A Pile of News: August 2023
A briefing on news and information from the pile driving contractors,
associated manufacturers, construction suppliers and affiliated engineers
who comprise PDCA.
By Matt Bisbee, PDCA

Originally sent Aug. 1, 2023
Top of the August Pile – the PDCA Project of the Year Awards Program winners will be revealed in mere days. The program drew the most entries in recorded history; thanks to each of this year’s entrants for your participation. Competition was fierce and you can be assured that winners in eight different categories truly represent the crème de la crème in driven pile-based deep foundations and earth retention systems. Watch your inbox for the digital edition of PileDriver magazine, coming soon. Shortly thereafter, your friendly, local mail carrier will deliver your hard copy magazine.

And on with this month’s news:
From the Association & Chapters
Mark your calendars!

News and PHOTOS from the PDCA Blog:

Industry news:
  • National Center for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) expands testing options with the introduction of test center testing
  • Have you heard of the 85% rule? At face value, this may NOT be something employers advocate, but it’s an interesting argument.
Congratulations, Interpipe Inc – Canada, you are this month’s winner! Send an email to marian@piledrivers.org before the end of the month to claim your prize!
News from PDCA Companies
Recognitions:

Giving back:

Acquisitions & expansions:

Governmental relations:
  • PND Engineers, Inc. sent EIT Alexander Li to Washington, DC, where he met Alaska U.S. Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Peltola. According to Li, “Engineers are agents of the public…and know the needs of the community,” through report, design and inspection work.
  • UBC Pile Drivers and Divers representative Olaf Olson attended a New Jersey bill signing where Gov. Murphy bolstered regional job creation through offshore wind.
People on the Move
Transitions:
  • Denise Tullier promoted to lead the human resources and recruiting team at Baker GCI.
  • Laura Sesack, PE is new area manager serving Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia at GeoStructures, Inc.
  • Verdean Colburn, Gavin Zamora, Jose Naranjo, Kyle Apuya are among some of the newest faces at Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company.
  • Michael Cook, Mitch Sumstad, both promoted to SVP Civil Construction at Veit.
  • Charlie Rudderow named new safety manager at Richard E. Pierson Construction in New Jersey.
  • Billy Burrow transitions to regulatory compliance at Weeks Marine in Louisiana.
  • Rich Anderson elevates to VP at Equipment Corporation of America; the PDCA Membership Committee chair and past PDCA board member continues as Philadelphia branch manager for ECA. Also at ECA, Dave Schell becomes account manager Mid-Atlantic, Joel Ross is director of parts and service and Jason Church is BAUER Equipment products manager.
  • John Schwartz onboards as an inside sales rep at Bull Moose Tube in St. Louis.
  • Rick Kalson, PDCA Contracts & Risk Committee Chair and Partner at Benesch Law, has moved to the firm’s Manhattan, NY office.

Recognitions:
On the Job
Arthur R. Henry, Inc. contributed to the new Cape May Substation Reliability project for Atlantic City Electric in New Jersey. Elsewhere in the state, its crews drove sheeting and bulkhead piles for a project supporting growth in the area’s wind energy sector.

Baker GCI sees the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel in Geismar, LA, where it is completing site development, civil construction and piling for Chevron’s expanded renewable diesel facility.

Bowen Engineering Corp. was limited in space when it was tasked with installing 21 H-piles for a steam valve replacement near a downtown Indianapolis hospital. Crews successfully navigated around area utilities while driving the 45-foot-long piles.

McCarthy crew members in coastal Texas recognize a milestone in their work at the Port of Beaumont – the last pile for the future Main Street Terminal was DRIVEN!

  • Readers in the South who may have the notion that Canada is perpetually cold – ahem, Mr. PDCA Communications Committee Chair – note that job site reports say oppressive heat burdens the province and crews are commended for their perseverance. As your safety directors preach, take precaution in excessive heat.

Richard Goettle, Inc. was awarded a contract to participate in the stabilization of the Irishtown Bend hillside, a vital project for the Port of Cleveland and the city’s economic development. 

GeoQuip, Inc. vibro equipment is SPOTTED driving sheets for a bulkhead on Florida’s Daytona Beach.

Lloyd Engineering, Inc. was part of the team to successfully complete offshore sediment sampling for the USACE Galveston District. The work is prerequisite to a potential, unnamed offshore placement.
Media Hits
ABC 30/KFSN-TV, Fresno reports on fortification of vulnerable CA power infrastructure in danger of snowmelt flooding. Foundation Constructors crews are installing sheet pile walls to surround the Alpaugh, Corcoran and Angiola power substations. News video shows an active Angiola job site, where a Liebherr loader assists the team.

