we have continued to provide quality instructional programs and
material. PDCA once again organized two DFDTA programs that
were held in Orlando, Fla. and Cleveland, Ohio. Both programs
were well attended, and we are already working on next year’s
events. This year, the 22nd PDCA Annual Conference was held in
Orlando at the Four Seasons Disney World Resort. Not only was
the conference well attended, but the weather also cooperated and
there were no reports of sunburns. Most importantly, the education
programs offered at the Annual Conference were exceptional.
With a pre-conference Pile Driving Inspectors Course and Driven
Piles QA/QC for Engineers, Contractors and Inspectors, the stage
was set. This was followed by a very full 1.5-day schedule of excellent
education programs, exhibitor opportunities and networking.
It was also announced during the conference that the PDCA
Steel Sheet Pile Committee completed their work on three revised
and updated guides on sheet pile installation, corrosion and cost
comparison. You can read more about these guides in this issue of
PileDriver. The Associate Member Council also held a presentation
during the Annual Conference to educate members on the use and
benefits of the PDCA website. They announced that the PDCA App
is now available and can be downloaded from your favorite app
store. This app will make it easier for all users to stay up to date
with everything that PDCA offers.
PDCA will round out its education efforts for the year with the
20th Annual Design and Installation of Cost-efficient Piles (DICEP)
Conference, which will be held November 4–6, 2019, in Cleveland.
The theme of this year’s DICEP is “Deep Foundations, Earth
Retention and the Benefits of the Driven Pile.” This is a must-attend
for PDCA members and others in the deep foundations industry
who want to learn more about the benefits of driven pile applications.
PDCA is dedicated to educating members, engineers and
others interested in the driven pile process. We encourage members
to get involved and support this effort by attending the scheduled
programs and by accessing information on the PDCA website.
The second aspect of the 2019 PDCA Strategic Plan is
Membership. This is a major priority as it is how we will grow the
organization. PDCA has been working hard during most of this
year to identify companies from around the country that associate
with the driven pile industry and who are not currently association
members. Using this newly gathered list, PDCA recently launched
the 2019 Membership Campaign to encourage these companies to
become members. The campaign is ongoing and currently offers
the incentive to receive membership for the remainder of 2019 at
no charge when a full membership is paid through 2020. We want
to encourage existing members to get involved in the membership
campaign by reaching out to non-member companies and offer a
personal testimony and word of encouragement. Building these
relationships is by far the best way to encourage someone to join
the association. PDCA member involvement in this effort is vital
to its success.
We believe very strongly that PDCA will see growth at the local
level and for this reason we are starting an initiative to organize
local chapters. The first endeavor will be held in Jacksonville, Fla.,
which will give PDCA a unique opportunity to be involved in all
aspects of the process and to work through details for a successful
outcome. PDCA will schedule an initial meeting with companies
that is intended to inform them about the advantages of being a
member and forming a chapter. Four additional meetings will be
scheduled during the ensuing year, which will allow these companies
an opportunity to participate in the process. Eventually we
anticipate handing the effort over to a group of dedicated members
to run the local chapter with the assistance from PDCA. We
are extremely excited about this part of our 2019 PDCA Strategic
Plan effort. With success from this first venture, PDCA will take
this process to other areas around the country to continue growing
local chapters and membership.
Visibility is the third significant piece of the PDCA 2019 Strategic
Plan and is an ongoing effort that finds its roots in email, online
marketing, website use and social media. PDCA is using all of these
resources to inform, educate and build ongoing relationships with
members. Here again, members are encouraged to help build visibility
for PDCA by responding to these various forms of electronic
communication. The mantra is Forward, Like, Share, Post. When
you receive an email with information about PDCA activities, forward
it to others in your company. Likewise, when you see something
from PDCA on social media, “Like” it, “Share” it and “Post” it.
The power of electronic communication is the ability to iterate the
digital material. All it takes is a few seconds and a click of a button.
So, click away PDCA members. Click away!!
We also launched the PDCA Store at the 22nd Annual
Conference. Many members took the opportunity to buy a shirt
or a pullover, a thermal mug or a draw string bag. All of the store
items include the PDCA logo. The main goal of the PDCA Store is
visibility. We encourage you to wear your shirt, fill your mug and
use your backpack to help increase brand awareness for PDCA. We
would like to have some fun with this along the way and will be
offering many different items for your enjoyment. Please visit the
PDCA website at www.piledrivers.org and then select “Shop PDCA”
in the upper portion of the home page. Get your PDCA gear and
help us increase visibility.
I’ll say it again: These are truly exciting times for PDCA. The
organization is growing, and we need to remember that with
growth comes change, with change comes challenge and with
challenge comes opportunity. Here is our strong encouragement.
Let’s do the hard work it takes to grow, let’s manage the change,
let’s persevere through the challenges and let’s step into and enjoy
all the opportunities that become available! t
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
The organization is growing,
and we need to remember
that with growth comes
change, with change comes
challenge and with challenge
comes opportunity.
12 | EDITION 5 2019 www.piledrivers.org
/www.piledrivers.org
/www.piledrivers.org
/www.piledrivers.org
