Building relationships beyond the 9-to-5: Improving water quality in Atlanta
February 10, 2026
Being responsive to client needs helps improve the water quality in Atlanta, Georgia
In this series, we’ll explore the power of collaboration and co-creation with our clients. These partnerships showcase how we rise to the world’s greatest challenges together.
While relationships aren’t built overnight, they’re often galvanized in the middle of it.
That’s what happened when Deirdre Edwards, Watershed Director for the City of Atlanta, US, called our Shayla Nealy, Public Policy & Programs principal.
“We had a very important deliverable for our MS4 reporting. ... I called Shayla after hours because I needed information and assistance urgently,” Edwards says. “We were able to collaboratively look in the system and go through line by line together in the middle of the evening. I really appreciated knowing I could call her, and she would be there for me."
Having a reputation and track record of being responsive to our clients’ needs is important to us. When a client calls, we want to be ready. It’s how we’re able to build the kinds of relationships needed to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges and opportunities—together.
Long-standing partners
The City of Atlanta and our team have a long-term, collaborative partnership going back more than 20 years. For the past 12 years, we’ve worked on a variety of water- and wastewater-related projects, including supporting Clean Water Atlanta—a comprehensive $4 billion multi-program initiative to improve water quality in the city.
I really appreciated knowing I could call her, and she would be there for me.
For Edwards, this partnership has been crucial to her team’s success. It’s helped provide Atlantans with consistent and reliable access to safe drinking water, alongside the proper removal and disposal of wastewater.
“Stantec is able to offer a different perspective and bring insights that I might not be thinking of in the moment,” she says. “The team is results-driven, focused, and keen problem solvers and those are all very important qualities to meet our needs, whether that’s routine compliance requests or when bigger issues arise.”
Shayla Nealy and Deirdre Edwards
Passion. Community. Pride.
For Nealy, getting to work with the City of Atlanta is more than strictly professional. It’s personal. As a vocal champion for community, and a passionate supporter of Atlanta’s rich arts and culture scene, being part of the team that keeps water flowing means being able to provide a service that has far-reaching, positive impacts.
“Atlanta is home, and knowing I can provide support, knowledge, and expertise to have an impact on such an essential service makes me smile,” Nealy says. “The people who work for the city, like Deirdre, are great people. Many of them are born and raised here, so they also have an affinity to the work they do. Being able to collaborate with people who have the same passion for community is really important to me.”
With every community, we redefine what’s possible. Through collaboration with our clients, together we will unlock outcomes neither could achieve alone.
