Techno Metal Post is very happy to welcome Allen Arnold and Carissa Stewart, his fiancé, into the Techno Metal Post family. Together, they will be heading up Techno Metal Post Western Twin Tiers.

A veteran of the US military, Allen has several careers under his belt. He has worked in construction and was a logger for many years before becoming a security guard at the local college. As a security guard, his work eventually led him to more safety training and courses in CPR. This experience piqued his interest into continuing further in the field of health and safety. He and a friend and colleague considered becoming paramedics but decided to pursue nursing instead. His friend dropped out and Allen stayed on, becoming an emergency room nurse, a career he continues to enjoy. He says it is now time for a different chapter and to begin building his own business.

Carissa works as a Patient Access Rep at the same hospital as Allen. As they embark on this new Techno Metal Post adventure together, Carissa will help Allen look after the administration and marketing of their dealership (and maybe even install a pile or two!).

One episode of Holmes and Holmes on HGTV, where they were installing Techno Metal Post helical piles for a deck, was enough to hook Allen. Seeing the technology, he immediately realized, “it was a no-brainer!” and began looking for a Techno Metal Post dealer to install piles for his wrap-around porch. While on the Techno Metal Post website, he noticed the “become a dealer” button at the bottom of the page. He read further and realized he wanted to become a dealer. Carissa said Allen has wanted to have his own business for some time, and now a unique opportunity was presenting itself. Allen said he considered waiting another year before embarking on the venture but with Carissa’s encouragement, they took the leap now. Allen said, “If I start something, I finish it. I am not a quitter.” He decided to seize the moment. “I didn’t want to miss an opportunity that might not come around again…I didn’t want to see some other guy driving around my neighbourhood in a Techno Metal Post truck.”

Allen and Carissa said their week with us was “amazing!” They enjoyed the training and felt it was very thorough. Both completed all parts of the training, including the welding portion. Carissa says she wants to learn and do as much as possible so that she can answer clients’ questions. There was also a “Techno Metal Post First”: Allen managed to break Max’s sledgehammer during the sledgehammer test. There was lots of laughter, as well as many questions while they were here. Allen and Carissa were really taken with “with how happy everyone is.” And Allen was impressed with the fact that all our piles and equipment are made right here at our Techno Metal Post base in Thetford Mines. “It shows real commitment to this company.”

Allen and Carissa will continue working in their respective fields, as they get Techno Metal Post Western Twin Tiers off the ground. Allen said his first order of business as a new dealer is to install the piles for his own porch. “It’s the best advertising! And I won’t cover the piles either. Let everyone see that I use the product.” Some final reflections before heading back home, Allen said “I am nervous, but no longer afraid.” He knows he has been well-trained and will be well-supported in this new adventure.

Techno Metal Post would like to introduce another member to the Techno Metal Post community: Dan Kelly is our new dealer for Techno Metal Post Ottawa. Originally from south western Ontario, Dan grew up on a farm and spent his early years working summers, weekends, and holidays in his uncle’s construction company. An electrical engineer by training, Dan put himself through college and university building custom homes. After university, he went to work as an engineer at Honda Canada Manufacturing doing complex problem analysis and new model design. After three years he said he “needed to learn the real world” and wanted his own business. In 2008, he moved to Ottawa with his family and returned to the field of construction. He apprenticed at Hickory Dickory Decks and eventually bought the franchise.

Dan is married with 2 children: a 9-year-old son who loves to play hockey, and a 12-year-old daughter who is a dancer. Dan says, “working is my hobby”, and if he is not doing that, he is at the ice rink with his son.

While working at Hickory Dickory Decks, Dan discovered Techno Metal Post helical piles, as the company used them for their deck projects. Impressed with what he saw, he said he knew he wanted to be part of Techno Metal Post. When he learned the Techno Metal Post Ottawa dealer, Richard Turpin, was retiring, he inquired about buying the Ottawa dealership and now, here he is.

Dan describes his week of training with us as “very exciting!” and is impressed with the people he met. He said, “everyone is super nice and friendly. Any questions I’ve had have been answered immediately. Everyone is very knowledgeable.”

