Learning on the Job
Calgary’s Matthew Paswisty, who joined the piling
industry fresh out of high school, says his 13 years of
deep foundation work has been quite the education
Matthew Paswisty knows it pays to be versatile. He’s
only in his early 30s, but he’s already packed a lot
of different experiences into his 13 years in the
deep foundations industry.
Paswisty began his piling career right out of high school
in 2005, starting as a swamper and then taking on other jobs
such as a driller’s assistant and machine operator for a heavy
construction company in Calgary, Alta.
In 2011, he began working as a lead hand for a deep
foundations firm working in the Fort McMurray area in
northeastern Alberta and he eventually became a drill rig
operator. Since the Fort Mac oil patch in 2014, Paswisty has
continued to expand his heavy equipment skills, operating
PERSONNEL – IN THE RIG
many of the top machines on the market and adding pile
driving operator to his CV.
Paswisty says he’s always tried to learn as much as he can
on the jobsite, no matter what he’s doing. “I think it’s impor-tant
not to be scared to learn about different aspects of piling
and running equipment,” he said. “It will benefit you.”
He believes the piling industry would benefit from more
training and certification opportunities for heavy equipment
operators like himself, but he’s encouraged that things seem
to be moving in that direction.
The first drilling rig run by Paswisty was a Soilmec SR 30.
Since then, he’s moved on to bigger Soilmec machines all the
way up to the SR 90.
By Mark Halsall
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATTHEW PASWISTY
PILING CANADA 49