Tacoma, WA
Tacoma City Hall Seismic Upgrade
When helical piles couldn't reach torque in stiff soil, Ram Jack value-engineered a micropile solution with the geotechnical engineer for this civic seismic upgrade.
Commercial & Civil Division · In-house engineering · ISO 9001:2015
Commercial foundation & civil solutions
From a seismic upgrade at Tacoma City Hall to helical anchors at Hayward Field, Ram Jack West provides custom-engineered deep-foundation solutions that the region's most demanding projects trust. 25+ years of Pacific Northwest experience. In-house engineers. Patented systems recognized by ICC ESR-1854.
Serving Washington, Oregon, Alaska · ISO 9001:2015 certified
ESR-1854
ICC-ES recognized pile systems
1,000+
tons documented micropile capacity
50-yr
thermoplastic coating technical lifespan
SP 60
Movax side-mount vibratory driver
Overview
Deep-foundation expertise with the engineering to back it
Our commercial and civil division serves engineers, GCs, architects, and municipalities across Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Our strength is value engineering: when the original design calls for a system that soil conditions won’t support — as happened at Tacoma City Hall, where helical piles couldn’t achieve torque — we bring the geotechnical engineer and design team together and find the solution that actually works. That’s the difference between a contractor and a technical partner.
For the design team
What we offer
- ICC ESR-1854 recognized pile products — the most ICC-recognized products among competitors
- ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing facility — consistent QC, documented traceability
- In-house design and engineering support; Design-Build capability for civil, industrial, commercial, and residential projects
- Specialized equipment with minimal footprint and overhead clearance — we get where others can't
- Load-test programs to validate pile design before full installation
Scope
Problems we solve
- New-construction deep foundations
- Commercial settlement
- Seismic upgrades
- Soldier pile & lagging walls
- Heavy-load support
Capabilities
System by system
System 01
Helical Piles
Designed for compression, uplift, lateral forces, and moments — the full load envelope commercial structures demand. Thermoplastic coating per AC228 (ICC-adopted 2003) with a 50-year technical lifespan; loadable immediately, no concrete cure time; compact footprint with limited overhead clearance. Proof: 270 piles to 65 ft retrofitted Patton Middle School in 2 months; 24 piles supported two Arboretum trail bridges; 46 piles carried new construction on very soft coastal soils at Yachats, Oregon.
System 02
Driven Piles (Movax SP 60)
A Movax SP 60 side-mounted vibratory driver on a Cat 324 excavator — one of the most compact, capable driven pile rigs available. Pile lengths to 50 ft; works under bridges, docks, viaducts, and overhead power lines; H-pile, pipe pile, and sheet pile; pin piles 2–4 in diameter with custom fabrication for special orders. Proof: 256 pin piles stabilized 8 cabins on landslide terrain at Camp Namana; 143 pin piles completed a new Dollar General foundation; 27 piles to 60 ft lifted two Portland apartment buildings 3 inches in 11 days.
System 03
Micropiles
High-capacity foundations in constrained spaces — documented supporting loads in excess of 1,000 tons, with equipment far smaller than conventional deep-foundation rigs. Proof: Tacoma City Hall (value-engineered when helicals couldn't reach torque); Bandon House (83 cased micropiles to 50 ft against liquefaction); Adams School Campus (84 low-headroom micropiles in confined interior space); 390 micropiles to 30 ft for a strict-seismic Eugene project; custom-engineered brackets for a GM distribution center in Sparks, NV.
System 04
Sheet Piling
Cost-effective and long-lasting for earth retention, flood protection, and waterfront construction. Steel and vinyl sheet piling available, installed with the Movax SP 60 for compact-site advantages.
System 05
Seismic Retrofits (Commercial)
Seismic safety is an active code compliance issue across Oregon and Washington. We provide custom seismic upgrade solutions — from helical pile underpinning to micropile foundation reinforcement — engineered to current code. See the UCSD shake-table and PEER liquefaction test data on the Seismic Retrofitting page.
System 06
Foundation Repair (Commercial)
Commercial structures with cracking slabs, sloping floors, bowing walls, or misaligned openings need the same diagnosis and permanent fix as residential structures — at commercial scale and schedule, with the documentation the building owner, engineer, and insurer require.
