PDCA will continue to offer valuable education and industry information through monthly webinar series, entitled the PDCA 2026 Value Driven Webinar Series.
A collaboration between the PDCA and the PDCA Standing Committees, the PDCA 2026 Value Driven Webinar Series will focus on providing PDCA members, and deep foundation industry professionals, with education and information on committee initiatives, including safety, workforce development, industry equipment maintenance, and more.
The PDCA 2026 Value Driven Webinar Series will be held every other month on the second Thursday from 2:00pm - 3:00pm ET. See below for the upcoming schedule of presentations.
registration
As a member benefit, registration is complimentary for all sessions to PDCA Members and their employees. Individuals that are not members with PDCA are welcome to attend the series' sessions with a nominal registration fee of $50 per webinar.PDCA 2026 value driven Webinar Series Schedule:
February 12, 2026 | Installation of Temporary Retaining Walls in Less than 10-foot Headroom under Interstate Bridges with Pressed-in Pipe Piles
Michael Carter, Blue Iron Foundations; Ian Vaz, Giken America Corporation
Summary: This presentation describes how temporary retaining walls were successfully installed in extremely low-headroom conditions beneath Interstate 10 just outside of New Orleans, LA as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction Project. It highlights the use of pressed-in, interlocking 36-inch pipe piles installed with a silent, vibration-free piling system that operated with less than 10 feet of overhead clearance. The project demonstrates an effective solution for pile installation in sensitive, constrained environments where traditional vibratory methods are not permitted due to risks to existing structures.
April 9, 2026 | Beyond Hiring: Why Retention and Workforce Development Will Decide Who Wins in Heavy Civil Construction
Greg Belpomme, Heavy Civil Construction Director, Heron Wolf
Summary: Despite record wages and aggressive hiring, many heavy civil contractors are experiencing more turnover, not less. Teams are growing, yet stability is eroding. Projects feel stretched. Leadership is under pressure. This presentation uses the latest data from Heron Wolf's 2026 Hiring Trends Analysis to challenge the assumption that hiring alone can solve today's workforce problems. It examines why experienced professionals are leaving even, why counteroffers are failing, and why firms are repeatedly competing for the same shrinking pool of talent. More importantly, it explores how leading contractors can restructure their compensation and benefits packages to better align with market and explains how priorities are shifting focus toward retention, leadership alignment, and workforce development - not as HR initiatives, but as operational and financial strategies that directly impact delivery, margins, and long-term competitiveness.
What the Presentation Will Cover:
- What the latest hiring trends data reveals about why turnover is increasing
- How to structure a benefits package that secures the best talent
- The real reasons counteroffers fail
- How leadership strain and unclear progression are driving exits
- The hidden cost of churn on projects, culture, and margins
- What firms doing better than the market are changing internally
- How retention and workforce development have become competitive advantages
June 11, 2026 | Engineering Considerations for the Proper Evaluation and Effective Use of Pile Static and Dynamic Testing Results Lessons Learned from Case Studies
Mohamad Hussein, P.E., L.M. ASCE Chair of PDCA Technical Committee
Summary: Driven piles are commonly used as deep foundations to support all types of structures in varied geotechnical conditions. They are designed and installed to structurally and geotechnically resist combinations of loads. Testing is an integral part of the design process and construction work for verification, quality control, quality assurance, and foundation certification. This presentation covers static and dynamic pile testing methods for assessments of geotechnical load bearing capacity and structural integrity. It discusses the basic principles, practical applications, capabilities, and limitations of the commonly used testing methods (conventional full-scale static loading, and high-strain dynamic testing) with emphasis on engineering consideration for proper data evaluation and effective use of testing results. Case histories from actual projects will be examined as case studies for lessons learned covering situations of surprising static loading test result that was due to improper practice of load test system construction procedure, need to use superposition of initial drive and restrike dynamic testing data where soil setup time-effects and limited hammer energy would otherwise produce incorrect results and wrong conclusions regarding the foundation load bearing capacity, detailed analyses of structural integrity and soil resistance skin friction and end bearing distributions for the purpose of assessing the in-place adequacy of a damaged pile, and other cases demonstrating high pile elastic rebound, and assessing long-term pile load bearing capacity incorporating anticipated soil resistance setup effects.
August 13, 2026 | Geotechnical Optimization of Deep Foundation Installation in Utility-Constrained Environments: A Comparative Analysis of SOE Design Methods
Georges Valcour, PE, PSM, WEDG, Senior Professional Geotechnical Engineer, Kleinfelder
Summary: The installation of deep foundations in urban areas has presented significant challenges. This presentation will provide practitioners with practical guidance for selecting the efficient deep foundation systems. We aim to review the subsurface conditions to make predictions about the most appropriate option or present new options to predict ground movements and their effects on surrounding structures and utilities accurately. A general guideline on understanding short term soil parameters for temporary support structure solutions will be examined to understand their influence on the performance of various foundation systems. Additionally, we will delve into strategies for mitigating risks associated with settlement, heave, and potential utility damage, including proper SUE. The considerations of construction sequencing and equipment capabilities in the selection process will also be discussed. Finally, some case studies will highlight some of these strategies and provide insights into best practices. We will conclude with a decision-making framework designed to assist engineers in selecting the most appropriate deep foundation solution, thus enhancing cost-effectiveness and minimizing risk while ensuring project success in challenging urban environments.
October 8, 2026 | TBD
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Summary: TBD
December 10, 2026 | TBD
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