Gerry McShane Named
Committee Chair of the Year
By Mark Halsall
By all accounts, the PDCA 21st
Annual Conference and Expo in
Amelia Island, Fla., was a terrific
success. Gerry McShane, a long-time
PDCA member and chair of the association’s
Education Committee, played a big
role in that by leading efforts to increase the
technical education component of the event.
“One of our focuses this year was to
increase the number of technical presentations
and make it into a two-day series of
technical content. We had top-notch keynote
presentations at the beginning and at
key points during the conference. The rest
was filled with technical presentations to
complete the sessions,” said McShane. “I
think that raised the overall standing of the
annual event considerably and I think it’s
one of the reasons why it was so successful.”
For his efforts in helping organize the
annual conference as well as his significant
contribution to other PDCA educational
initiatives, McShane has been named
Committee Chair of the Year.
McShane received his award, presented
annually to a committee chair who displays
exemplary leadership and outstanding dedication
to PDCA, at the annual conference
in June.
“To get this recognition for my participation
as Committee Chair of the Year, I
think it’s a fantastic honor and one I’m very
proud to receive,” said McShane.
Steve Hall, PDCA’s executive director,
describes McShane as a true leader.
“Gerry is hard-working and is very
contentious,” he said. “He’s a great person
to work with, and he understands the value
of keeping everyone involved.”
Promoting sheet piling
In addition to overseeing the educational
components of the PDCA annual conference
and the Design and Installation of
Cost-Efficient Piles (DICEP) conference,
McShane suggested and led the development
of the Steel Sheet Piling Seminar,
which was successfully presented for the
first time at this year’s annual conference.
McShane also established the PDCA
Steel Sheet Pile Committee, which held its
first meeting at the annual conference.
“I’m excited to work on the new Steel
Sheet Pile Committee that we just started,”
he said. “Sheet piling is a very competent
material, but I don’t think it’s being promoted
well enough in the industry. There’s very
little discussion about it, and I felt that it
was time that we did something about that.”
McShane has a Bachelor of Science
in Civil Engineering degree from the
University of Belfast in Northern Ireland
and has worked in the construction industry
for 28 years. Currently the director of
piling sales for Houston-based Service Steel
Warehouse, McShane has worked on five
continents, providing innovative sheet piling
options for a wide range of projects.
A PDCA member for 18 years,
McShane became chair of the Education
Committee in 2016. He’s found his first
year in the position highly rewarding.
PDCA ANNUAL AWARDS
“Gerry is hardworking
and is
very contentious.
He’s a great
person to work
with, and he
understands
the value of
keeping everyone
involved.”
– Steve Hall, PDCA
Executive Director
“I enjoy the interaction with the
committee members, working with them
on planning our events coming up,” said
McShane. “I also enjoy the involvement
within PDCA itself. They’re a great bunch
of people to work with, and it’s a very useful
part of the industry. I think PDCA offers
so much to the construction community
that I’d like to continue to be a part of it.” t
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