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Ask Neil Tunmore what he likes best about being the vice president of the technology and manufacturing group at Intel and his answer will be a simple one – the breadth of his responsibility.

One day, he might be coming up with a plan to make soap dispensers in the rest rooms of Intel’s Beaverton campus work more efficiently. The next, he might be making complicated decisions about the company’s new fab facility that will span a length equal to almost three football fields and require almost 150,000 square feet of concrete.

No matter which challenge he faces, though, Tunmore says he loves what he does.

In addition to his vice-president role at Intel, he’s also the director of corporate services responsible for overseeing at an international level all of Intel’s facilities, including those that are under construction

Tunmore, born in England, has worked for Intel since 1981. Since that time his work there has taken him through Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In 2000, he settled in to the United States, moving from business planning and finance to human resources and director of the employee services group for the company.

“I’ve never worked anywhere else,” he said.

His most recent project, the D1X building in Hillsboro, which will house Intel’s newest fabrication facility, had been slated for a different name. Each building on part of campus where it will be built are designated D1A – D1D. However, decision makers for the company cringed at the idea of having D1E on the side of a building.

The new design – which will be copied and utilized for similar facilities all over the world – will be provide enough space for research and development of new technology for at least the next five generations – about a decade in the world of technology, he said.

“The magic happens in technology with a highly talented team of PhDs,” he said of the work that will be done in the new facility. “Our job is to enable that magic to happen.”

Tunmore credits one of his managers from early on in the company for telling him to,  “always do what you say you are going to do. If you make a commitment, stick with it.”

“It brings huge credibility,” Tunmore added.

He credits his dad for offering sage advice when Tunmore needs it, especially when his children were small.

“He taught me to do things right, have integrity,” Tunmore said. “He was practical and always there to advise.  I think you learn a lot from that.”

And Tunmore can cook. “My wife can’t understand why I am happy spending a day in the kitchen preparing a mean for friends, but I find it a complete release.”