For the past 24 months, the PDCA Associate Member Council (AMC) has been meeting to develop the 2025 PDCA Driven Pile Academy which will run from November 10-13 in Port Bienville, MS. Committee members have put together a schematic for the hands-on, field training event, where attendees will learn about the pile driving practice by visiting at least 15 unique stations which will feature mock jobsite set-ups, complete with piling equipment and material.
This event will include demonstrations of impact hammers, vibratory hammers (conventional and excavator-mounted), presses, swinging leads & offshore setups, and designated piling rigs. The various installation apparatus will be on display for Driven Pile Academy attendees who will have the opportunity to ask questions of the manufacturer/supplier, coordinate in equipment operation, and assess its viability for their anticipated needs in a live setting. In addition to the hammers, vibros and presses, attendees will get to see how the machines operate with popular piling materials such as composites, steel, timber, and concrete.
Thanks to the leadership of PDCA Associate Member Council co-chairs Pollyanna Cunningham and Diane Fischer, members have worked with suppliers and manufactures throughout the country to obtain the largest variety of equipment and materials possible in the planning for this all-inclusive demonstration and training event for pile drivers. Those providing for the field needs of the Academy are valuable event sponsors who graciously make the opportunity available to the industry.
Event sponsors such as PVE Equipment USA and CMI Limited, which will team-up in a Driven Pile Academy station to demonstrate vibratory hammer installation of vinyl and composite sheet piling, have earmarked the the products they will be sending to Port Bienville, MS. Part of their preparation in advance of shipping their goods, several employees of both PDCA member companies gathered in the Jacksonville, FL yard of PVE on September 11th for what might be compared to a 'dress rehearsal,' illustrated in the photos on this page. Other attending sponsors are preparing in similar ways at their respective company yards.
This event will include demonstrations of impact hammers, vibratory hammers (conventional and excavator-mounted), presses, swinging leads & offshore setups, and designated piling rigs. The various installation apparatus will be on display for Driven Pile Academy attendees who will have the opportunity to ask questions of the manufacturer/supplier, coordinate in equipment operation, and assess its viability for their anticipated needs in a live setting. In addition to the hammers, vibros and presses, attendees will get to see how the machines operate with popular piling materials such as composites, steel, timber, and concrete.
Thanks to the leadership of PDCA Associate Member Council co-chairs Pollyanna Cunningham and Diane Fischer, members have worked with suppliers and manufactures throughout the country to obtain the largest variety of equipment and materials possible in the planning for this all-inclusive demonstration and training event for pile drivers. Those providing for the field needs of the Academy are valuable event sponsors who graciously make the opportunity available to the industry.
Event sponsors such as PVE Equipment USA and CMI Limited, which will team-up in a Driven Pile Academy station to demonstrate vibratory hammer installation of vinyl and composite sheet piling, have earmarked the the products they will be sending to Port Bienville, MS. Part of their preparation in advance of shipping their goods, several employees of both PDCA member companies gathered in the Jacksonville, FL yard of PVE on September 11th for what might be compared to a 'dress rehearsal,' illustrated in the photos on this page. Other attending sponsors are preparing in similar ways at their respective company yards.
Meantime, many participating suppliers and sponsors are plotting their shipments, travel and set-up at the Port Bienville Industrial Park, a facility on Mississippi's Gulf Coast which is owned and operated the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. At the same time PDCA staff and members of the PDCA Associate Member Council are finalizing details on the yard arrangement for the Driven Pile Academy. As shown below, PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters, Event Manager Kathy Harper, and AMC Member and representative of Gulf Coast Prestress Partners Heath Stevens recently completed a site visit to the facility to inform the schematic development for the Academy.
