Top of the Pile

• It's the backside of 2025 and PDCA is compiling the 2026 Membership Directory. PDCA members will appear in the book, so PLEASE help us make sure to print your company's listing accurately. Update your PDCA membership account or contact us for help: 904-215-4771 or marian@piledrivers.org.
• Have you kicked around joining PDCA, but haven't pulled the trigger? September is a great time to start a new membership. Your dues are prorated through the end of the year and you ensure your company is included in the 2026 Membership Directory. Pledge your support to advance the driven pile.
• It saves you $400 if you're a member and attend the incomparable, hands-on field education event, The Driven Pile Academy, coming to Port Bienville, MS, Nov. 1013. Since its debut in 2022, demand for the unique program is high, so space is filling up. It's the only available field training event for pile drivers!

From the Association and Chapters

News From pdca companies

people on the move

Transitions:

• Lesley Carlton is promoted to quality control manager, Bill Gibson moves up to field operations manager and Kristin Barnes becomes a senior HR administrator for MEB, based in Chesapeake, VA.
• Mike Chmara retires after 44 years at Vecellio & Grogan; he received a unique memento chronicling his time through the company evolution.
• T.J. Deane Jr., P.G., P.E., is a new geotechnical principal at ECS Limited, after a seven-year tenure at Seismic Surveys in Frederick, MD, where he left as VP.
• David Phelps, P.E., celebrated retirement with colleagues from GeoEngineers at the Tacoma Raniers ballgame. He got some love on the scoreboard!
• Carolyne Bean joins GZA GeoEnvironmental as a project manager; she will lead site-civil services for the Syracuse, NY, office.
• Matthew Grice, P.E., onboards at Lloyd Engineering, Inc. of Houston as a new project manager/engineer and diver lead. Also, Gracie Cunningham, EIT, and Alan Perez are new to the firm.
• Sterling Dempsey, P.E., a civil designer at Thomas & Hutton in Charleston, SC, earned his Professional Engineer license.
• Marian Phillips from the PDCA office has taken on a new role as she becomes this organization's chapters coordinator.

Recognitions:

• Joseph Furutani, a precon manager at Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co., is named a 2025 Pacific Business News 40 Under 40 honoree.
• Rafael Otero, Jr., Mike Ratlin and Frank Pineda are pile drivers in West Coast operations for Manson Construction Co. and have won peer honors for their commitment to safety.
• Hilary Tigue, VP at California-based Power Engineering Construction and PDCA 2024 Project of the Year Award recipient, gets public credit for mentoring summer intern Michael, son of Bill Bruin, from Simpson Gumpertz & Heger.
• Glenn Adams and James McCarthy co-host "On Track" and discuss a Sargent project with Maine's Turnpike Authority Director. The weekly podcast began when now-retired CEO Herb Sargent bought and learned the equipment during COVID to maintain communication with staff across New England.
• Ricky Grogan, P.E., earns the Purdue University 38 by 38 Award, exclusive to young alums making an impact. He is a leader on many infrastructure projects at The Walsh Group, including the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa.
• Hunter Patin is named to Rental Management's 12 to Watch Under 40 list. The SVP at Bottom Line Equipment is based in its Lafayette, LA, facility.
• Rebecca Lubrano from SGH won an executive position at the Structural Engineers of New Hampshire; she's treasurer for the 202526 term.

Quotable:

• Kelly Blythe, P.E., Manson Construction: "Manson provided industry insight and was able to encourage 16 young adults to explore careers in marine construction." Blythe served on a panel that engaged a student audience to talk about the trades; was part of a California workforce development initiative.

on the job

Boh Bros. Construction Co., the legacy builder continually operating in New Orleans for 116 years, wins a design-build contract from Port NOLA for wharf repairs.

Dissen & Juhn recently completed the pier replacement at Fleming Park, a public initiative for Baltimore County, MD. The new, 80-foot-long fixed pier, standing on timber piles, exemplifies regional infrastructure investment and shoreline preservation.

MEB crews are making progress on a five-phase improvement project they are performing for the South Central Wastewater Authority. This WWTP serves a region near Petersburg, VA. Job components include steel H-pile and sheet pile installation.

Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction Co. is installing steel pipe piles to support three bridges to enhance access from I-15 to Hill AFB, north of Salt Lake City. Gerhart Cole is performing dynamic testing on the piles from Nucor Skyline. Crews are using company-owned ICE hammers to drive the steel.

Russell Marine LLC crews continue work on the installation of the the structural foundation for Port Tampa Berth 214 on Florida's Gulf coast. Steel piling sourced through Gerdau and supplied by JD Fields & Company, Inc. takes shape, as seen through aerial images that Fields' staff shared to social media.

South Shore Pile Driving is building new foundations for five coastal homes that were destroyed in a fire two years ago. Crews are working at Minot Beach in Massachusetts, in the shadows of the famous Minot Lighthouse. They're installing timber piles with their new vibro from Hercules Machinery Corporation, and their hydraulic hammer.

Alfred Miller Companies supplied 167 precast piles, bent caps and more for the Globalplex Bridge. It will span a Mississippi River levee west of New Orleans and enhance access to the Port of South Louisiana. Baker Pile Driving is using a PIleco hammer for prestress installation. Construction should finish in October.

notes from the field

What happened YOUR first day on the job? Usually, you fill out some paperwork, meet your new co-workers and learn where the restrooms are located. It was a more consequential first day at a Baton Rouge club for Hayes Kirkpatrick, son of GROUP Contractors president Shane Kirkpatrick. The new lifeguard helped save a man's life, not in the pool, but on the tennis court. WBRZ-TV2 tells the story.

Paging the Audubon Business Unit  Today, an osprey nest sits atop of a lone pipe pile, 100 yards from the Portland shoreline home of Southern Maine Community College. It has been there since 2004, when a CIANBRO crew relocated it to the pile, after removing it from a failing pier they were about to replace for the college.

Pars, Putts and Pageantry  Thanks to the creativity of the marketing team at Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co., the 10th hole at the a Honolulu Habitat for Humanity charity golf tournament was a highlight for all golfers. In addition to refreshments and great prizes, the event sponsor hosted a special guest, Miss Hawaii!

Football fans through the generations know the Manning name. It started with Archie Manning, the 1970s superstar QB for the New Orleans Saints. During his tenure, the team moved in 1975 to their now-iconic home stadium. The Superdomestands on 2,200 14-inch square PSC piles, and nearly as many timber piles. Another NOLA legend, Boh Bros. Construction, drove them all, before the Dome opened, 50 years ago. For the record, the Oilers beat the (S)Aints in the first game that season.

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