Also, Britney Flores joins the team as a new administrative assistant.
• Bryan Focht elevates to business unit manager at Dewberry in Maryland; Max Hardy becomes leader of the firm's Northern California water practice.
• Derek Ridinger, P.E., onboards at Geo-Technology Associates, Inc., where he will lead the firm's geotechnical group for the York, PA, office.
• Rafael Castellano joins the GRL Engineers Florida office as a staff engineer.
• David Vara is promoted to chief administrative officer at Shannon & Wilson in Denver and Michael Henry become the new COO in Seattle.

Recognitions:

• Ricky Tamor and Doug Dovie, both reach 50 years at New Orleans-based Boh Bros. Construction Co. Other notable milestones at the heavy contractor: Mike Hotard reaches 45 years, Pat Gunter and Paul Marino make 40 years.
• Dennis Bihl notches a remarkable 57 YEARS at Herbert F. Darling in Buffalo, NY; he appropriately tops of the list of the company's staff anniversaries.
• Lake Yoke, an operator at Island Piling in Naples, FL, won a national shooting championship for Free Pistol. He will now compete in Egypt for a World Cup.
• Ted Paliwoda, chief estimator at J. Fletcher Creamer & Son in Lindin, NJ, reaches 40 years on the job. In his spare time, he coaches kids' ski racing.
• Kyrsten Garcia, executive asst. at Russell Marine LLC in Houston, earned an MBA from Lamar University, 14 years after earning a BA.
• Shana Opdyke-Carroll, P.E., president at D.W. Kozera, is one of 25 honorees for the Baltimore Business Journal's 2025 Women Who Mean Business.
• Abinaya Bhaskeran, EIT, and Sarvesh Khanna, P.E., from Lloyd Engineering collaborated with Emily McCarthy and Carlos Ospina from Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) in publishing Engineering Innovations in Dock Rehabilitation: Addressing Seismic Challenges and Aging Infrastructure.
• Ben Cunningham, P.E., from the Columbia, SC, office of Thomas & Hutton, earned his Professional Engineer license.

On the Job

AGM Marine Contractors is replacing a bulkhead near the Cape Cod Canal for the USACE, near Sandwich, MA. Crews used an APE vibro to install steel sheets from Nucor Skyline, based on analytics from the Pile Dynamics, Inc. GRLWEAP program. Construction of the bulkhead is expected to complete in October.

Commerce Construction Corporation recently completed a bulkhead restoration in Camden, NJ, where crews installed more than 750 LF of steel sheet piling.

Jordan Pile Driving has a crew working on the State Road 161 Connector, a route to enhance beach access in Gulf Shores, AL. The Mobile contractor uses an APE D-80 to install 42" and 54" concrete cylinder piles from Gulf Coast Pre-Stress. The AL DOT project is expected complete in September.

Pile Drivers, Inc. installs PSC piles for a new wastewater treatment plant in Effingham County, GA, part of a half-billion dollar state investment into Savannah infrastructure. Crews use a Junttan PM20 to drive the 65' x 14" concrete foundation elements.

Russell Marine continues work on the TXDOT I-45/69 expansion in Downtown Houston near the Astros home ballpark. The work aims to enhance flood resiliency. Using a Pileco D30 and a Stab Cat tool, crews are installing 760 pairs of PZC28 sheet piling from JD Fields & Co. Completion is expected by the end of this year.

Trevcon Construction has begun work for the Manhattan Greenway Harlem River Project, an initiative of the NYC DOT to develop four miles of safe bike and pedestrian space along the historic river. Crews use ICE impact and vibro hammers to install steel pipe and sheets from JD Fields & Co. This phase is expected to finish this year.

Stealth Pipe & Steel delivered 76 steel pipe piles (52' x 10") to northern Ontario, after the piling contractor successfully changed the GC's original order for helicals. The pipes will support a highway bridge for the provincial transportation department.

Notes from the Field

Swamp Spokesmodel  In addition to division manager at Sealevel Construction and president of the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter, Scott Williams can add pitchman to his resumé. He's in an advertisement (pictured below, left) for a modified Tadano crane he used to install sheet piling for a transmission line in a Louisiana swamp.

Prime-time player  A Safety Week demonstration at J. Fletcher Creamer & Son featured a blinded excavator operator, relying only on a spotter, to place a basketball in a five-gallon bucket. Check out the video.

Foundation in Oakley, CA, hosted the 23rd Annual Horseshoe Tournament on its unique waterfront campus. The event featured family, friends, food and fierce (but friendly) competition, according to hosts. Many PDCA members sponsored, including Nucor Skyline, Pileco, Hammer & Steel, Independent Pipe and PACO Ventures. (Someone get Darren Riddle, pictured, center, an OKC Thunder jersey!)

Beat the heat by participating in the novel LinkedIn Scavenger Hunt, an initiative from Boston-based DuroTerra. It requires little physical output and you could win a new golf shirt just for surfin' the web. The DIP supplier is pictured below, on the right.

Catch a wave, a headline and a contract! The Coastside Buzz, a San Mateo, CA, media outlet, published comprehensive coverage of the Harbor District awarding contractor Vortex Marine Construction, a dredging/erosion control contract at Surfer's Beach. No driven pile installation appears imminent, but the media coverage involving a member contractor is interesting.

We share that to remind you not to forget new media outlets when you want to broadcast company news! This publication qualifies, and we are always looking for interesting updates to share from PDCA members. Tips for getting covered: post to social media (hashtag #PDCADriven for added visibility!), attend PDCA events or email us at matt@piledrivers.org. Your contributions ensure we provide monthly content (but you'll decide its usefulness.)

Thanks for reading  we will be back in your inbox on August 1.