Opus East's Jim Lee

Opus Corp. adopted government contracts as a formalized concentration in 2003 with the thought of diversifying its portfolio. The national firm–based in Minneapolis and divided into five regional operating companies–currently boasts $1.6 billion in revenues, and according to James Jay Lee, president and CEO of Opus East, 15% of that is currently government related (under the management of government programs VP Tom Olmstead). But Lee says that its work for the General Services Administration is a natural fit for the firm and that this figure is sure to grow, and probably stabilize, at 25% next year. Recently unveiled projects include the 200-acre GATE, the Government and Technology Enterprise project on the site of the famed Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. Aberdeen’s expansion is a direct upshot of the government’s Base Realignment & Closure program. Also in the pipeline are the 587,000-sf Social Security Administration Center in Birmingham, AL and the 268,762-foot National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Building in College Park, MD. Lee sat down with GlobeSt.com recently to discuss the government’s way of doing business and how it relates to the firm’s sizable private-sector work.

GlobeSt.com: Can you provide a little background on the government work vis a vis your private-sector activities?

Lee: As an entrepreneurial design/build firm, we’re uniquely positioned to satisfy the government’s requirements in a way that conforms better to their new design/build criteria. These criteria represent a transition for the GSA, which is looking more to design /build as a better method of securing government facilities than their traditional methods.