West Coast Chapter 38th Annual Meeting May 19-21, 2022 at The Cliffs Resort, Pismo Beach, CA

After two years of cancellations due to COVID, the West Coast Chapter returned to our “home away from home” at The Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach, CA for our 38^th Annual Meeting. The weather was beautiful and warm, just like the feelings as members greeted each other after years apart. It was great to share handshakes and hugs.

Golf Tournament and Welcome Reception

Monarch Dunes is a challenging and beautiful course, our concerns about straight tee times taking as long as a cricket match were misguided with all 66 golfers finishing before dark! Thanks to our golfers and our generous sponsors, and thank you to Jeff Ohlson and Pete Speier, with Williams Form Engineering, for organizing the golf tournament.

The Champagne Courtyard at The Cliffs is a great place for our Welcome Reception even if it was a little crowded for us this year. It was a perfect time to meet new members and reconnect with old friends, we welcomed many new faces along with our long-time attendees, made particularly special by the addition of our Hall of Fame attendees and families.

Education Session

The education and training of our current and future members is one of the main purposes of the West Coast Chapter. For Friday’s Education Session, Tait McCutchan (Malcolm Drilling) and Chuck Danache (Keller) assembled an informative and useful session with excellent attendance including 10 Students and 2 professors from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Thank you to the student attendee sponsors: Case Pacific, Condon-Johnson & Assoc., Foundation Technologies, Hennessy International, Malcolm Drilling Company, PJ’s Rebar, Sinclair, and Z Systems.

Rick Marshall (ADSC) and Kevin Sharp (Traxxon) discussed NAIT and the importance of Drill Rig Operator Certification, encouraging all members to make use of this valuable program.

Speakers

Gabriel Carvajal, Condon-Johnson & Assoc. – San Diego Courthouse Commons Tunnel

Aaron Thomas & Jared Mangino, Keller Foundation – Northwest Arizona Drilled Shaft I-15 bridge

Vanessa Lucido, ROC Equipment – The History Channel, Curse of Oak Island

Will Gehrke, Case Pacific – Centennial Corridor Mainline SR58

Mihir Bharmal & Bryce Niekamp, DBM Contractors – Washington State Convention Center

Adam Running, Malcolm Drilling; Bryce Niekamp, DBM Contractors – Joint Venture Climate Pledge Arena

Eleazar Sotelo, Malcolm Drilling – SR99 Consumes River

Rick Marshall, ADSC; Kevin Sharp, Traxxon – Drill Rig Operator Certification and NAIT

Auction and Dinner

Yet another auction where I am amazed by the generosity of our members, from items donated to the frantic bidding, wow! More than $34,000 was raised to support the WCC and the WCC IAF. Jeff Veilleux, PJ’s Rebar, took over as auction chair this year and did a great job. Thanks to all who donated, all who bid, thanks to our auctioneer Joe Patterson, and thanks everyone for your continued support of the West Coast Chapter and WCC Industry Advancement Fund.

The Mariposa Quartet provided live music throughout night and the magic of Elliott Hunter kept us all on our toes. SPECIAL thanks to ADSC President, Chris Harris, RW Harris, for attending and speaking to the group; and Peggy Haggerty Duffy, ADSC CEO for attending, providing guidance, a lending hand, or a pastry; and thanks to Gabby Hawkins, ADSC, for helping!

2020 President’s Awards for their work with Drill Rig Operator Certification

Ray Fassett, Robert Federighi, Ryan Thody, IUOE Local 302

2021 President’s Awards for outstanding service and fundraising

Jeff Veilleux

Outgoing Board Members

John Tuttle, Sinclair Products & Equipment 2019

George Burrough, Condon-Johnson & Assoc. 2022

The highlight of the night was the Hall of Fame ceremony. Ray Fassett and Joe Patterson took to the stage to honor five individuals with industry impacting careers in a limited amount of time. Our thanks to the families and friends who provided photos, stories, and comments. We decided to postpone awards for Barry Kannon and Tim Rueda until 2024, neither gentleman was able to attend this meeting.

Hall of Fame

Tom Armour – DBM Contractors

Horst Aschenbroich – Con-Tech Systems

Bill Mobley – Bull’s Eye Drilling

Al Rasband – Malcolm Drilling

Ron Thomas – Dees Hennessey Drilling

Live Auction Items Provided By

CETCO and PACO – pallet of Shore Pac Slurry; Sinclair – pallet of Slurry CDP Pro; Watson – $10,000 discount off Drill Rig Purchase; Z Systems – Jeroboam Seavey Cabernet Sauvignon autographed bottle and private tasting

Silent Auction Items Provided By

ADSC International, Casagrande, Case Pacific, Champion, Condon-Johnson & Assoc., CZM, Drill Tools, Employers’ Advocate, Hammer & Steel, Hawaiian Dredging, HRC, PJ’s Rebar, Sinclair, Soilmec, Watson, Williams Form

Board Meeting

Will Gehkre is looking for help with the Local 3 Drill Rig Operators School. There is an expanded budget, so we are offering an expanded program, hopefully to include NCCCO Certification. This is a great opportunity to train and certify the next generation of drillers – please contact Will if you can help!

Sinclair Products & Equipment / Casagrande, and TEI Rock Drills gave 15-minute Associate product presentations at the board meeting and members chose two new board members. Tait McCutchan, Malcolm Drilling, was re-elected to the Board and Ashley Mahaffey Tullius, Don H. Mahaffey Drilling, was elected, making her the first female Board member for the West Coast Chapter.

Discussion continues about the NCCCO program and how best to provide the opportunity for certification to membership. We’re working on an idea of a challenge with a grand prize for the company with the most certified operators in one year. Details need to be ironed out, like how we apportion for company size, what kind of prize, etc.

2022 Board of Directors – Chuck Danache, Jeff Veilleux (Associate Chair), Matt Jannings (VP), Josh Hilton (Treasurer), Tait McCutchan (President), Mike Minihan, and Ashley Mahaffey Tullius (Secretary)