Our Company

A Foundation of Innovation

Substructure Support Inc. began with the development of a revolutionary deep foundation system in West Los Angeles, 2001. Steve Neville—then a member of the Playa Vista Development senior management team—was looking for an alternative pile system that offered the load capacity, affordability and production rate of a precast driven pile without the spoils, vibration and noise typical of known systems. When it became apparent that no existing system met this criteria, research and development began on what finally became the Torque Down Pile (TDP)—a system featuring a full-displacement, concrete-filled steel pipe pile to be screwed into the ground with a closed-end conical tip.

After two years of rigorous research and development, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) accepted Torque Down Piles as an equivalent to precast driven piles in 2003. Later that year, Wesley Dial joined the operation and their team began building a reputation of innovative excellence among contractors and engineers throughout the state, refining the system and project operations on a wide variety of jobs in both Northern and Southern California.

Building On Success

Before long, Substructure Support Inc. identified urban infill developments as an invaluable application for TDPs. The Palms Condominium Project, located at 555 Fourth Street in San Francisco’s historic Soma garment district, was one such project. The eight-story residential building would require 800 fifty-foot piles and the owner-developer needed a system with minimal vibration to protect neighboring historic structures and the high-tech computing systems they housed. Torque Down Piles were a perfect fit. Word spread quickly and Substructure relocated to Northern California in 2006 to meet a growing demand.

To date, more than 7,000 Torque Down Piles have been installed on more than 65 projects ranging from residential and commercial towers to parking structures, airports, scientific research facilities and education buildings. Our client list includes California’s premier contractors: Webcor, Swinerton Builders, HenselPhelps, Cahill, Howard S. Wright, J.R. Roberts. We continue to refine operations from our Fairfield, California office as we license the Torque Down Pile system to contractors in New Jersey and Canada.