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.

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:

Past Winners of the PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter Scholarship

A longstanding tradition at the PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter is the annual scholarship program which encourages high school seniors and college students to consider careers related to the pile driving industry; construction management, engineering, business, among them. The program contributes to regional workforce development, broadens relations between the pile driving industry and the public, and provides deserving students some financial relief as they pursue higher education.

This program is limited to students in the western United States. If you are the parent of a young adult or have connection with one who qualifies for this scholarship, you are invited to share this opportunity with them. Applicants must complete and return the application form, which contains guidance on all program procedures and deliverables, by July 1, 2024. To access the application form, please click the button below:

(L-R) PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters, Texas Chapter Sec. Mike Leal, speaker Gerry McShane,
TX Chapter VP Mickey Thatcher, TX Chapter Treas. Derek Brodnax, TX Chapter and speaker Condon Verble, speaker Jody Singletary.

Shooters enjoy a beautiful day during the 2023 PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter Scholarship Shoot

• John Ryan, PhD, PE, Assistant Professor at The Citadel - Axial Load Limits for Prestress Concrete Piles
• David Borger, PE, Director of Engineering at Nucor Skyline - Corrosion of Steel Piles & Staged Construction of Support of Excavation
• Michael Wysockey, PhD, PE, President of Thatcher Foundations - Driven vs. Drilled Deep Foundations
• Mohamad Hussein, PE, EVP GRL Engineers, Inc. - Dynamic Pile Testing: Basic Principles, Data Interpretation, and Practical Applications
• Matt Caskey, PE, Director of Sales and Business Development at DuroTerra - Ductile Iron Piles: Driven Piles for Constrained Access and Low-Vibrations Applications

Thanks to the following sponsors, the Driven Pile Technical Seminar afforded attendees with a full day of quality deep foundations programming, along with breakfast, lunch and snacks. The PDCA South Carolina Chapter thanks the generous supporters of this important event:

• Cape Romain Contractors
• Consolidated Pipe & Supply
• Essve Tech
• Gerdau
• International Construction Equipment
• Junttan
• Koppers
• Nucor Skyline
• Palmetto Pile Driving, Inc.
• Pile Drivers, Inc.
• S&ME
• Soil Consultants, Inc.

Photos of the event presenters and attendees are below:

Greg Canivan	Michael Wysockey	Mohamad Hussein
David Borger	Matt Caskey	John Ryan

Every two years, the PDCA Gulf Coast Chapter presents the Engineers Conference, a day-long event designed to educate the regional pile driving community.  The 2024 PDCA Engineers Conference took place March 14th at L'Auberge Casino Hotel in Baton Rouge. One tradition of this biennial event is an optional Crawfish Boil the evening before the full day of rigorous learning begins promptly at 7:30 AM. Generous sponsors make both events happen.

The 2024 Crawfish Boil was held at Pointe Marie in Baton Rouge on March 13th, thanks to the following sponsors:

• Consolidated Pipe & Supply Company, Inc.
• Thompson Engineering
• Meever USA Piling Products (Beverage Sponsor)
• Service Steel Warehouse (Beverage Sponsor)

See who was SPOTTED at Pointe Marie, enjoying a seemingly endless supply of mud bugs, spirits, camaraderie, networking, and picture-perfect spring weather.

On March 6, 2024, the PDCA Northeast Chapter hosted the annual Professional Development Course at the offices of event sponsor, George Harms Construction Company in Howell, NJ

Presenters included Silas Nichols, PE, Principal Geotechnical Engineer, DOT | FHWA who covered Considerations for Pile Selection, Common Pile Types, Basic Driving Equipment, Driven Pile Design, and Framework for Acceptance. Also, Alex Ryberg, PE, Senior Engineer, GRL Engineers, gave expert perspective on wave equation analysis on sheet / king / combi wall piles with vibratory and impact hammers. And a trio from Nucor Skyline, Kurt Levins, PE, Reddy Vanari, and Denis Ambio presented support of excavation (SOE) for driven piles, piling products, geo products, and design.


The educational event was free to all paid PDCA Northeast Chapter members and included Continental Breakfast, Lunch, and Refreshments. Attendees who completed the courses earned Professional Development Hours (PDH).

To conclude the day of learning, PDCA member Clydesdale Steel hosted a free meet & greet at a nearby venue to give attendees an opportunity for industry networking.

With the exception of its founding, organizational meeting in 2003 at the long-gone, T-Bonz Steakhouse in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the PDCA South Carolina Chapter has regularly met each quarter (with the exception of the COVID year), at the Town and Country Inn & Suites hotel on Charleston's Savannah Highway, until now. The first 2024 Quarterly Dinner Meeting of the Chapter had been scheduled to take place the evening of February 8th at the standard venue, however, just hours before members were to gather for networking, Chapter business, and a program from Adam Jarrett of Assured Partners, a complication materialized with the reservation at Town and Country.

Expecting to preside over his first, formal meeting as Chapter President, Kent Parker acted swiftly, and within 30 minutes of learning about the scheduling snafu, he had arranged an entirely new venue and concept for the attendees, several of whom traveled from out of town for the event. And with an assist from Jason Moore, a past Chapter president and current board member who utilized all available communications tools to help spread the word about the last-minute meeting change, Pres. Parker convened members promptly at 6:00 PM for a Chapter happy hour at the nearby Freehouse Brewery. There, they enjoyed an evening of networking, beer, pizza, and even some competitive bar trivia. 

Among the attendees was Harry Robbins, the now-retired pile driving veteran from South Carolina's Lowcountry, who is also responsible for founding the Chapter 21 years ago. As a testament to Parker's lightning-fast improvisation and recovery of the scheduled event, Robbins complimented the change in venue and concept and eagerly engaged in opportunity to reconnect with old friends and develop new ones.


Though it wasn't the original plan, PDCA members and attendees of the South Carolina Chapter Happy Hour appreciated the opportunity to visit with friends and industry colleagues in the casual, welcoming environment. The Chapter leadership thanks event sponsors: Koppers, Nucor Skyline, Jinnings Equipment, Gerdau, Junttan USA, Palmetto Pile Driving, Inc. ICE - International Construction Equipment, Van-Smith Concrete, and Beacon Transportation, for making Chapter events possible.

The next event for the PDCA of South Carolina happens in March when it presents the biennial Driven Pile Technical Seminar. The one-day educational program features several technical presentations from deep foundations professionals, and it offers PDH credit. There is still time to register for this popular and enriching event which takes place March 14th at the Holliday Alumni Center at The Citadel. For more information and registration details, CLICK HERE.