The auto finance company says its new Tulsa office eventually will employ 600 people.

Capital One Auto Finance's new Tulsa facility will add $30 million to Tulsa's economy each year and 300 indirect jobs in addition to the 600 soon to be employed by the auto lender, Mayor Kathy Taylor said Thursday.

Capital One Auto Finance celebrated Thursday the grand opening of its Tulsa loan-servicing operation, which now employs 75 of the projected 600 who will work there within three years.

Dave Lawson, president and CEO of Capital One Auto Finance, said that everyone involved with the new facility will prosper.

"We're confident that the Tulsa community, our customers and our shareholders will benefit from this for years to come," he said.

The company's 90,000-square-foot space is within the Verizon campus at 6929 N. Lakewood Ave. in the Cherokee Industrial Park.

Lawson was joined at the opening by Steve Turnbo, chairman of the Tulsa Metro Chamber; Oklahoma Treasurer Scott Meacham; and John Cook, site director for Capital One Auto Finance's Tulsa facility.

Meacham said the opening is part of an anticipated string of successes that will bring a heightened vitality to Oklahoma's economy.

"This is a decade of transformation for Oklahoma," he said. "We're moving to the next level."

Turnbo said Tulsa's success in landing Capital One was the result of teamwork from a variety of people, including 70 investors in the chamber's Tulsa's Future plan.

"In today's business environment, a dose of good fortune might get the team to the playoffs, but it's not enough to win," he said. Funds raised for Tulsa's Future support the chamber's economic development program. The group's goal is to create 10,000 primary, good-paying jobs in the area within five years.

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor was unable to attend the opening, though she did submit a statement for the event.

"Today's ribbon-cutting is proof positive that Tulsa is open for business," she said in the statement. "Tulsa's investments in major capital projects through Vision 2025, combined with Oklahoma's highly regarded job incentives, are making a positive impact on our economy.

"Together with partners such as the Tulsa Metro Chamber and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, our prospects are unlimited if we continue to work together in a collaborative effort that joins the strengths of the business community and public sectors."

Cook said Capital One has received hundreds of applications from prospective employees.

"The response has been phenomenal," he said.

The company is still accepting applications through its Web site, www.capitalone.com.

Currently, only the Tulsa location's collections segment is operational, though its inbound customers segment, which will work with new customers and existing customers calling for questions, will be up and running by November, he said.

Lawson anticipates the site will grow quickly. A total employment of 130 is targeted by the end of the year, with 450 at the end of 2007. The company expects to reach the 600 figure by 2009.

The positions will have an average salary of $32,000 a year.

Capital One Auto Finance employs more than 2,800 people at its Plano, Texas, headquarters and its branch offices in Florida and California.

Lawson said the Tulsa site is part of the company's plan to become the largest independent auto lender in the nation.

"This site meets one of our needs toward making our goal a reality," he said.