I graduated from the University of Maine with a B.S. in civil
engineering in 1974. After graduation, I immediately went
to work for Cianbro Corporation, one of the largest heavy
and industrial contractors in New England. My employment with
Cianbro lasted for a total of 19 years. While at Cianbro, I met my
future business partner, Dean Sciaraffa. Dean was also a graduate
of UMO, so the partnership started off with at least two commonalities
– the same alma mater and a background in the heavy
and industrial side of contracting. In 1993, Dean and I were able to
purchase H.B. Fleming from its second generation of owners, Dick
Ingalls and Don Ericson. H.B. Fleming is an old company that was
started in 1955 by Howard Fleming. Howard created a company
that not only specialized in pile driving and marine work, but also
had significant design capability.
As new owners of the company, Dean and I focused on expanding
the in-house design work to include cofferdams, anchored sheet
walls, bulkheads, small bridges and work trestles.
A few years later after settling into the business, H.B. Fleming
joined PDCA. I attended my first annual conference in San
Antonio, Texas in the late ’90s. During the conference, I met contractors,
equipment manufacturers and dealers from all over the
world. I was amazed that all the members of PDCA were willing to
openly share experiences, ideas and knowledge about their involvement
in the industry, projects and business. These were things we
all had in common and were willing to impart to make pile driving a
better industry. There is no doubt that the relationships I developed
through PDCA provided us not only with long-lasting partners
from whom we purchased equipment and materials, but who also
helped us with innovative construction methods and practices.
We met industry leaders that have contributed so much to not
only the pile driving and foundations industry, but also to PDCA,
specifically. Individuals like George Goble, Garland Likens and Van
Komurka – just to name a few. H.B. Fleming, like all pile driving
companies, faced huge problems with existing design standards, not
only in New England but also throughout the country. Pile design
loads were often specified extremely low and thus were inefficient
and costly. PDCA and these individuals came together to educate
and help H.B. Fleming and the industry gain credibility with
owners and engineers. PDCA also worked with various government
agencies to improve the construction and design standards.
Eventually, it became apparent that the industry needed an
environmental committee to address vibration issues that were
plaguing pile driving. I volunteered (or, more likely, found it hard
INDUSTRY PIONEER:
Reflecting on a career
in pile driving
By John Linscott
PDCA INDUSTRY PIONEER
John
Linscott
There is no doubt that the
relationships I developed through
PDCA provided us not only with
long-lasting partners from whom
we purchased equipment and
materials, but who also helped
us with innovative construction
methods and practices.
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