Dan says his plans and objectives at this point are very basic: “We’re already installing piles, and the plan is to keep putting piles in the ground.” He is especially looking forward to “the joy of physical labour and getting my hands dirty. I am so excited to start this new business; it’s finally becoming a reality. It’s been a long negotiation process to this point, so it’s finally nice to be here.”

Techno Metal Post is very happy to introduce a new team to the Techno Metal Post family: Ed Myers and Simon Brunet. Ed is our new dealer-owner for Techno Metal Post Brockville/Kingston (formerly Techno Metal Post Perth), and Simon is heading-up sales. Ed and Simon have worked together for the past 13 years and are looking forward to installing piles and embarking on this new project.

A native of Brockville, Ed has spent most of his career in the construction industry. Since 2001 he has had his own building company specializing in windows, doors, and small additions. In his free time, he loves fishing and snowmobiling. He is married with two children and is soon to be a grandfather for the 4^th time.

Originally from Ontario, Simon grew up, lived, and worked in Halifax for 30 years. Simon has had a very varied and interesting career. For many years he was a chef and then decided to make the jump to construction. When asked about the connection between the two professions Simon smiles and says, “The quickest way to a person’s heart is through their stomach or their house – food and construction do that.” He and his family moved back to Brockville in 2005, where he met Ed and began working for him.

Ed’s trajectory to Techno Metal Post is bitter-sweet. Travis Clark, the former Techno Metal Post dealer in the region (Techno Metal Post Perth) had installed piles for some of Ed’s sunroom projects. Impressed with the product, Ed became more interested in the world of helical piles and started exploring the possibility of having his own dealership with another company, as Travis was the Techno Metal Post dealer in their area. Several weeks after Travis had installed the posts for Ed, Ed was contacted by Alain Papineau and discovered that Travis had died. Ed stepped in to buy the dealership, establishing Techno Metal Post Brockville/Kingston, and continuing the work of Techno Metal Post in the region.

Both Ed and Simon said the week with us has been very good, very educational, “a lot of fun” and that it has flown by. They said one of their biggest learnings is the shift from concrete to piles and moving away from “old school construction.” They are also really impressed with how “well-organized” everything and everyone is and how well “everybody knows their job.” Ed and Simon are also very appreciative with how bilingual the team is and how seamless communication has been. They have been pleasantly surprised that “there is no language barrier at all” – something they expressed as very important when trying to establish this new business. Their lasting impression of Techno Metal Post is that it is “a big company with a small family feel. Everybody likes working here. There are no false smiles.”

Teaming-up together in their new Techno Metal Post endeavour, Ed and Simon’s first plan of action is to educate the public about helical piles as the alternative to concrete piers. They plan to grow the business so that by next year they will be able to have two machines (an EM1 as well as an R2D) and to bring on a few more installers. In the meantime, both plan on being on-site busily putting piles in the ground!

Techno Metal Post would like to introduce another new dealer to the Techno Metal Post family: Michael Pelletier is opening up Techno Metal Post Kamloops, in British Columbia. Originally from the region of Thetford Mines, Michael has been in western Canada for ten years, working in the field of construction. Last year he decided it was time to start his own business.

Michael said he had always known about Techno Metal Post but had never really investigated what it was all about. It was his long-time school friend, and fellow “Thetfordois”, Steve Langlois (Techno Metal Post Calgary), who piqued his interest in Techno Metal Post. After a few conversations about what Steve was doing, Michael became “more intrigued” with Techno Metal Post, and Steve invited him out to a work site. From that point on, Michael said he knew becoming a Techno Metal Post dealer was what he wanted to do. Last summer, he worked and apprenticed with Christian Rousseau (Techno Metal Post Alberta) and completed his training in Thetford Mines this past December.

Michael said he had a “great week of learning and meeting new people” while training with us. “I admire the devotion of the whole Techno Metal Post team towards their dealers.” He appreciated the opportunity to experience the “whole company…to see the whole distribution of the product and the productivity of each department. Michael also enjoyed “every moment of social gathering when meal time came and having those little moments of interaction between dealers and Techno Metal Post staff.” He believes this is key in helping build a dealer’s confidence “towards the whole team and production of Techno Metal Post.” While acknowledging the helical pile industry, Michael feels Techno Metal Post “has it all” in comparison to other competitors – from the specialized installation equipment, to all the different Techno Metal Post departments and teams, to the competitive pricing.

