PDCA TRAILBLAZER
The Life of Pile Driving
Mike Jahnigen with Sun Pile Foundations has been in the
industry for as long as he can remember
Mike Jahnigen laughingly calls
himself an indentured servant
when it comes to working in the
pile driving industry.
“The industry chose me,” he said, “but
I stayed with it because it had all the elements
that intrigued and challenged me –
heavy equipment, working outside in all the
elements, moving from project to project
and being part of the building trades and
making the world a little better for people.
Whether it was a bulkhead, pier, marina or
driving land pile for home, hospital, bridge
or courthouse, to put in a solid foundation
and to support the building and people is
still a motivating factor in my love for this
industry.”
Jahnigen left home at the age of 16 to
work with various pile driving and dredging
contractors before he started his own company,
Sun Pile Foundations, in 1974 when
he was just 21.
As president of this Frankford,
Delaware-based company, Sun Pile
Foundations (formerly known as Sun
Marine Maintenance) specializes in large,
ground-breaking commercial projects and
has extensive experience driving all types
of piles.
“My responsibilities include all aspects
of the business,” said Jahnigen. “However, I
would rather drive pile than anything else.
My goal has always been to work safely
and efficiently. My first crane was a 1953
Michigan T20 truck crane with a 3,000
lb. drop hammer and follower. My history
of pile driving covers drop hammer, diesel
hammer, air hammer, vibratory hammer
and now the hydraulic hammer. Leads
were H-beam spuds, swinging box leads, fix
leads with a hydraulic spotter and now the
purpose-built pile rigs.”
When asked what he likes best about
the pile driving industry, he doesn’t hesitate.
“It is the fact that we literally support
civilization and, in doing so, I get to work
with men who give you their best every day
in adverse conditions,” he said. “I work in an
industry that combines science with challenging
world demands. One week we are
working on a rocket launch pad that will
resupply the international space station;
another week we are driving pile for the petrochemical
industry; and yet another we are
sending equipment to Washington, D.C.
to install pile for the reflecting pool at the
Lincoln Memorial.”
From boardwalks to bridges, houses,
hotels, condos, water towers, wastewater
treatment plants and electric power
By Lisa Kopochinski
Continued on page 115
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