If there’s one thing Steve Hall is passionate about, it’s the
driven pile.
He’d have to be. As executive director of the Pile Driving
Contractors Association (PDCA), his calendar is like a
“Where’s Steve?” version of the “Where’s Waldo?” cartoon.
From PDCA headquarters in Orange Park, Fla., he regularly
criss-crosses North America to represent the association at
educational seminars, conferences and meetings that bring
together the piling industry and the professions with which
it intersects.
PDCA wasn’t always this prolific. In fact, its origin story
involves a meeting of a handful of people at an airport hotel.
“In 1995, there were a few forward-thinking, entrepreneurialtype
individuals who believed in the benefits of representing
the driven pile industry solely and independently without
any conflicts from other foundations,” said Hall.
Industry players and business owners quickly gravitated
to the association that offered advocacy and a consistent
voice in the industry, as well as educational programs and
networking opportunities. While membership enjoyed a
steady growth, things have really taken off in the last 10 years.
“When I came on in 2005, there were probably 250 members.
Now we’re up to over 900,” said Hall. “As the organization
has grown, the availability of resources expands exponentially.”
Wealth of opportunities for driven pile
In earlier days, PDCA hosted an annual conference for members,
plus a Design and Installation of Cost Efficient Piles
(DICEP) conference for engineers. In 2002, they also began
holding a Professors’ Driven Pile Institute (PDPI) at Utah
State University to teach engineering professors about driven
piles, knowledge that they, in turn, bring to their classrooms.
Those conferences are still going strong, but PDCA has
also added up to seven additional educational programs
every year. Their latest annual conference (the association’s
20th) in May was the largest yet, with more than 325 people
registered, 50 exhibitors and two keynote speakers.
Membership also comes with access to a monthly newsletter,
award eligibility and number of resources online, including
Ask PDCA, a service that allows members to pose industry
questions and receive responses from PDCA committees and/
or other industry experts, usually within 24 hours.
INDUSTRY PROFILE
THE PILE DRIVING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
A driven pile is a tested pile
By Heather Hudson
Steve Hall, executive director of PDCA, speaking at the Annual
International Conference & Expo 2016 in New Orleans, La.
“In 1995, there were a few forwardthinking
entrepreneurial-type
individuals who believed in
the benefits of representing
the driven pile industry solely
and independently without any
conflicts from other foundations.”
– Steve Hall, PDCA
PILING CANADA 63
/www.piledrivers.org