With his heart set on establishing a Techno Metal Post dealership in Kamloops, Michael is heading to beautiful British Columbia this winter. After 10 years of living and working in Calgary, he is uprooting and going to build, not only a new business, but a new life as well. And although Michael will continue to make his home in western Canada, he says he manages to return home to his family and community in Inverness, Quebec, Canada several times a year. Now he says, “I am looking forward to a better future now that I own my dealership. Hopefully this will take me to a whole new level to push my skills and knowledge to a superior degree, which is already happening. I will some day end up being a successful business man.”

On November 30, 2018 back-to-back earthquakes and aftershocks (7.0 and 5.7 magnitudes) hit Anchorage, Alaska leaving behind it damaged roads, public buildings and houses.  This devastation left significant foundation and structural collapses over a wide area.  What they found in the aftermath was- structures that were built on Techno Metal Post (TMP) helical piles, were the ones that remained solid and strong.

Further down we explain how helical piles can be used to successfully repair these foundations, in order to prevent future damage.  But first, let’s understand what happened.

In many cases, the ground beneath the foundations buckled during the earthquake, and the two main causes were:

1. Soil liquefaction – this occurs when a partially or fully saturated soil, substantially loses strength in response to an applied stress (ex: tremors during an earthquake or other sudden changes in stress conditions), in which material that is ordinarily a solid behaves more like a liquid.
2. Faulty foundation footing.
3. Fill that is not properly compacted during the original construction.

Above- A foundation and surrounding soil that caved after the November earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska – notice the settlement expands beyond the footprint of the building, but not beyond the likely area of original excavation. 

How do helical piles solve this problem and prevent future foundation collapses?

Techno Metal Post foundation piers are engineered and tested to the highest quality and standards, which guarantees durability, security, and sustainability of a structure’s foundation.  Secondly, they are professionally installed, using proprietary hydraulic machinery.  And finally, the piles are screwed into the ground by our certified technicians, until the required load-bearing capacity is reached, and secure footing is found.  Only then, is it considered a ‘deep and solid foundation’.

The goal behind installing screw piles, is to bypass poor soil (such as peat, soft clay, or fill) and find denser ground to properly support the structural weight.

The exact weight a pile can support in a particular soil, has been predetermined by the engineering experts.  If more weight needs to be added, the pile is simply installed deeper into denser and more stable soil.

How did TMP helical piles perform through the January 24, 2016 and November 30, 2018 earthquakes?

After the November 2018 earthquake, TMP Alaska took elevation measurements of a recent foundation project, and saw that the house had remained leveled, and didn’t suffer any settlement during the quake.  They also checked similar projects and discovered the same result: structures supported by TMP helical piles were not affected by the quake and remained the same as the day they were installed. TMP Alaska has almost 10,000 piles installed throughout the Anchorage and Mat-Su area and have had no reports of failures.

A two-story house remained intact and the deck piles that were used, also remained stable.

In January 24, 2016, another earthquake (7.1 magnitude) rocked South Central Alaska and was felt as far north as Fairbanks.  An informal post-quake survey of TMP Alaska’s completed projects, demonstrated the confidence in our pile foundations for earthquake regions.  After the January 24 quake, there weren’t any reports of issues with collapses or other damage, due to the (more than) 20 seconds of tremors.  After inspecting many finished projects, there was no evidence of settlement, pile damage/movement, and no drywall cracking. Several houses and cabins on the Kenai Peninsula remained fully supported by TMP piles.

House on helical piles in Big Lake, Alaska.

What do we know about helical piles and earthquakes?

