Shooters listen to safety presentation before heading out to compete at Birds Landing, CA gun range on April 26, 2024

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PDCA has begun 2024 with several new and returning members electing to support the largest organization dedicated to the advancement of the driven pile. The first quarter brought several companies and individuals into various membership categories. Notably, ongoing membership development initiatives have been boosted by the PDCA Board of Directors, which, in January, unanimously voted to extend membership at no cost to government employees and educators.

Please help us welcome, or welcome back, in some cases, the following members who have joined PDCA in the first three months of 2024:

• Contractors: AGM Marine Contractors of Mashpee, MA; Archangel Development Enterprises of Bluffton, SC; East Coast Marine Construction and Design of Daytona Beach, FL; MEB General Contractors of Chesapeake, VA
• Associates: Corpac Steel Products Corp. of Aventura, FL; Dark Horse Metals of Liberty Hill, TX
• Engineering Affiliate: COWI, worldwide
• Government employees: Dwarika Mallick of MTA-NYC Transit Authority; Gavin Gautreau of LA Transportation Research Center; Derek Paille of LA-DOTD
• Academic employee: Dr. Alejandro Martinez of UC Davis
• Students: Jansen Billiot from LSU; Baris Elmas of University of Missouri
• Government and academic employees may now join PDCA at NO COST; student membership is FREE

George Harms Construction Company dispatches a foursome of 'ringers' for the 2023 Northeast Chapter TopGolf event.

Show off your robust network in the Northeast pile driving community, show off your 350 yard drive, or show off both at the annual PDCA Northeast Chapter TopGolf Meet & Greet and New Member Outreach event, coming back to Edison, NJ on May 15th.

(L-R): 2022 Association Award winners Diane Fischer and Jill Harris
pose with PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters during 2023 awards ceremony

Make sure you add the PDCA Awards Ceremony & Luncheon to your calendar on May 10th in Dallas, when IFCEE concludes. There is no cost to attend this event but registration is mandatory!

An annual function at PDCA is a formal celebration of industry contribution and excellence. PDCA recognizes excellence through the annual Project of the Year Awards program where winners are chosen through a consensus of industry veterans serving as voluntary judges who consider entries in categories of Land, Marine, Earth Retention, Associate/Engineering Affiliate, and International projects. 

Representing industry contribution are the annual Association Awards which include; Committee Chair of the Year, Associate Member of the Year, John T. Parker Industry Ambassador Award, Dr. Frank Rausche Professional Engineers Service Award, Presidential Award for Distinguished Service, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Nominations for these awards are collected and winners are ultimately determined through a consensus of PDCA leadership.

This year, the PDCA Awards Ceremony & Luncheon is scheduled to take place on May 10th, from 12:30-2 PM CDT at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, in Dallas, Texas, at the conclusion of formal programming at the International Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo (IFCEE). Registration is independent of IFCEE, and is offered at NO COST. Please attend and help PDCA celebrate industry contribution and excellence!

Sponsorship for the PDCA Awards Ceremony & Luncheon is available. If you and your company want to be recognized as supporting the PDCA members who voluntarily and positively impact the driven pile-based, foundation construction, and demonstrate notable levels of industry contribution and excellence as defined by the various awards, consider supporting this annual ceremony. 

To register for this FREE event in Dallas on May 10th following IFCEE and/or sponsor the luncheon, please click the registration button to secure your options. Thank you for your support of PDCA.

 

South Carolina Chapter leadership, (L-R): Board Members Jason Moore, Greg Canivan, Immediate Past President John King (standing), special guest Mohamad Hussein, President Kent Parker

In case you hadn't heard, IFCEE 2024 is right around the corner and the entirety (we hope!) of the deep foundations construction and engineering industry is finalizing travel plans to Dallas, TX to attend the triennial event at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, from May 7 - 10, 2024. Short for the International Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo, IFCEE dates back to 2009, and has convened every three years, since then. It is a highly successful collaboration among some of the biggest stakeholders in deep foundation construction, including PDCA, the International Association of Foundation Drilling (ADSC), the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI), and the GeoInstitute (G-I) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Each convention features industry and technical education, exhibitors who bring the latest in foundation technologies, a massive, outdoor equipment show, inspiring presentations, unequalled networking, and plenty of memorable fun.

