By Frank T. Peters, Executive Director, PDCA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
New Opportunities Can
Make A Great Year
There is no question, and we are sure that everyone
would agree, 2020 was a very difficult, challenging
and exhausting year. The one thing that we can
say definitively about last year is that it's over. What does that
mean for this year? Very simply, we don't know. We do know
that we have many new opportunities available in this new year.
We want to take advantage of every single opportunity to help
improve PDCA and the pile driving industry. Let's take a quick
look at what 2021 has to offer.
As of this writing, the PDCA Board of Directors has held the
2021 Strategic Planning meeting. This two-day web event was
very different from the in-person meetings of previous years.
There was still enough uncertainty about traveling, social distancing
and whether participants would attend an in-person
meeting. The board took the opportunity to primarily meet virtually
rather than cancel the event, which was the right decision.
The PDCA 2021 Strategic Planning meeting is in the books and
was a success. The Board of Directors held good conversations
and made important decisions about budget, activities and
growth. The board came together around the common desire
to see PDCA succeed, even in challenging times. We want to
offer our sincere thanks and congratulations to incoming PDCA
president Kevin Gourgues. He ran a highly effective program and
kept everyone engaged. This meeting took work on everyone's
part. We also want to thank our officers, board members and past
presidents for taking the time to participate in this important
meeting. Your efforts will produce a positive result.
Every new year brings the prospect of renewed events and
activities. Again, PDCA will offer its perennial Deep Foundation
Dynamic Testing and Analysis (DFDTA) program in Orlando and
Cleveland in March and November, respectively. Pile Dynamics, Inc.
will present this two-day program designed for users of the Pile
Driving Analyzer® system and CAPWAP® software who are interested
in sharpening their skills.
Another perennial favorite amongst PDCA members is the
Design and Installation of Cost-Efficient Piles (DICEP) program,
to be held this year in September in New Orleans, La. DICEP is
an important educational event for contractors and engineers.
The International Foundations Congress and Equipment
Expo (IFCEE) will be held May 10 to 14, 2021, in Dallas, Texas,
and is at the top of our list for important events in 2021. We
are pleased to report that this event is moving forward as an
in-person conference. There is already more exhibitor commitment
for the 2021 show than was experienced previously. Many
Sergey Nivens / 123rf
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