HCWA hosts Spring Supplier Conference

 
        (McDonough, GA – May 29, 2026) For those local companies and individuals wanting to do business with the Henry County Water Authority (HCWA), the utility’s Spring Supplier Conference provided an opportunity for them to introduce themselves. 
        The HCWA 2026 Spring Supplier Conference was held recently (May 21) at the utility’s Administrative Building in McDonough. Potential vendors were able to take advantage of a roundtable discussion format, where they could talk directly to HCWA staff and review the Authority’s upcoming bid opportunities, capital projects and procurement programs. The conference also featured companies who are currently working on Authority projects who were in search of local talent to join their teams by serving as sub-contractors for HCWA work.    
        “We’re looking for qualified, local subs to bring on board for some of our projects,” noted Adam Berkstresser, Vice President of Piedmont Construction Group in McDonough, whose company was awarded the bid on the new HCWA Operations Center. He was in attendance to recruit partners for this project as well as other Piedmont projects around the state.    
        “It benefits us to get to know local providers, because it results in better pricing and service for our clients,” added Berkstresser.    
        Joy McAlman, entrepreneur and founder of Frozen Luxury, a premium water ice refreshment provider, found that the Spring Supplier Conference is an effective way to network with others. She specializes in building brands through powerful partnerships in the community.    
        “I loved being able to share information and find out what the Water Authority and others need, so I can be a better connector,” said McAlman, who was a graduate of the HCWA Citizen Academy last year, where she first met some of the Authority’s water professionals.  
        Garland Long, Professional Engineer (P.E.) with Lakeshore Engineering, is the point person for the Authority’s Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) East Lake Booster Pump Station project. He was in attendance to get more local businesses involved in projects his company is directing currently and in the future.
        “From what I’ve seen, we have a lot of common interests with those who are here, and they can help us on projects outside of Henry County, too,” said Long, echoing the sentiments of the contractors from Piedmont Construction.    
        The HCWA utilizes Bidnet Direct as a third-party service to collect and process bids on its behalf for Authority projects, as well as specified office products and services.    
        Potential vendors can register to do business with the HCWA by joining the Georgia Purchasing Group, which provides local businesses and professionals with access to bid opportunities and work with local governments throughout Georgia, in addition to the Water Authority.    
        To grow its number of qualified and diverse vendors, the HCWA Board implemented initiatives to encourage local business owners and operators to participate in Authority bids. Those policies include the Local Business Preference Policy, the Local Sheltered Market Program, and the Supplier Inclusion Policy.    
        “Since we have implemented our new policies, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number and types of companies wanting to do business with us,” said Tony Carnell, HCWA General Manager. “Since we are smaller than most county or state governmental entities, we saw a need to better educate our community about business opportunities through networking events such as our Supplier Conferences.”  
        The Authority’s Local Business Preference Policy awards contracts to locally owned businesses or organizations located in Henry County, if their bid is within 5 percent of the lowest bid from a non-Henry County business.    
        The HCWA Local Sheltered Market Program identifies and reserves supply and service contract opportunities with an annual estimated value of $100,000 or less, for locally owned and operated businesses.    
        Finally, the Authority’s Supplier Inclusion Policy aims to identify, attract, promote, and build relationships with a competitively diverse population of qualified businesses with which to contract for goods, labor, materials, services, or supplies. Those qualified businesses who are prioritized for HCWA bids include registered Local and Small Business Enterprises (LSE), Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (VBE), and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE).    
        “We’ve been intentional about expanding the reach of our procurement policies, to ensure that local businesses are aware of opportunities to do business with us,” noted Carnell.           
        For more information on how to do business with the HCWA through its procurement process, local businesses can visit the Authority’s website at https://bit.ly/4iQ32CE, and register with Bidnet Direct at https://www.bidnetdirect.com/georgia/henrycountywaterauthority.



Matthew Wilkes (left), Pre-Construction Manager for Piedmont Construction, and Adam Berkstresser (second from right), Vice President of Piedmont Construction, discuss local projects with potential sub-contractors during the HCWA Spring Supplier Conference.






Patrick Kelley (right), P.E., HCWA Senior Water Resources Engineer, discusses HCWA projects with local businesses in attendance at the Authority’s Spring Supplier Conference.








Garland Long (left), P.E., with Lakeshore Engineering, discusses the East Lake Booster Pump Station project and others with potential sub-contractors during the HCWA Spring Supplier Conference.








Ashley Moncavage (right), HCWA Human Resources Manager, provides an overview of job opportunities currently or soon to be open at the Authority.








Tony Carnell (right), HCWA General Manager, leads the Authority’s efforts to attract more locally owned, minority owned, women owned, and veteran owned businesses to work on projects or provide goods and services for the utility.