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A Pile of News: August 2026

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 August 3, 2026

Top of the pile:

Eight PDCA member companies claim nine 2026 Project of the Year Awards, and they are publicly revealed for the very first time in the latest PileDriver magazine. Congratulations to the winners! Read the digital edition here.

PDCA members who contribute and engage make the organization successful. Congratulations to the following individuals who PDCA recognized as 2026 Association Awards winners during the 2026 Annual Conference awards ceremony last month:

• Associate Member of the Year Award – Joe Gelardi from American Equipment & Fabricating Corp.
• Contractor Distinguished Service Award – Richard Goettle, Inc., represented by Doug Keller and Brian Heck (Brian made more news in July; read about his rare achievement below, in People on the Move > Recognitions).
• Dr. Frank Rausche Professional Engineers Service Award – Gregory Canivan, PE, from S&ME, Inc.
• John T. Parker, Jr. Industry Ambassador Award – Matthew Knight from Aggregate Technologies, Inc.
• Lifetime Achievement Award – Skip Gardella from Norwalk Marine Contractors
• PDCA Committee Member of the Year Award – Heath Stevens from Gulf Coast Pre-Stress Partners, Ltd. (He brings the heat...#IYKYK)
• Presidential Award for Distinguished Service – David Price from Linde-Griffith Construction

The best of the rest – during the conference awards ceremony, Diane Fischer, Jim Dempsey and Greg Canivan were honored for their previous PDCA Board of Directors service. Buck Darling was celebrated as past president. PDCA Golf Tournament standouts accepted their prizes. And 2025 Project of the Year Awards winners were formally presented their trophies.

Project excellence and individual achievement are hallmarks of a professional community. But heartfelt generosity thrives in a dangerous industry like pile driving; it is hard work that can involve tragedy. At the annual conference, PDCA and its members coordinated a $10K gift to Construction Angels, an organization that supports families of fallen workers. Consider donating today.

From the Association & Chapters

Mark your calendars:

• Aug. 13: Value Driven Webinar Series, virtual, 2PM. Hear Geotechnical Optimization of Deep Foundation Installation in Utility-Constrained Environments as Georges Valcour, PE, PSM, WEDG, analyzes SOE design methods.
• Aug. 14: Deadline for Texas Chapter scholarship applications. Texas students pursuing construction careers are eligible for $2,500 awards.
• Aug. 21: Northeast Chapter Sporting Clays Fundraiser, Coplay, PA. Annual sport shooting returns to Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays; register/sponsor today.
• Sept. 22: Texas Chapter Golf Tournament, Wildcat Golf Club, Houston. The popular event returns, but at a new course. Registration is open and sponsorships are available. Student scholarships will be awarded after golf.
• Oct. 19–21: Deep Foundations Dynamic Testing & Analysis, Cleveland. This includes a seminar, workshop and proficiency test, offered through a partnership between PDCA and Pile Dynamics, Inc. Thirteen PDH available.
• Oct. 23: 2026 ASCE Buchanan Lecture, Bryan, TX. Two distinguished lectures at Texas A&M University from 2–5PM. Dr. Youssef Hashash presents on AI in geotechnical engineering and Dr. Rodolfo Sancio gives a state of the practice.

From the PDCA Blog:

• Stuffed lobstah was on the dinner menu after the Foundation & Marine Contractors Association of New England's golf tournament. Several PDCA members in that organization were spotted at the July event.
• How it all started – Scenes from the 2026 Annual Conference as attendees arrived for registration, pinned the map and enjoyed the Opening Reception. Many bought the commemorative conference shirt in The PDCA Store.
• A $10K gift to families facing the unthinkable – At the Annual Conference, PDCA held a donation drive to support Construction Angels.
• The Conference Exhibit Hall sold out nearly two months early because PDCA exhibitors know it's the place to be. Breaks, meals, cocktails and networking kept the expo bustling throughout the show.
• Industry leaders and subject matter experts carried the conference curriculum. The event offered a variety of topical sessions.
• Ringers and hackers, everyone is welcome at the PDCA golf tournament... so long as you register by the deadline! Scenes from the greens.
• And the winner is...see photos from the 2026 Association Awards ceremony, which included the 2025 Project of the Year Awards trophy presentation.

Congratulations, Michael Leal, you are this month's winner! Email marian@piledrivers.org before the end of August to claim your prize.

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Acquisitions & expansions:

• Dieseko USA, which unveiled a comprehensive rebranding on July 1, became part of DevCo, which also acquired Movax and Watson & Hillhouse on July 6.
• Service Steel Warehouse introduced the ZZ820 sheet pile, the newest steel sheet in North America; it's said to offer improved performance and efficiency.
• ECS Group of Companies answers the call for its engineering and testing services in western Pennsylvania by opening a new Johnstown office.
• GeoEngineers, Inc. plants a flag on Guam, an unincorporated island territory in Micronesia. A presence there avails the firm more federal and regional projects.
• UES adds Florida-based Andreyev Engineering to its portfolio.

