The Advantages of the P3 Model: A Conversation With Scott Parrish
V
ista Ridge, a major project that will supply the city of San Antonio, Texas, with water for the next 30 years, is the largest municipal public-private partnership (P3) project in the United States. Garney Construction, a company with long-standing expertise in laying water pipeline, is currently the majority owner and developer of the project and has taken out loans totaling nearly a billion dollars to build it. In this interview with Municipal Water Leader Editorin-Chief Kris Polly, Scott Parrish, the president of Garney Construction, tells us about the company, the status of the Vista Ridge project, and the advantages and unique challenges of the P3 funding model. Kris Polly: Please tell us a bit about your personal background.
Kris Polly: Where was Mr. Garney from?
Kris Polly: Tell us about Garney, its history, and what the company is all about.
Scott Parrish: Charles Garney was from Kansas City, Missouri. He worked for his dad at Garney Plumbing; Garney Construction was spun off from that company. The plumbers installed everything from the mains to the houses, and Charles started our company to install the water and sewer mains themselves.
Scott Parrish: We were founded by Charles Garney in 1961. Charles started our employee stock ownership plan
Kris Polly: What is Garney’s geographical range of operations?
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MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARNEY CONSTRUCTION.
Scott Parrish: I’m from Pawnee City, a small town in Nebraska. My real and ongoing education came from Garney Construction. I started in the field as a laborer in 1988. August 20 marked the start of my 31st year as an employee-owner.
in 1986. We became 100 percent employee owned in 1995 when the employees bought the remaining shares from Charles. Everyone from the new hire on the blister end of a shovel to the chief executive officer is an owner and Scott Parrish, president of shares in the benefits and Garney Construction. obligations that company owners experience. We’ve had slow and steady growth over the company’s history: There are currently approximately 1,400 employee-owners working from coast to coast.
