PDCA AWARD WINNER
Rusty Signor Receives First-
Ever John T. Parker, Jr.
Industry Ambassador Award
Involved with PDCA for 12 years, Signor tells others
contemplating joining the association that
“it’s stupid not to join”
By Lisa Kopochinski
Many PDCA members will tell
you that industry veteran John
T. Parker, Jr. left us too soon.
As vice president of Parker Marine Contracting
in Charleston, S.C., he was also
a former president of the South Carolina
Chapter of PDCA.
Parker – who was an invaluable
resource for pile drivers who often found
themselves in the role of subcontractor –
passed away in January at the young age of
50, but clearly left his mark on the industry
that he devoted 29 years of his life to.
To honor his contributions to the
industry, PDCA established the John T.
Parker, Jr. Industry Ambassador Award
with the permission of his family and
Parker Marine Contracting. The new
award is presented to an individual who
shares Parker’s passion for the industry
and who has both represented and promoted
pile driving in a way that reflects
the highest standards of the industry.
This year’s recipient, Rusty Signor,
president of TX Pile of Austin, Texas,
was selected by PDCA’s now-immediate
past-president, Mike Justason, who says
this award identifies a special individual
who – like Parker – shows an unwavering
dedication to the pile driving industry and
the people within it.
“Rusty has been the driving force
behind the promotion of driven piles in
his home market of Austin. He promotes
pile driving 24/7 to anyone who will
listen – and even to those who don’t!”
said Justason. “Rusty has truly been a
pile driving ambassador to engineering
students and professors. His name has
become synonymous with PDCA, making
him the logical choice for the inauguration
of this new and prestigious award.”
John Skinner of Parker Marine, who
is immediate past-president of the PDCA
South Carolina Chapter, is proud of
PDCA’s newest award.
“John Parker was dedicated to the
pile driving industry no matter where he
was or what he was doing,” said Skinner.
“If he met you, you were his friend. He
would go out of his way to accommodate
or help you in any way, whether it be
about pile driving or just driving the golf
cart (since he didn’t play golf) to passing
out sandwiches at a luncheon. He was
dedicated to his family, employees and
business. I think Rusty is similar in his
willingness to help people in the pile driving
business or any facet of life.”
When Rusty found out he had this
been selected for this award, his response
was signature Signor.
“I feel very blessed and fortunate. I
had no idea about it and almost fell out of
my chair. It was a ‘wow’ minute in my life.
I knew Mr. Parker and this is a memorial
to him. It’s overwhelming. I had no
clue, even though I have not missed a
board meeting in eight years! They were
sneaky.”
Originally from East Texas, Signor
started in the pile driving industry back
in 1979 in Austin when he launched
Signor Enterprises. Primarily working in
marine construction, he found the land,
designed the buildings and contracted
many projects in the Central Texas area.
With the recession in the mid-1980s, he
was forced to become more versatile and
Photo by Mark Skalny Photography
Rusty Signor (center) receives the first-ever John T. Parker, Jr. Industry Ambassador Award from
PDCA’s executive director, Steve Hall (right) and John Skinner of Parker Marine Contracting (left)
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