RAPID CITY - The grand opening of the Air Force Financial Services Center on Friday morning kicked off the biggest transformation the financial management side of the Air Force has ever seen, according to one Air Force official.

"It is the single largest transformational event in Air Force Financial management history, and that spans 60 years," John Vonglis said after the ceremony. Vonglis is principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for financial management and the leader of the creation and development of the center.

"And we are very excited about having it hosted here at Ellsworth," he said.

An hourlong dedication ceremony Friday was held in front of the main building of the new financial services center. Guests included U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., Darryl Shoemaker from the office of Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., and Michael Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force.

The ceremony was not only to usher in the new financial services center, but also to also officially swear in the facility's commander.

After a short speech, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne handed Col. Judy F. Perry the banner of the U.S. Air Force Financial Services Center, swearing her in as the facility's commander.

"So congratulations, Col. Perry, on this great honor and opportunity we have granted to you - and yes, a challenge," Wynne said before giving Perry official command of the services center.

Wynne said taking command of the center will be a challenge for Perry because there are a number of "skeptics" that don't believe consolidating the Air Force's financial services will work.

But he said that he is confident Perry will be able to do the job well.

The Air Force chose Ellsworth as the location for its central financial services center last April after deciding to consolidate all of those services worldwide in one location.

The facility is not finished yet, but when it is complete, Air Force officials say it will be a fully functional, 24-hour call center that will employ as many as 775 civilian and military personnel.

Today's ceremony marked the opening of the first phase of the facility, the central processing center.

That center will handle all of the pay vouchers, travel vouchers and other paperwork that airmen previously had to file at separate locations nationwide, according to Vonglis.

The next phase - the opening of the 24/7 call center - is scheduled to be completed in October of 2008. The opening of that center will provide airmen nationwide the opportunity to call any time, day or night, with financial questions, Vonglis said, providing airmen with easy access to answers.

The call center is expected to eventually provide a number of civilian jobs in addition to military personnel, who largely staff the facility now. About 100 military personnel work at the center with only a handful of civilians.

Vonglis, who was made available for an interview after the ceremony, did not specify how many of the estimated 775 jobs would be available to civilians or when they would be available.

"I can't give you specifics on the number," he said. "But we're very confident that we'll have a robust capability here."

Vonglis described a number of advantages of the new facility. He said it will save the Air Force $210 million over the next year and return about 598 warfighter positions. Efficiency is one of the main goals of the new facility, Vonglis said.

Vouchers and other documents that must be filed as paperwork were cumbersome to process, he said. The new center will eliminate that.

"It will get processed electronically. It'll get processed faster. It'll be more efficient," he said. "There will be records that will be held in a central location, so you'll minimize disruption and loss."

Thune and Herseth Sandlin attended the grand opening and said they were excited about the possibilities the new facility will bring for the Black Hills area and the state of South Dakota.

"I think that this is obviously a great day," Thune said after the ceremony. "It's something that many of us have anticipated for a long time. There's a lot of work that's gone into it."

Thune called the opening of the center an "economic shot in the arm."

Herseth Sandlin said she was proud South Dakota could be a part of the Air Force's transformation.

"We know that the business of the Air Force is one that's making some important transformations and so we're glad that the base and South Dakota can be part of that effort," she said.

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com