RIGHT-HANDED OR LEFT-HANDED?
Left-handed
EARLY RISER OR NIGHT OWL?
Generally early
APPLE OR ANDROID?
Android
LAST BOOK READ?
I'm currently working on a book called
Hemingway's Boat
FAVORITE ACTIVITY?
Boating
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?
The Florida Keys
BEER OR WINE?
Neither. I’m an iced tea guy.
FAVORITE FOOD?
Steak and shrimp
RAPID FIRE ❯❯❯
“I was asked to become vice president and I accepted the
position,” said Skinner. “I moved into other parts of the office to
do all the work that's not particularly fun, like accounting and
handling money and contracts.”
Skinner says he was happy to see Parker’s son, Kent, make
his mark on the business after taking over leadership of Parker
Marine by bringing in much needed computer system changes
and upgrades.
Skinner finally retired from Parker Marine in the summer of
2020 after 48 years at the company. He says if there was one thing
he liked best during many years there, it had to be troubleshooting.
“We were known to take the jobs nobody else wanted and the
jobs that people didn't believe you could actually get done. So,
figuring those things out, and fabricating the necessary equipment
sometimes to get those things done, that was the interesting part
to me,” said Skinner. “There was always something new to have to
figure out, and that was what I enjoyed the most.”
Mentored by Parker
Skinner says he’s grateful to have learned the pile driving business
from a man like Tommy Parker.
“There just wasn't a better person for me in the industry. He was
fair. He expected a day's work for a day's pay. He believed that there
were a few things that you didn't do. You didn't steal from him and
you didn't lie to him,” he said. “If you didn't do those things and you
came and did the job the best you could, you were on his team. We
had our differences, of course – usually he won, but every once in
a while, I would win.
CAREER STORY
PILE TESTING EQUIPMENT
SPX POWER TEAM
RENTALS • SALES • SERVICE
• Hydraulic Jacks 0-2000 Tons
• Loadcells with Digital Readout Boxes - 0-2000 Tons
• Centerhole Jacks 0-1500 Tons
• Dial Indicators 0-14 inches
• Power Units - Electric, Gas or Manual
• Calibration Services up to 2000 Tons Traceable back to NIST
Loadcell
Digitial Readout Box
Test Pile
Hydraulic
Jack
Dial Gauges
W.B. Equipment Service Company, Inc.
Supplier of Hydraulic and Pneumatic Jacking Systems for Jacking and Pile Testing.
Toll free: 866-522-5464 • Fax: 201-438-7830 • Email: stephen.cireco@verizon.net • Web: www.wbequipment.com
78 | ISSUE 2 2021 www.piledrivers.org
/www.wbequipment.com
link