The Florida Times-Union reports Weeks Marine will perform beach renourishment on the Atlantic coast; the Feds will fully fund $20.2M for USACE erosion repair work near Ponte Vedra Beach. (Paywall)

Anchorage Daily News reports on modern attributes in the construction of the Southcentral Power Project. Shannon & Wilson, Inc. performed geotechnical design and observation. (Paywall)

North America Outlook magazine interviews Richard Shea in a wide-ranging story touching on the history of Morris Shea Bridge Company, its deep foundations projects and other notable aspects.

Marine Construction magazine publishes a feature story on the one and only Bill Ziadie, a seasoned piling professional from American Piledriving Equipment, Inc. (APE). Vintage pics included!

KMOX Radio determined the sports crew could take a break from continuous coverage of the 2023 cellar dwelling St. Louis Cardinals, for which it serves as the flagship station, and diversify its content. They originated a show called Shift Disturbers, at McCarthy headquarters, where employee-owners appeared and educated listeners about its work, its craftsmen and its influence on the city skyline.

The Seattle Times covered a King County, WA, project that should reduce the risk of flooding and enhance salmon habitats throughout 52 acres. Shannon & Wilson, Inc. engineers Brian Reznick, P.E., Genevieve S., Stephanie Wanderer and Eric Scott provided geotechnical support to the county. (Paywall)
Notes from the Field
The 2023 FBS college football season commences in just over three weeks and members are using social media to support their teams with shirts, hats, battle cries and more. ASAP Group sent a message showing their favorite, but it was subtle since they’re based in the shadows of Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, home of The U. Nice job injecting a sneaky “Go Gators” into a post about a project, Ed Bisono!

As the Tide Rolls – Dale Miller, P.E., from the Shannon & Wilson St. Louis office, was spotted using a Crimson Tide hat to provide sun relief while fishing with colleagues in Wisconsin. Like it or not, ‘Bama’s got marketshare!

Yes, the B1G is relevant this season – And we were thrilled to see Jeff Barlow at Weeks Marine proudly display his black and gold hat and give a “Go Hawks” in a company post from a job site. The equipment and yards manager has done unique work at Weeks, such as transporting the Space Shuttle and more.

Will this be the season of the Terps?  In its 131-year history, the University of Maryland football program boasts one National Championship (1953); does that mean they are due? Nationally-ranked RB Roman Hemby is getting hyped this preseason, though the team sits in the middle of the pack. Underrated? Meantime, the local UM fanbase will be warmed-up for tailgating festivities, the GeoTechnology Associates, Inc. Abingdon, MD office held a competitive cornhole tournament.

And if football doesn’t work out, there’s excitement in the College Park basketball offices. Clark Construction joined school officials, mascot Testudo, ESPN celebrity and UM grad Scott Van Pelt to break ground on a new, state-of-the-art basketball performance center, coming in 2025.

The Dawgs are looking to 3-peat – Maybe you remember the old Alan Jackson song called Chattahoochee; refresher, it was a ’90’s country music hit which popularized the lyric ‘a burger and a grape snow cone.’ Many Atlanta-area Georgia fans will need to cross that river to attend home games in nearby Athens. Of note, Thomas & Hutton consulted on the rebuild of a new bridge over the Chattahoochee River, the inspiration for the song. Building partners participated in a July ribbon-cutting ceremony on the 308-foot structure.

The few and proud – If you and/or a loved one was in Bluffton, SC, or at the nearby Parris Island U.S. Marine base on July 4, chances are you got to see (or at least hear) fireworks originating from an O’Quinn Marine Construction barge. Duncan O’Quinn has put on this annual show the last 15 years.

Before we shut the door on the August Pile of News, we give a nod to creative crafters Darron, Witt and Walter of D.A. Collins Companies. The trio repurposed an antique door dating back to the 1880s that was in the Glen Falls, NY, office of Jointa Lime, a present-day Collins subsidiary that provides paving mixes. It now serves as an ornate stately desk, constructed from various components of the door and frame.

As listed above in the events section, there are a lot of opportunities for PDCA participation through chapter activity around the country. Gulf Coast and Northeast will be showing off their marksman skills and South Carolina will convene for a quarterly dinner meeting. It doesn’t slow down in September as the national DICEP conference debuts in Houston, kicking off with an inaugural golf outing courtesy of the Texas Chapter. To our non-member readers, you can and should support the driven pile industry through membership in PDCA; when everybody pitches in a little, we thrive as an industry. Thanks for reading!
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