While it’s known and widely accepted that helical piles perform better than traditional foundations in earthquakes, it isn't clear why that is.  Until recently, helix piles had never gone under extensive testing during seismic events.  That changed when the University of Oklahoma’s Amy Cerato Ph.D., P.E. decided to study and test the performance of helical foundation piers subjected to earthquake loads.  She begins by mentioning the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand:

“After the series of earthquakes in 2011, the city of Christchurch was surveyed, and it was found that all buildings/infrastructure constructed on helical piles sustained minimal structural damage, however, a large majority of the condemned buildings were constructed on other foundation types. The international community has qualitative proof that helical piles perform well in earthquake prone areas, but engineers have not quantified “why” those piles are superior foundation elements, and unfortunately, helical pile use in seismically active areas within the United States remains minimal. Therefore, this project seeks to find out ‘why’ helical piles seem to behave so well in seismic regions by subjecting them to earthquake loads in the University of California – San Diego’s Large Shake Table.”

Now, through testing and actual seismic events like the ones in Alaska, Dr. Cerato’s hypothesis continues to be accurately supported: “The international community has qualitative proof that helical piles perform well in earthquake prone areas.”   

In 2016 at the University of California, San Diego (Jacobs School of Engineering), the seismic testing of helical piles was carried out, on the world's largest outdoor shake table.  The results of the tests were very positive, demonstrating what we have always believed:  Helix piles remain strong and stable during seismic activity.

Dr. Cerato’s research continues and her early work indicates that her hypothesis is correct.  This helping to finally explain “why” they perform so well in earthquakes.

SOURCES

• Dr. Cerato’s study
• Dr. Cerato’s blog
• Dave Northup, TMP Alaska

Techno Metal Post is very happy to welcome two new dealers: Reece Hoath and Riley Hoath from British Columbia. These two brothers are establishing TMP Prince George.

Reece, an electrician by trade, currently works in the oil and gas industry in Fort McMurray. He is an electrical technician doing electrical maintenance at an oil refinery. His passion, however, is construction. He has done construction projects on his house, recently adding an addition. When it came time to put in a foundation he says, “I hate sonotubes”, so he started investigating Techno Metal Post helical piles as an alternative. As he looked further into the company and the product, he realized not only was it a good solution for his addition, but it was also a very good business venture. Soon after, he contacted Christian Rousseau (TMP Alberta) and looked into becoming a dealer.

Riley’s background is also in oil and gas (power engineering) and is a pipeline supervisor. He loves his job, but he says an opportunity to now work for himself is a huge attraction. And although he admits that in his field of work (pipelines), “We put in (driven) piles on a mega scale”, Riley says that up until six months ago he knew nothing about Techno Metal Post and helical piles. It was his brother Reece, excited about the prospect of working in the world of construction and TMP helical piles, who asked Riley if he wanted to join him and invest in the dealership.

Riley and Reece are both married, and each have young children who keep them busy. Reece says his three little ones “are a handful…and I love them!” With the TMP dealership based back home in Prince George, he is looking forward to coming off the road and being able to spend more time with his family.

Reece and Riley said they had a great week of training with us, and we thoroughly enjoyed their participation – the Hoath brothers possess a great sense of humour! Riley described all the information he received “like drinking from a fire hose…but done well in a week. It was a well thought out on-boarding process.” Reece expressed he was a little nervous at first: “you don’t know what the organization will be, but everyone was amazing. The organizing as a whole is wonderful…all coordinated nicely.” Both Riley and Reece were very impressed that we roll our own steel and make our own machinery: “To see them building an EM1 was amazing!” Reece said he especially likes TMP’s proprietary installation equipment “because they are compact and designed specifically for putting in those (helical) piles.”

When asked about their goals and aspirations, they say their goal is to help expand Techno Metal Post “because it’s a great company, with great people.” “That”, says Reece “and to enjoy what we’re doing.”

Jesse Brown is one of the newest dealers to join our Techno Metal Post family in February 2018. He hails from Bozeman, Montana, in the beautiful Yellowstone Park region. He has been in construction since he was 18 and started his own construction company in 2005, after graduating from college. He works primarily in new residential construction and remodelling, and as of 2007, he also does high-end construction work.