Recognitions:

• McCarthy Building Cos. sent 50 employees to the Groundbreaking Women in Construction Conference in San Diego this summer.
• Shimmick Corporation hosted its Intern Rodeo, providing the up-and-coming constructors the chance to operate equipment, learn from skilled personnel and connect with executives. Reeve Trucking was among the vendor partners.
• Alfred Miller Companies earned a prestigious Gold award for its safety practices from a large coalition of Louisiana safety advocates.
• Pile Dynamics, Inc. makes this list of top companies in Northeast Ohio, as curated by The Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com.
• Dewberry designed the new police department in Lake in the Hills, IL, which completed in February. It earned a Crain's Chicago Business profile.

Giving back:

• Baker GCI donated 1,500+ canned food items to the Baton Rouge Food Bank. Company interns used them to build a pump truck, part of a safety contest.
• Richard E. Pierson Construction Co. sponsored the New Castle County Golf Classic, a fundraiser supporting DFRC and people with intellectual disabilities.
• Sealevel Construction supports local education and workforce development as sponsor of a gala benefitting Louisiana's Fletcher Technical Community College.
• Bull Moose Tube asks attendees to donate school supplies as admission to an Aug. 4 industry event it is hosting in Sinton, TX.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger held its annual staff golf tournaments last month. The event supports the ACE Mentor Program which helps high schoolers.
• Weeks Marine, Inc. staff participated in a beach clean-up with the Outer Banks Relief Foundation in coastal North Carolina; it helps families facing tragedy.

Government Relations:

• Beaver Excavating Company restored Belmont County's historic bridge in eastern Ohio. Gov. Dewine was among officials to attend a grand reopening.
• Nucor hosted U.S. Rep. Strickland at its Tacoma rebar fabrication facility.

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Transitions:

• Daniel Sprunk rises to senior construction manager at Cajun Industries.
• Perri Provost is the new director of business development at Forgen.
• Brandon Jones started as a pile driver at MEB in Chesapeake, VA, nearly 15 years ago. Last month, he earned promotion to senior project manager.
• Sabrina Kievit, a recent graduate of Manhattan University in civil engineering, joins Weeks Marine as a field engineer in the Cranford, NJ, home office.
• Tomas Cabrera is the new Orlando-based, senior sales executive at BIG STEEL, LLC. He will cover Florida and the Caribbean for the piling supplier.
• Daniel Mohan, Zac S. and Scott Silverberg are new additions to the team at St. Louis-based Hammer & Steel, where they support sales, ops & fabrication.
• Matt Chestnut is the new Houston-based tubular sales GM at JD Fields & Co.
• Aubrie Park joins the inside sales team at John Lawrie Tubulars USA.
• Michael McLain, PE, BCO, onboards as the new geotechnical senior project engineer at the Pittsburgh office of ECS Group of Companies. His new colleague, Thomas Sevacko, rises to CMT manager in the same facility.
• Toynia Gibbs spent nearly 25 years with ESP Associates in Raleigh-Durham, NC; she retired as the survey division manager for the east region.
• Patrick Thurmond, PE, rises to engineering operations director and James Williams, PE, becomes engineering technical director at Eustis Engineering.
• Ethan Crisp is a new geotech in the GeoEngineers, Inc. Tacoma, WA, offices; Frank Torvik joins the team as a remote geological engineer.
• Jeevan Hhatta, E.I.T., is a new geotech at S&ME in New Albany, IN. Elsewhere, Zach Wilder, PE, becomes senior engineer at the Lexington, KY, office.
• Patrick Kinsella, PE, takes the helm at the Shannon & Wilson St. Louis office.
• William Cecconello joins the construction management team as senior project manager in the Pennsylvania offices of Tectonic.

Recognitions:

• Brian Heck used his 6 iron on a 168-yard Par 3 at Triple Crown Country Club in Union, KY. The result: a hole-in-one! Always on the job for Richard Goettle, Inc., the PDCA past president was representing his employer, which was a major sponsor of the charitable golf event supporting local social services. Read all about Brian's rare distinction in The Northern Kentucky Tribune.
• Andi Vigue (CIANBRO), Dan Walsh, Jr. (The Walsh Group) and Dave Mahoney (Dewberry), Construction Industry Round Table board members, discussed the future of design and construction at a leadership retreat.
• Matt (Blackbeard) Jones, quality manager in ground improvement and pile installation at Keller, welcomed a new daughter. He reflects on the contributions he's helped make to the built environment in the world she will come to know.
• Mike Mortensen, CEO of ARG Industrial, appeared on Hitting the Ceiling podcast, to discuss the unique circumstances behind the company's growth.
• Mike Songer representing Cape Holland reached 50 years in the foundation industry this summer.
• J.W. Lodge, CEO at Lodge Lumber Co., interviews with BIC Magazine, a Houston-based publication serving Gulf Coast region business and industry.
• Nathan Keys told the Dredging Deep podcast how his UF instructor and Measutronics founder, Lou Nash, inspired his career in marine construction.
• Justin Andrews, Canada's Tadano business manager, earns industry award.
• Leo Titus Jr., PE, F.GBA, the COO at ECS Group of Companies, is a recipient of the Clarkson University Golden Knight Award, honoring distinguished alumni.
• Intisar Ahmed of GeoEngineers, named Seattle Young Engineer of the Year.
• Kelly Pittman, project manager at Premier Geotech and Testing, graduated Leadership Livingston with strong support from Louisiana colleagues.
• Kristin Hill, PE, PG, from S&ME and Rayna Farrell of Bechtel are 2026 Top Women Leaders in Construction & Civil Works by Women We Admire.
• Rose McClure, a senior project manager at SGH, will serve as VP on the 202–-27 Board for the Chicago Chapter of Professional Women in Construction.