One might wonder, how did all this start? PDCA Technical Committee Chairman Mohamad Hussein is someone who knows the history well. The Executive Director for Global Industry Relations at GRL Engineers, Inc. and Pile Dynamics, Inc., and world-renowned civil engineer, has had decades of involvement with all the deep foundations organizations mentioned above. He conceived the idea for an 'industry-wide convention' and effectively advocated for the first event, which came to fruition a few years later. Many people may know that he was involved in the original concept of IFCEE, but we asked him to tell the story in his own words:

"The seed for the first of its kind mega-event encompassing all aspects and organizations of foundations was planted by myself and a few others in 2005 when I was Chair of the Deep Foundations Committee of the ASCE's Geo-Institute by a wishful suggestion to various industry leaders.  What became the International Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo (IFCEE) in 2009 was a phenomenal success. Fifteen organizations from around the world (including the then relatively young PDCA) were involved.  Over 2,500 attendees took part in the 52 technical and professional development sessions and enjoyed the unprecedented outdoors and indoors equipment exhibitions ($150-million worth of equipment, as I recall).  The technical presentations and papers were compiled in the 2,000-page, 3-volume proceedings books that represented the state-of-the-art and practice of foundations engineering.  IFCEE has since become the industry's landmark that everyone looks forward to every three years." (Mohamad Hussein, in his own words, about the origin of IFCEE.)

In March, the PDCA South Carolina Chapter hosted Mohamad for dinner the evening before he would present at the Chapter's Driven Pile Technical Seminar the next day. During that dinner, Chapter leadership held a short recognition ceremony applauding Mohamad's contributions to PDCA and celebrating his operative work that put PDCA on the stage as a key partner in IFCEE with the biggest organizations in deep foundation construction.  

Thanks to the work of Mohamad and the dozens of others that joined his campaign for IFCEE as an entity in the 2000's, and PDCA's initial inclusion in the industry marvel, the PDCA of today can enthusiastically promote the 2024 event that is almost here. As we have told you, IFCEE 2024 will include some PDCA-specific events such as the festive Texas Chapter Happy Hour on Wednesday evening (5/8), the venerable E.A.L. Smith Awards Lecture featuring a presentation from Dr. Richard Hartman on Thursday morning (5/9), and the PDCA 2023 Awards Ceremony & Luncheon taking place on Friday (5/10) where we will honor the 2023 Project of the Year Awards and Association Awards winners during a FREE, 90-minute luncheon. And just a heads-up to all PDCA members attending IFCEE next month, a special gift from PDCA will be waiting for you, so make sure to connect with someone from PDCA staff during your time in Dallas. And make sure to introduce yourself to Mohamad Hussein, he will be there! 

click to Register for IFCEE

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ifcee archives

(L-R) ASCE President, Geo-Institute President, IFCEE Chairman M. Hussein, US Army Corp of Engineers Lieutenant Commander, ADSC President, and PDCA President.

These archives about the first IFCEE in 2009 are from the collection of Mohamad Hussein

click here to read the full issue Don't miss the latest edition of PileDriver magazine, coming soon to your mailbox. Never fear, it's available here in digital format, just click the image. Read about...     ON THE COVER... Clark Foundations, LLC had to overcome several challenges to successfully build a temporary support of excavation (SOE) system for The Stacks, a mixed-use development in Washington, D.C., that features three 14-story buildings and a combined 300,000 sq. ft., below grade garage. Clark designed and built the SOE system for the construction of the underground garage structure, with the overall depth ranging from 32 to 42 feet. Clark Foundations, LLC relied on a team of PDCA members including Equipment Corporation of America, Dawson Construction Plant, GeoQuip/HPSI, PILECO and Triad Metals to get the job done successfully. Read the article

Your Friendly Columnist, Dear Darling checks in to answer a reader

Reader Question: "Dear Darling: for those on the fence about involvement in an association and its value, what are your thoughts on the tangible and intangible gains? Any advice for someone who's joined and is considering the next best step?"