Jesse’s “Ah-ha!” moment came when first saw helical piers (piles) installed on a deck project in 2011. “It was a realization that there was a far superior solution to concrete pilings and footings.” In 2012, he met with Serge Larouche (USA Manager) to begin looking into establishing his own Techno Metal Post dealership. He admits that it took some time to get set up and to finance his investment. “I’d been in touch with Serge for a number of years, and finally, I was able to make it happen.” In February 2018, his dream was realized. Jesse is now very keen to begin implementing the piles for residential projects – from starter homes, all the way to high-end customised houses in the Yellowstone region.

During his week of training at Techno Metal Post head office in Quebec, Canada, Jesse said he was “more impressed than I thought I’d be with the comprehensive knowledge (of everything) from mechanical, to marketing, to installation” processes. He was also very impressed by how “at ease, happy, and content everyone is here”, and that he feels he is well-supported by the TMP community. “I feel like I am set up for success. I feel that I will never be alone – even when I’m out on a solo job, installing piles in minus 20 degrees.”

In their spare time, Jesse and his fiancé, Sarah, who is a small animal veterinarian, love to hike and camp in Yellowstone Park. Jesse also loves to go alpine and cross-country skiing, and hunting.

Mark Gannon is one of the newest dealers to join our Techno Metal Post family in February 2018. Mark grew up in New Jersey and has 25 years of experience in construction and carpentry. He’s also ventured out into other areas of business, including being an owner-operator of a bakery bread route, and a manager of a privately-owned retail beer distributor.

Greg DiBernardo’s article, “Helical Pile Deck Foundations” (Professional Deck Builder, May-June, 2012) was Mark’s first encounter with Techno Metal Post. When he saw a deck being built with helical piers (piles), he immediately realized, “I need to get into this. This is the right fit. The way to go.” Then a deck project for some friends came along, and he was looking for an alternative “because I was not going to dig!” So, he found a Techno Metal Post dealer in New Jersey who installed the helical piles. Mark says he was totally amazed by the process and his clients were happy. One year later, while re-doing his own deck, he knew the only way to do it was to use Techno Metal Post. He watched the installer put in the piles on his own, in only two hours. Immediately after, Mark called him to inquire about getting his own Techno Metal Post dealership. “And the rest is history.”

Mark is excited to start implementing the knowledge and skills he’s learned during his training week at Techno Metal Post head office in Quebec, Canada. He is looking forward to learning more about what this product will do. “This has been a two-year process. I always knew I needed something different to separate me from the other contractors. I see a niche in TMP, so I am going for it.” He wants to build a business that will sustain itself and that he hopes to eventually pass on.

Nadine, Mark’s wife, will also be closely involved in their new dealership. When she is not busy working as a flight attendant, she is a wedding and portrait photographer. And if those things don’t keep her busy enough, she is currently working toward her FAA licence for drones. Nadine will be putting her artistic, and soon-to-be drone talents to use photographing their dealership’s projects and incorporating aerial images into their new business.

Mark says he can’t get enough of the outdoors. He and Nadine love to kayak, camp, and hike. As well, they enjoy being with friends, playing music (Mark is a drummer!), and spending time with his white German Shepard, Bud. He welcomes the challenge of bringing Techno Metal Post technology to his region; to showing people something new; and to educating others about it. “This, and the support of my wife, is what it’s all about.”

In September 2017, Techno Metal Post had the pleasure of hosting our new dealer Kevin Parkin for Kelowna, BC, for dealer training.

After years of working with his own welding truck in his own business, being in construction in Alberta, Kevin Parkin wanted to pursue a different type of business that would utilize his skills but give him more freedom and flexibility.

Kevin and his lovely wife Marie-Pier decided that they wanted to raise their family and call Kelowna home. They thought it would be a great place to build a business and support their active outdoor lifestyle. Kevin loves to fish and golf is one of his favourite past times. Once he found out that there was an opportunity to become a dealer for Techno Metal Post and have it be Kelowna, BC, well that sealed the deal. Kevin feels there are so much helical pile opportunities, docks and piers to be built along with all kinds of other helical pile foundations.

He is very excited about starting his new career in Kelowna. He and his family will be moving there by the end of September to begin their new life as a Techno Metal Post Dealer.

We look forward to seeing great things from Kevin’s dealership. We wish Kevin and his family all the success in his new business venture and the beginning of their new life in BC.