In sympathy:

• Frankie Nell Peters (1926–2026) peacefully passed in her Clinton, MS, home on July 25. PDCA Executive Director Frank Peters is among her four surviving children; she also has four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Her 100 years are marked by her strong commitment to family, faith and education.

Blue Iron Foundations & Shoring rehabilitated infrastructure at a county park near Sacramento, CA. Crews drove 94 CMI Limited sheets with a Dieseko vibro to update retaining structures, stabilize creek banks and enhance camping facilities.

Cape Romain Contractors crews drive piles through and adjacent to an existing bridge deck as part of a rehabilitation project in Pumpkintown, SC.

Continental Heavy Civil Corp. started North Jetty improvements for Broward County, FL, part of a $110M project to mitigate beach erosion at Port Everglades. Crews drove temporary piling with a GeoQuip HPSI, and used a Liebherr for material handling.

East Coast Marine Construction & Design updates progress on a public project in Port Orange, FL; project manager Pete Kolb says crews used piling equipment from ECA and ICE to install CMI Limited sheets along the new boat ramp and Meever steel sheets for a cofferdam. Bellingham Marine supplied floating docks, which will get support from PSC piling. Timber piles will hold a fixed dock.

ICOP, Inc., newly formed in late 2025, ramps up its equipment fleet. Timothy Williams and Dolan Strange joined Justin Feder of Foundation Equipment Services, who sold them three vibros, on a visit to the German factory where they're being built.

Island Piling, Inc. will install PSC piles for Sunset Beach Resort, a $13M beachfront development coming to Fort Myers, FL. Local leaders say it is one of the most significant private investments since Hurricane Ian ravaged the region in 2022.

Kokosing is among the contractors selected to contribute to a PennDOT megaproject which will begin replacing six interstate bridges across Pennsylvania.

Russell Marine won an $84.6M contract to modernize critical port infrastructure at Port Houston through the reconstruction of two wharves. Houston Business Journal reports the facility expects massive growth in the next decade.

Walters Marine Construction installed critical infrastructure at Port Norris in southern New Jersey. Crews used a PILECO hammer and Pile Master leads to install Consolidated Pipe and Supply piles. Steel sheets secure a flood control structure.

Service Steel Warehouse sent more than 5K tons of steel piling to the Port of Lake Charles, where an expansion project is underway for an industrial canal. Baker Pile Driving & Site Work crews installed the foundation using ICE equipment.

GTR-Geosciences Testing and Research re-mobilizes for dynamic pile testing and quality control in Phase 2 of a runway build at Boston's Logan Airport, where construction crews use ICE IP1514 impact hammers to drive PPC piling.

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Notes from the Field

Midsummer Classic – For the first time since 1990, the 2027 MLB All-Star Game will be at Chicago's Wrigley Field. Fans will see the Champions Gate, commemorating World Series champion Cubs teams. There were no driven piles, but congrats to The Walsh Group, which installed then opened the monument with Cubs players in July.

Flyover State – Heartlanders know the county fair helps define their culture. Indiana-based Bowen Engineering contributed kids' activities that were emblematic of Hoosier life, shooting baskets and driving tractors, to the Bartholomew County Fair .

Side hustlin' – Considered a master oil painter in Anchorage, AK, PND Engineers' IT manager Carlos Pereira held his second art show in the city this summer. He presented Canvas Unbound: A Collection of Oil Paintings. Notably, his opening night featured a cello accompaniment by PND colleague Daniel Cabrera.

Eight hours, for what? You work hard and deserve the opportunity to cut loose. Here's lookin' at you, VEIT dance team, Omniduct not-ready-for-prime-time players and J.D. Fields & Co. intern Geurin Houston.

That's a wrap, thanks for starting August with us.

It's time to update your company profile in your PDCA account. We will start pulling your data for the 2027 PDCA Membership Directory. Our accuracy relies on YOU!

If you have important news to share with the industry, send it to us directly. We have begun compiling the content for the September 1 A Pile of News. See you then...

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