MAFB finance office best in AF Published March 11, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Sahara L. Fales Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Minot Air Force Base's 5th Comptroller Squadron was awarded the Air Force Financial Services Office of the Year, Feb. 11, 2014. With approximately 80 other financial offices in the Air Force, there was plenty of competition, said Lt Col Jorge I. Jimenez, 5th CPTS commander. Being awarded the top spot in such a large group is an amazing feat. "It takes a village to win this type of award," Jimenez said. Airmen from the 5th CPTS worked through eight sessions of formal training per month due to unusual number of new finance 3-levels, said Jimenez. In addition, they were required to complete their informal training as well, including a rigorous focus on customer focus metrics and weekly reviews on personnel and processes. Airmen routinely worked extended hours, including weekends, to process documents and ensure the best possible service the first time. Accuracy, timeliness, customer service, and teamwork were the keys to success when it came to being number one, added Jimenez. "If we do everything right the first time, we don't really have to prepare anything," said Master Sgt Shirley Quevedo, 5th CPTS deputy financial services officer. "We're already the best." Another important factor in the squadron's success was the teamwork and dedication within the office, added Quevedo. "We have great teamwork here, the attitude is really good," Quevedo said. "We don't go home until everyone is done." Although the team is proud to earn the top honor, their efforts come not from seeking any recognition but simply from doing the best to accomplish the mission every day, said Quevedo. "It's very rewarding knowing that our hard work is being recognized, but we're still doing everything that we normally do," Quevedo said. The 5th CPTS excels in accomplishing the mission because of a solid, unified team that understands the job, added Quevedo. "It's more organized," Quevedo said. "We have really good quality assurance control, training, internal control and most importantly, good people." Many of the seasoned members of the team will soon be moving on, taking their experience and expertise with them, said Senior Airman Aaron Rakow, 5th CPTS customer service technician. However, the team strives to ensure newly arriving Airmen receive the proper training to take the reins when the time comes, and no change will disrupt the squadron's ability to effectively perform the mission. "Even though we're losing a lot of experience, we're gaining some good young energy that we're going to hopefully be able to direct to learning the job just as good, if not better than their predecessors," Rakow said. The award will officially be presented to the Airmen of the 5th CPTS in May 2014.