CAREER STORY
Harry taking delivery of the
first Junttan pile driving rig
purchased in South Carolina
HARRY ROBBINS
Making a difference for the driven pile industry
By Mark Halsall
Few people have had as big an impact on the Pile
Driving Contractors Association as Harry Robbins.
During his long and storied career in pile driving,
Robbins has played a vital role in the success of PDCA as it’s
grown into a thriving national organization and was the driving
force behind the establishment of its first local chapter in 2003.
Robbins has also been about as strong a proponent of the
driven pile that you’ll ever see in the industry. Just ask Jason
Moore, the vice president and general manager of Palmetto Pile
Driving in Charleston, S.C., who was mentored by Robbins.
“Harry has been committed to the driven pile for a very long
time. He’s very, very specific about that – he would tell you he’s
not a pile driller, he’s not a ground modification guy, he is a pile
driver,” said Moore. “Harry has been a strong and steady voice
for the driven pile for many years and has gone to bat for the
products, not just for Palmetto, but for other local pile driving
companies as well as the association at large.”
Early interest in construction
Robbins got his first taste of the construction industry while he was
attending The Citadel, a prestigious military college in Charleston.
“I took several engineering courses there and ended up with a
Bachelor of Science degree in business administration,” he said.
“The engineering courses piqued my interest in construction.”
After graduating from The Citadel, Robbins served as vice
president of a local underground utility contractor before joining
Construction Equipment Sales in Charleston in 1980. He
was hired to help turn the firm’s pile driving division into a
stand-alone business called CES Pile Driving Company, and in
1983 Robbins was named vice president and general manager.
In 1986, CES Pile Driving Company became Palmetto Pile
Driving Inc. and Robbins moved up to president, a position
he held until his retirement on Dec. 31, 2015. Robbins actually
continued to work there part-time for two years to assist Moore
with the leadership transition at Palmetto.
Continued on page 58
All photos courtesy of Harry Robbins
www.piledrivers.org PILEDRIVER | 55
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