Hill’s Western Region has been delivering for its U.S. Federal clients by way of the award-winning Otay Mesa Land Port of Entry (LPOE) expansion and modernization project as well as the Denver Federal Center Building 48 modernization project, both for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

The Otay Mesa LPOE, located in San Diego, is the busiest commercial port in California and the second busiest on the U.S.-Mexico border, with more than 21,000 vehicles and 10,000 people being processed per day.

The Hill team, led by Hill’s Luis Espinosa, helped GSA expand and modernize the Otay Mesa LPOE in phases to support its growth and operations. We provided construction management services, including project management, design review, construction inspection and safety peer review, complete project commissioning, contract administration, cost estimating, and BIM management. Even after COVID-19-related schedule delays, staffing issues, and supply chain shortages, the Hill team successfully delivered the $141 million design-build project to GSA and was awarded the Special Merit Award for its community impact by the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) San Diego Chapter.

“This was a complex and challenging project, even before the pandemic,” said Luis. “But the team came together to plan and execute work safely and as envisioned. Ultimately it was a once-in-a-career type of accomplishment, between COVID, the work of the LPOE, and the staging challenges involved.”

The completion of Phase 1 meant several of GSA’s Federal tenants at Otay Mesa—the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBD), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—could commence operations in new, safe, and modern facilities, such as the Commercial Annex Building, a plant inspection station, a hazardous material inspection and containment facility, and more. This also allowed the project team to renovate three existing facilities and complete additional site work in subsequent phases.

Thanks to Luis’s leadership and successful delivery of the Otay Mesa LPOE, he was promoted to the role of Senior Director of Projects. Today, Luis is leading Hill’s work on the modernization of Building 48 at the Denver Federal Center campus in Lakewood, CO. For Building 48, Hill is providing construction management services for this $47 million project. What was once a former munitions warehouse and manufacturing facility will become a 149,000 SF, sustainable, fully occupied class A office building for the exclusive use of the federal government’s Interior Business Center.

“The renovation of the space will mitigate significant leasing costs and deliver a sustainable, efficient, and modern office space,” Luis said. “It’s another exciting opportunity—turning a site that needed a major HAZMAT remediation into one of the most sustainable and energy efficient buildings in the country.”

In his new role as Senior Director, Luis will be working closely with the Hill U.S. Federal Government team and focusing on business development and project delivery, especially in the Western Region, where he will continue supporting GSA and other Federal clients. Under the direction of Greg Heinz, Senior Vice President, Western Region Manager, Luis will have greater oversight, closer client coordination, and the opportunity to win more work for the Western Region.

“Luis proved at Otay Mesa he can deliver even the most complex projects under the most challenging circumstances,” said Heinz. “His promotion reflects the great work he’s done and is doing at Building 48, as well as our confidence in his future with Hill and with our Federal clients.”