About - American Pile

Innovative & Economical Foundation Design and Construction Solutions

American Pile and Foundation LLC is the Northeast’s premier pile driving and drilling specialty contractor. We offer expertise in providing our customers with both innovative and economical foundation design and construction solutions. Our skilled staff has over 50 years of experience in providing excellent service in all facets of foundation construction.

In addition to our talented staff, we have an extensive fleet of specialized equipment recognized throughout the pile driving and drilling industry. Some of our equipment includes Junttan Hydraulic Pile Driving Rigs, hydraulic cranes, vibratory drivers/excavators, hammers of every size, a large fleet of excavators and loaders, and drill rigs including Bauer BG-24H Low Headroom, Mait HR-130 and HR-260, Liebherr LB-28 and LB-36, CZM EK250, Comacchio MC22 and MC8D, Klemm and Hutte.

View Our Equipment

We take pride in our commitment to our customers and our efforts to foster and maintain strong working relationships. Our history of satisfied customers and diverse experience in both the public and private sectors have been paramount to our success.

Main Ranking: #7 of 15
(last year #8 of 10) ($53.77M)
By Sector (New York): #12 of 14 ($9.57M)
By Sector (New Jersey): #2 of 9 (last year #3 of 10) ($44.20M)
Other Project Types: #1 of 3 (last year #1 of 6) ($53.77M)

LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS IN:

CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, PA and VA

Our Leadership

NELSON FERREIRA

CEO, Managing Member

Robert “BJ” Haegele

President

Alex Abbud

Vice President

Michael M. Blendy, P.E.

Vice President/Chief Engineer

Wayne Fjotland

Vice President

Strategic Partners

NELSON FERREIRA

CEO, Managing Member

Nelson is an exceptional visionary who embarked on his first business endeavor in 1988 with the inception of Ferreira Construction. Taking what he learned, he decided to expand his capabilities and diversify his portfolio to include American Pile and Foundation (APF). APF has transformed from a start-up company in 2013 to one of today’s premier pile driving and drilling contractors throughout the Northeast. Nelson oversees the day-to-day operations at APF and works closely with his senior management, safety, estimating, payroll, and equipment maintenance teams to ensure APF is working safely and effectively on each of its projects. As a minority business owner, Nelson embraces the uniqueness of all the employees and takes pride in having a diversified workforce. He knows firsthand about overcoming barriers and serves as a great example that there is no limit to the success one can achieve. He continues to build APF through a proven track record with its projects, achieving this by swift attention to the smallest of details in the context of broad project goals and objectives. He believes APF’s strength is in its unwavering commitment to excellence and in the belief, that the company is responsible to the communities in which we live and work.

Robert “BJ” Haegele

President

BJ Haegele serves as President of American Pile and Foundation and has been with APF since 2013. BJ is responsible for providing executive management and overseeing the planning, designing, and execution of daily operations. Before becoming President, BJ began his work at APF as a Drilling Operations manager. His vast knowledge of drilled shafts, auger cast piles, mini-piles, secant piles, and other various types of load testing stems from his 25 years of knowledge in Geotechnical Engineering and Geology. With this vast amount of understanding, BJ can coordinate with specialists to assess site viability and coordinate with geologists and other professionals while taking great care to preserve the natural environment in which APF is working. BJ is an engaging hands-on leader and when not in the office, can be seen sitting on a rig himself and drilling alongside other APF employees. BJ echoes the values and visions of Nelson Ferreira, working closely with Nelson to ensure that APF is consistently meeting the needs of its clients efficiently and safely.

Alex Abbud

Vice President

Alex started with American Pile and Foundation (APF) in 2014 bringing his knowledge of pile driving, drilling, and marine construction. As Vice President, Alex uses his experience and technical background working with the owner and the project staff, to ensure APF’s projects are completed safely, in a professional manner, within budget, and on schedule. Alex started in the deep foundation business in 1989, working on projects for the United States Navy, The Department of Environmental Protection, NY State DOT, NJ DOT, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, as well as many others. He is involved in every aspect of APF ‘s projects. He assures safety and quality, overseeing his management team to ensure follow through with the company’s policies and procedures.

Michael M. Blendy, P.E.

Vice President/Chief Engineer

Michael is a licensed Professional Engineer in NJ, NY, MD, VA, PA, CT, MA, DE, MI, and DC. His first project was foundation excavation support and driven piles for the J. Edgar Hoover (FBI) Building in Washington, DC in 1968. Early in Michael’s career, he found himself at the forefront of pile and deep foundation technology, publishing multiple articles for the ASCE as well as various case studies. Michael is still an active member of the ASCE and continues to educate structural engineers on pile and foundation best practices and value engineering. Michael’s resume precedes his incomparable experience and knowledge in the construction and engineering industries. Excelling in project execution, engineering, and estimating, Michael has been a key member of the APF team since its inception on multiphase public and private contracts. His understanding of the importance of coordination and cooperation required to successfully complete a complicated project makes Michael a key part of APF’s Executive Team.

Wayne Fjotland

Vice President

Wayne takes pride in his work, and it shows in how he motivates the people around him. Wayne’s extensive background in management, estimating, design, value engineering, and drill tooling development pushes him to develop new and innovative ways to complete the task at hand while perfecting proven methods. Wayne began his career as a draftsman for a geotechnical construction company designing and estimating earth retention, underpinning, and pile foundation systems. As he progressed in his career, Wayne worked on designing, developing, and fabricating specialty drilling and tunnel boring equipment for notable pile and foundation companies throughout the Northeast. Over the next 40 years, Wayne developed a vast knowledge and understanding of earth retention systems, foundations, and drilling, and used his experience to create a removable tieback system, which was patented in 2017. Wayne joined American Pile and Foundation (APF) in 2020 as a Vice President. With this wide-ranging background, Wayne rounds out the APF Executive Team.