Guest columnist and past president of PDCA Buck Darling responds: "In my case monetary gain had little to do with my decision to join PDCA. There are more benefits than those that are calculable!"

Read what Buck has to say about how participating in industry associations have made his life better.

Interview: Justin Lijo, Trevcon Construction "I'm interested in marine construction... It's the uniqueness of every project and the challenges that we face working on the water. It's exciting that everything is different all the time." This year marks Justin Lijo's 20th anniversary with Trevcon Construction. Today, he's the company's chief estimator.  Read all about his career so far in this issue's Interview column.

Solutions to Your Workforce Issues

If you missed PDCA's Value Driven Webinar that featured a panel of five PDCA contractor members discussing their current workforce challenges and what their companies are doing to combat those concerns, don't skip this Q&A article.

From corporate culture, college recruitment, employee referral programs, safety and more, the panel consisting of Warren Baker from DFI Piling; Scott Callaway from Cajun Industries, LLC; Brooke Chitwood from Bowen Engineering Corp.; Brian Heck from Goettle; and Michael Wysockey from Thatcher Foundations covered a lot of ground. Learn strategies to help you and your business with staffing.

Foundations for Tomorrow

UBC Pile Drivers & Divers is training its members to be field-ready and future-proof. Did you know that contractors can suggest training courses if they see a knowledge gap in the field?  Read more

PDCA Toolbox Talk: Exclusion Zones

Exclusion zones are critical for pile driving safety. Exclusion zones identify restricted areas where high potential hazards are more likely to occur, shielding workers and bystanders from those threats. Read the article and see the Toolbox Talk in PileDriver, and don't forget to download the PDF from PDCA's website and use it with your crews.

DON'T FORGET! Registration for IFCEE 2024 is OPEN!

Still on the fence? Don't be! Join thousands of deep foundations professionals in Dallas, May 710, 2024. Register today!

(L-R) Ed Bisono and ASAP Group, Michael Simpson and Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering,
Clayton Signor and Texas Pile, are among 2023 Project of the Year Award winners which will be honored on May 10, 2024.

PDCA Texas Chapter members gathering for a November 2023 happy hour event in Houston

If you are attending IFCEE 2024 in May, plan to join the PDCA Texas Chapter for a FREE networking reception on May 8th in the Hyatt Regency Dallas - Cotton Bowl Room. The event runs from 5-7 PM and is open to all PDCA members.

Thanks to the following sponsors, happy hour food and beverages will be available:

PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter leadership team (partial), L-R: Beau Haydel, Tony Sepulvado, Scott Williams. Tyler Roberts not pictured.

 

Phetteplace (L) attends Gulf Coast Chapter Crawfish Boil before presenting at 2024 Engineers Conference.

Don't miss an evening of professional development and golf! Pile drivers throughout the Louisiana and beyond will gather on April 18th at TopGolf Baton Rouge for a quarterly meeting of the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter, followed by plenty of time to show off their drives in the high-tech tee boxes. The event begins at 5:30 PM, and includes networking, food, and a technical presentation from Brandon Phetteplace of GRL Engineers, Inc. Through a generous donation of regional PSC supplier, Louisiana Concrete Products, this Chapter function is offered at no cost. RSVP is requested for this event by April 15, 2024, to Gulf Coast Chapter President Tony Sepulvado at asepulvado@bohbros.com. Make sure and reserve your spot and ensure there is enough food and beverage for all attendees! Advance registration is required, please click the button below: