TUKWILA, Wash. – Boeing Employees Credit Union is hoping that staffers and members alike can breathe a collective sigh of relief when its new Spokane Operations Center opens on June 30. The 28,000-square foot facility is designed to protect member data and serve as a backup phone center in case a disaster occurs in the Puget Sound Region. "Even if a disaster should occur in the Puget Sound Region, we still have the responsibility to serve members in a timely, accurate manner," said Gary Oakland, BECU president/CEO. "This new center will ensure that we will be there for members during the difficult times." The new BECU Operations Center houses a disaster recovery data center, a call center and special work areas in the event of operational interruptions at the $4.4 billion credit union's main branches in Tukwila and Everett. If a disaster occurs, the center is designed to reduce the recovery time of BECU's information technology systems from days to minutes. Member records will also be stored at the center, alleviating the risk of lost data. "Regional disasters can close airline travel," said Marc Healy, BECU director of member services. "Many of our recovery plans depended on traveling by air to outside locations. Therefore, we decided that a new BECU Operations Center located in a different geographical area, easily accessible by automobile, would enable the credit union to recover quickly in the event of a disaster." The center is not designed as a full-service branch and throughout the year, the call center will function during regular business hours.