EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Professional Engineers Service Award, John T. Parker, Jr. Industry
Ambassador Award, the Presidential Award for Distinguished
Service and the newly created Lifetime Achievement Award. I
personally want to thank all of the recipients who received these
awards. The awards are very specific and each individual selected
this year was a worthy nominee.
As a conclusion to my comments regarding the annual conference,
I would be remiss if I did not express my appreciation for the
larger segments of the conference that made this year’s program so
successful.
Thanks to all of our sponsors, whose financial contribution
to the conference helped elevate the exPEERience of all those who
attended.
Thanks to all of our exhibitors, who filled the exhibit hall with
state-of-the-art, up-to-date, relevant information on all of the latest
equipment, products, materials and services available to the pile
driving industry.
Thanks to more than 250 PDCA members, their families and
guests who attended this year’s conference. Your participation was
greatly appreciated. I hope you felt your time at the conference was
well spent and you left feeling it was all worthwhile. Your feedback
was (and still is) very important to us. While almost every comment
was positive regarding the conference, it is not odd that we receive
a little criticism as well. I assure all of you that we take your comments
very seriously and use that information to make each year’s
conference more outstanding than the year before. In 2018, PDCA
will be a partner in the International Foundations Congress and
Equipment Expo (IFCEE), but in 2019, PDCA will once again be
on our own and I can’t wait to begin the preparation for that event
– it is going to be spectacular.
Speaking of IFCEE, this show, which is dedicated to the
design and construction of foundation systems, using the latest
geo-engineering and geo-construction technologies and practices,
will be held at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace in Orlando,
Fla. from March 5 to 10. A few reminders, all indoor exhibit space
is sold out, outdoor space is very limited at this time, and there are
a few sponsorships still available.
Exhibitor conference registration opens September 1, 2017, and
attendee conference registration opens October 1, 2017. For more
information regarding IFCEE 2018, go to www.ifcee2018.com.
PDCA will present the 18th Annual Design and Installation
of Cost-Efficient Piles (DICEP) conference from September 20-21,
2017, at the Crowne Plaza Portland Downtown Convention Center
in Portland, Ore. This Pacific Northwest program’s theme will
be “The Driven Pile Advantage: E4” – standing for Efficiency,
Effectiveness, Economy and Environmental. While the presentation
topics are presented from an engineering perspective, this
conference is another PDCA educational program that will benefit
everyone in the pile driving industry. Watch the PDCA website,
www.piledrivers.org, our monthly e-Letter and emails for more
information as details are confirmed. I hope to see all of you there.
In the meantime, enjoy the remainder of your summer.
Remember, a serious workplace injury or death changes the lives
of families, friends, coworkers and communities forever. Please do
everything you can to make sure the health and welfare of your
workers is number one on your company’s priority list. Help make
sure everyone returns home after a hard day’s work with a smile –
knowing you care about their wellbeing. ▼
PILEDRIVER | 13
/www.ifcee2018.com
/www.piledrivers.org
