In this Q&A with Garney’s president of plant operations, Matt Reeves shares his insights on Garney’s choice to become a WCDA member and how that has affected their success in the collaborative delivery sector, as well as a look ahead at the future of collaborative delivery.
- Why did Garney choose to join WCDA?
As a national leader in water and wastewater construction, we believe the best projects come from strong alignment between owners, engineers, and contractors from day one. WCDA reflects that same mindset by bringing the industry together around collaboration. That approach has always been part of Garney’s DNA, which is why joining WCDA was a natural fit. Our goal is to help push infrastructure delivery forward through design-build, progressive design-build, and construction management at-risk (CMAR). These are methods we’ve built real strength in, and they’re what a growing number of owners want. - What role has WCDA played in your company’s success in the collaborative delivery market?
WCDA creates a space for Garney to share our insights and experiences from the office to the field and help influence where collaborative delivery is headed next. It connects us with owners and partners who share our approach and helps keep the industry aligned with evolving best practices. The education and networking opportunities strengthen our teams and better prepare us to deliver reliable outcomes for our clients. Beyond that, WCDA has allowed our employees to realize personal and professional growth through involvement in committees and leadership roles. What we’ve gained through WCDA has genuinely helped shape our people and our work. - How has collaborative delivery changed/evolved over the past 20 years?
In the early 2000s, collaborative delivery was still proving itself. Owners were cautious, and the industry was learning how to make these partnerships work. At Garney, that mindset was already ingrained. Long before collaborative delivery was a common term, we knew our obligation to the communities we serve meant building strong relationships with owners and engineers to deliver the best project outcomes. Today, it is the go-to approach for complex work nationwide, and we champion it as our preferred method because it drives efficiency and accelerates schedules. In many cases, it also helps communities stretch their dollars through value engineering. The proof is in the results. Projects get delivered faster, teams stay aligned from start to finish, and the communities that depend on these systems see stronger outcomes. - What excites you most about the future of collaborative delivery in the water sector and how do you see your involvement with WCDA playing into that?
What excites us most is the momentum. Collaborative delivery has become the go-to approach for complex work, and it’s only going to grow as civil infrastructure bears the weight of age, new regulations, and population growth in metro areas. Owners facing these challenges stand to gain the most from collaborative delivery, and we have the people and expertise to help them deliver projects faster and with fewer surprises. WCDA plays a big role in that future. It gives us a way to help advance best practices and learn from others across the industry while bringing owners and partners together. We can also advocate in states where collaborative delivery options are still limited, whether that’s design-build in Texas or CMAR in North Carolina. Just as important, WCDA helps develop the next generation of teams delivering critical water infrastructure, and that’s where the real long-term impact is.