September 7, 2012

Steve Kulchin dead at 54; known for his innovative soil nailing systems

Steve Kulchin helped bring the soil nailing process to the United States and along the way got patents for the method and for soil nails made of fiberglass. He was president of Kulchin Foundation Drilling Co. when he died suddenly last month at the age of 54.

Kulchin

“He was very innovative. He was good at figuring out jobs that no one else could,” said Tom Lapham Sr., operations manager at Redmond-based Kulchin Foundation Drilling.

Steve Kulchin grew up in California and started working at his uncle Larry's foundation drilling business at age 10, according to Lapham. He went on to earn an architecture degree from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.

Lapham said Steve and Larry, owner of the Bay Area drilling contractor Kulchin and Associates, were instrumental in bringing soil nail technology from Europe to the U.S. The first soil nailing in the U.S. was done in 1974 in Portland by Kulchin and Associates.

The DJC reported in 1987 on the first Seattle project to use soil nails: an expansion of the Broadway Market on Capitol Hill. Gordon Denby of GeoEngineers told the DJC that the process can save up to 40 percent of the cost of a soldier-pile tieback. Kulchin and Associates performed that work.

Kulchin and Associates later became Condon-Johnson & Associates, which has offices in Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego.

In 1990, Steve Kulchin got a U.S. patent on the permanent soil nailing wall method. In 2004, he received another patent, this one for fiberglass soil nails that could be cut after installation, allowing them to be used in areas where steel nails didn't work.

Steve Kulchin moved north in the mid-1990s to run Malcolm Drilling Co.'s Seattle office as area manager and vice president. He left and started Kulchin Foundation Drilling in 1999.

Kulchin Foundation Drilling has worked on dozens of projects in the Seattle area. Recently, it installed 48,000 square feet of soil nail wall at the Avalon Bay project in the University District and 38,000 square feet of wall for the Market Square Apartments in Ballard.

Nearly 100 of the company’s projects were profiled in a book that Steve Kulchin published a few years ago called “The Hole Book.” It contains photos and lists the teams involved in each project.

Steve Kulchin ended up giving away most of the books for marketing.

He was known for sponsoring kids' activities, such as baseball and football, and also donated to a charity his Uncle Larry and Aunt Anne created in 1984: The B.O.K. Ranch in Redwood City, Calif., which provides equestrian therapy to handicapped kids and adults.

The Kulchin name can also be found on Robert Beck's sprint car.

“He was a pretty giving person, he donated to a lot of things,” Lapham said.

Steve Kulchin's widow, Kathleen, is taking over as president of the company, and his sons, Joshua and Jacob, already serve on the board. Lapham said he will remain as operations manager, but will also take on some of Steve's work.

“The family's dedicated to keep moving on,” he said, adding that this year is shaping up to be the company's best.

In addition to his wife and sons, Steve is survived by his daughter, Sarah; and parents, Sid and Gloria Kulchin. A memorial service was held last month. Donations in his honor can be made to B.O.K. Ranch at http://www.bokranch.com.

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