ECA opened its fledgling Washington branch in the late
1970s with Schell at the helm; he worked from home in the
early days. ECA Washington was focused primarily on pile hammers
at the time, but Schell helped to fuel the company’s much
greater aspirations.
“Pete was instrumental in getting ECA started in the foundation
drilling business, starting a dealer relationship with Krupp in the
mid-1980s, followed by Hütte and KLEMM,” said Roy Kern, president
and CEO of ECA.
Schell’s exceptional mechanical aptitude earned him respect
with many foundation contractors and drove ECA Washington’s
expansion. Some even suggested he could build a complete
KLEMM, Krupp or Hütte rig with his eyes closed. Schell, whose
starting salary with ECA in 1976 was $23,000, went on to contribute
more than $7 million in profits over his career during a time
when $1 million was a substantial sum for ECA.
Schell’s influence extended far beyond ECA Washington’s territory.
His core territory was Maryland, Washington, D.C. and
Virginia, but his true reach was east of the Mississippi River.
Kern said in Schell’s eulogy: “Pete has moved on to a better
place to be reunited with Jesus and his wife Christl, and he’s
probably designing the ultimate drill rig with Michelangelo as I
speak. He was a great man and his legacy lives on – at ECA and
in all of you.”
Schell retired in 2013, but his legacy lives on through his son,
Dave. Dave followed in in father’s footsteps in 2006, and currently
serves as corporate director of parts and service at ECA
Washington. Dave wears the watch that ECA presented to Pete at
his retirement dinner in 2014 to remind him of his father’s service
to the company. The watch inscription reads 1976 – 2013, but it
seems the Schell name will be alive and well at ECA for decades
to come. t
IN MEMORIAM
Background: roystudio/123RF
94 | ISSUE 5 2020 www.piledrivers.org
/profile_roystudio
/www.piledrivers.org