System 07
Carbon Fiber (Commercial)
The SRS carbon fiber system is especially well-suited to commercial and municipal applications: column strengthening, beam upgrade, structural wall openings, and retaining wall reinforcement — without the downtime and cost of demolition. Pre-1977 infrastructure lacking seismic reinforcement is a particularly common candidate.
System 08
Retaining Walls & Soldier Pile
H-pile with timber lagging, steel plates, or guard rail members; soil nail walls — from conventional to highly specialized. Proof: 63 H-piles and steel lagging over 700+ ft along US-101 for ODOT without lane closures; a custom 170-ft steel cantilevered wall met fire-lane code on a tight Portland site.
System 09
Poly Foam Injection
Commercial concrete leveling — trip hazards, ADA compliance, warehouse and parking structure floor leveling — with same-day results and no demolition or extended closures.
Related: Seismic Retrofitting and Carbon Fiber Solutions.
Marquee projects
A few projects worth knowing
Eugene, OR
Hayward Field Helical Anchors
Helical anchors secured hammer-throw cage towers for the 2022 World Athletics Championships without tearing up the competition surface.
4
piles
Seattle, WA
Washington Park Arboretum Loop Trail
24 helical piles supported two bridges on Seattle's environmentally sensitive Arboretum loop trail.
24
piles
20–25
depth (ft)
2
bridges
McMinnville, OR
Patton Middle School Seismic Retrofit
270 helical piles to 65 ft seismically retrofit a 1972 school — finished ahead of schedule without interrupting the school year.
270
piles
65
depth (ft)
2
months
Eugene, OR
Strict-Seismic Foundation System
390 micropiles to 30 ft met strict seismic code on poor soil — validated by a full load-test program.
390
piles
30
depth (ft)
Lunch & Learn
Schedule a Lunch & Learn for your team
AIA-style sessions for architects, engineers, and design professionals — at your office or over Zoom. We cover deep-foundation system selection, seismic retrofit options, value-engineering case studies, and how to specify Ram Jack systems.
- System overview: helical, driven, micropile — when each is right
- Seismic design: UCSD shake-table data, PEER liquefaction test results
- Value-engineering case studies (Tacoma City Hall, Bandon House)
- ICC ESR-1854 recognition and ICC compliance documentation
The Warranty Trust
Commercial work, lifetime-warranty backed
Qualifying helical and driven pile installations carry the Transferable Lifetime Warranty, backed by the Ram Jack National Limited Warranty Trust — a separately funded reserve with guaranteed, secured funds.
WarrantyTransferable Lifetime Warranty
Backed byRam Jack National Limited Warranty Trust
CoverageEvery qualifying helical and driven pile installation is protected for the life of the structure. The warranty transfers to future owners and is backed by a funded trust, so coverage survives even if the company can't service it directly.
Why it mattersMost contractors offer a warranty on paper. We're the only company in the PNW that backs it with guaranteed, secured funds.
FAQ
Commercial project questions, answered
Can Ram Jack provide Design-Build services?
Yes. For civil, industrial, commercial, and residential projects we offer full Design-Build capability — from initial engineering design through installation and load-test verification.
What is ICC ESR-1854?
ESR-1854 is an ICC-ES Evaluation Report that recognizes Ram Jack's pile systems and brackets as compliant with model building codes — the highest recognition available among competitors' products. It gives engineers and building officials confidence in the specified system.
Can your equipment handle limited overhead clearance?
Yes. The Movax SP 60 side-mount configuration and our micropile drills are specifically selected for low-headroom and tight-access conditions — under bridges, in building interiors, near overhead power lines, and on tight urban sites where crane-mounted equipment is impractical or impossible.
How does Ram Jack handle load testing?
We conduct load-test programs as part of project design validation — typically to 200% of design load. Test piles are installed and loaded before full production pile installation, confirming that the design depth and torque criteria are achieving the required capacity. Full documentation is provided to the design team.
Your next deep-foundation project deserves a technical partner, not just a contractor.
In-house engineering. Specialized equipment. Marquee project experience. And when the original design doesn't work — we find what will.