News Stories

Mobile District project manager recognized for outstanding support to Air Force Research Laboratory

Published Aug. 14, 2017
John Williams, division chief, Integration & Operations Division at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Fl., presents Toni Ortiz, project manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, with a Munitions Directorate coin, Aug. 4. Ortiz received the coin for her outstanding support in overseeing more than $95 million in various construction projects for the Air Force Research Laboratory.

John Williams, division chief, Integration & Operations Division at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Fl., presents Toni Ortiz, project manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, with a Munitions Directorate coin, Aug. 4. Ortiz received the coin for her outstanding support in overseeing more than $95 million in various construction projects for the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Mobile District project manager recognized for outstanding support to Air Force Research Laboratory

By Frank Sanchez III, Mobile District, public affairs specialist

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District Project Manager Toni Ortiz was recently recognized by Division Chief John Williams, Integration & Operations Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory for providing exceptional support and creative solutions during several large-scale construction projects at Eglin Air Force Base, Fl.

“Toni has been instrumental in managing numerous projects for us, each with an extraordinary amount of detail and unique requirements,” said Deputy Division Chief Jaime Pinto, Integration & Operations Division.  “She's managed to keep all of our projects on cost and schedule, which is a tremendous job.”

Just recently Ortiz put those creative solutions on display when she was able to work around an issue that looked like it would delay completion of the Advanced Munitions Technology Complex. Not only was Ortiz able to keep the project on schedule, but her efforts saved the laboratory a great deal of time and money.  Another facility that Ortiz recently oversaw construction of was a $3.5 million Fabrication & Analysis Center at the Advanced Warhead and Experimentation Facility at Eglin Air Force Base. Together both of these facilities will provide critically needed industrial facilities for the development of next-generation warhead technologies and allow the United States to maintain its military superiority in future warfighting scenarios. 

Ortiz’s coordination efforts with Eglin, Civil Engineering, Finance and Contracting removed numerous roads blocks to ensure the project was a success.  

For Ortiz, the opportunity to put our Nation’s service members in a better position on the battlefield brought an added level of satisfaction to the project.

“It’s really exciting,” said Ortiz. “The quicker we can get the facilities… [and] advance this research,… [the quicker we can] get the warfighter in a position [to succeed].”

These projects will provide critically needed industrial facilities for development of the next-generation warhead technologies and Despite all of her accomplishments, Ortiz remains humble and attributes much of her success to an overall team effort.

“[Receiving the coin] was quite a shock actually, I was not expecting it,” Ortiz said.  “[My team] does a great job.  I just feel everything they do just helps me look good.”