Foundations are the backbone of everything that gets build around the world. Yet the way foundations get built hasn’t changed much in decades. Concrete caissons go in, large crews show up, schedules and budgets can bloat and change orders often pile up. For most owners and developers, that’s been the cost of doing business underground.
Tim Bronish thinks that’s about to change.
Bronish is a Somerset County resident and long-time veteran of the region’s construction space who also played football at Penn State. Today, he is the president and CEO of FASTepc, a construction technology company based in Florida that has developed a patented fiber-reinforced polymer push pile system. The company describes it a precision-engineered alternative to drilled concrete caissons that installs in days instead of weeks, with smaller crews, zero spoil and a fraction of the environmental impact.
The numbers the company markets are eye-opening: up to 89% faster installation, 75% shorter project timelines, less than 1% change order risk versus 45% on comparable concrete programs, and average total project savings of 15%.
We caught up with Bronish, whose company is hoping owners, developers and engineers are finally ready to be shown a better way.
Q: You’ve described FASTepc’s goal as being to foundations what Henry Ford was to automobiles. That’s a bold comparison. What do you mean by it?
A: Henry Ford did more than improve the automobile — he transformed how it was manufactured and delivered. FASTepc is applying that same thinking to foundations. Instead of accepting a slow, labor-intensive process because it has always been done that way, we redesigned the process around speed, consistency and efficiency. Our objective is to eliminate unnecessary steps while maintaining the engineering performance the project requires.
Q: Walk us through how the FASTepc system works. What does installation look like on the ground?
A: FASTepc uses prefabricated fiber-reinforced polymer piles that are pressed into the ground using controlled static force, with limited vibration assistance when necessary. Unlike drilled concrete caissons, the process does not require excavation, rebar cages, wet concrete, drilling slurry or concrete curing.
Once a pile is installed, the crew can move directly to the next location. This allows FASTepc to operate with smaller crews and a smaller equipment footprint while reducing noise, vibration, spoil disposal and site disturbance. On suitable projects, that can produce a significantly faster and more predictable foundation schedule.
Q: What are the biggest misconceptions engineers and owners have when they first hear about FRP push piles?
A: The most common misconception is that faster installation must mean reduced strength or performance. It does not. Each FASTepc foundation is engineered for the project’s specific structural loads, soil conditions and performance requirements.
The piles are manufactured using vinyl ester resin and engineered reinforcement fabrics to provide axial, lateral, bending, uplift and torsional capacity. The system has also undergone independent, full-scale testing. As with any foundation system, final suitability is confirmed through geotechnical review and project-specific engineering.
Q: Where does FASTepc’s system have the clearest advantage over conventional methods?
A: The greatest advantages are found on projects with restricted access, high water tables, limited work areas, sensitive surroundings or demanding schedules.
Examples include urban construction, highway and railroad corridors, substations, transmission lines, hospitals, schools and occupied facilities. Because the system requires less equipment, fewer workers and no excavated spoil, it can simplify projects where conventional drilling would create significant logistical, environmental or scheduling challenges.
Q: How do you explain the financial case to owners?
A: Owners should evaluate more than the unit price of the foundation. They should consider the total cost of installation, including labor, equipment, site access, spoil removal, schedule delays, change orders and the time required before the project can begin generating revenue.
Based on FASTepc’s representative project comparisons, owners may realize total project savings of approximately 15%. Our process also provides greater cost certainty because it removes many of the variables that commonly produce change orders during drilled concrete foundation work. Actual savings depend on the project’s design, location and site conditions.
Q: The construction industry does not change easily. How do you persuade people to move away from a method they have trusted for decades?
A: We do not ask owners or engineers to change based solely on a sales claim. We compare the two methods objectively.
That comparison includes engineering performance, installation time, crew requirements, equipment needs, site disturbance, spoil disposal, schedule exposure and total installed cost.
When decision-makers see the complete comparison—and review the testing and completed installations—the benefits become easier to evaluate.
Concrete caissons remain appropriate for certain applications. Our position is that they should not be treated as the automatic solution when a faster, cleaner and more predictable alternative is available.
Q: What does the next chapter look like for FASTepc?
A: The next chapter is responsible growth. FASTepc has completed successful installations, validated the engineering behind the system and demonstrated that the technology can perform in real-world conditions.
We are now focused on expanding into additional project types and geographic markets, building relationships with engineers and contractors, and helping more owners evaluate FASTepc during the design phase rather than after conventional foundations have already been specified.
Our goal is to make foundation construction less likely to control the project’s critical path. When foundations can be installed faster, with fewer site impacts and greater cost certainty, the entire project benefits.
