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Jill Eiland got a business degree at a time when it was uncommon for women to do so. As a safety measure she minored in education and, upon graduation, was ready to take a teaching job in West Albany. Jill had never been east of Boise, but when a friend told her about an opportunity to work on the staff of Senator Robert Packwood in Washington D.C. she was intrigued. The job would pay $7,400 per year. When she approached her father with the idea he told her he would buy her a one-way plane ticket to Washington but she would have to earn the money to fly back home. That was in 1973.
Flash forward to 2016 and Jill is the Public Affairs Director for Intel Corporation where she has worked since 2006. She is responsible for the media relations, government relations, community relations, philanthropy, and education outreach team for the Northwest Region where Intel’s largest and most complex site anywhere in the world is located.
When Intel was founded in 1968 there were 42 employees. The company went public in 1971 at $23.50 per share, not far from where the stock price sits today. There are now 107,000 employees at 170 sites in 70 countries around the world. 75% of the manufacturing is done in the U.S. at locations in Oregon, Arizona, and New Mexico. Intel is the largest purchaser of green energy in the U.S.
Intel has invested $25 billion in Oregon since the first factory was built in 1974. There are 19,500 employees in Oregon, 18,600 of which work at the Ronler Acres facility in Aloha. The facility was expanded between 2010 and 2015 and the newest building is LEED Certified. Contrary to some negative press, Intel pays full property tax on its buildings and land and is the largest tax payer in Washington County. The company receives tax abatement on equipment that has to be frequently replaced.
Corporate responsibility is more than just a tag line at Intel, named one of the one hundred best corporate citizens by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the 15th year in a row. The company’s focus in four-fold: people, next generation, environment, and supply chain. Intel invests in training at the rate of about $2,500 per employee. It also provides grants to employees whose ideas add value. One such grant went to employees who started a campus garden and another to a bicycle sharing program. The company has recently made a pledge to increase diversity hiring and retention worldwide so that employees are representative of the places in which they work. Jill said that it is difficult to hire enough women because of a shortage of females in science. This is one reason that inspiring the next generation to study science is so important. Intel supports STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education programs and will invest $1 billion in 100 countries over the next ten years to inspire young people.
Intel is committed to getting supplies locally whenever possible and to getting “conflict minerals” out of its supply chain. New goals for the environment include reducing waste, re-using water, recycling, and zero hazardous waste. Information about the new initiatives can be found at www.exploreintel.com. Intel created the site to promote corporate transparency by sharing information on its environmental performance.
Jill Eiland is a native Oregonian who obtained degrees from OSU and George Washington University. She has served on various boards, including the OSU Foundation, Portland Business Alliance, Oregon Business Association, Oregon Business Council, OMSI, and the State Board of Higher Education, to name a few. She has three adult children who work at Nike, OHSU, and Oregon National Guard, respectively.
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