Dave Collins
Gathering Intel for Operational Excellence

Originally from the Great Pacific Northwest, famous for months of rain, Dave Collins spent a good chunk of his career in the desert in Chandler, Arizona, then moved back to the Portland, Oregon area with Intel, a global high tech manufacturing company with multi-story plants accommodating thousands of employees in each building. Recently retired, Dave looked back with fond memories.

“I’m happy I went back to the green country. I grew up in Washington,” he said. “Chandler was four shades of brown -- coke, tan, mauve, beige.

Dave enjoyed his time with Intel. He explained that you’re not doing mechanical work every day. It’s operational, like being a power plant operator.

“Alarms would come in and you’d do troubleshooting. If a major storm blew through, you’d have to know how that would impact air handling units feeding the factory and understand how temperature changes and humidity impact the performance of both legacy and newer equipment” he said. “You have to know how systems interact if you shut something down.”

At one point, Dave joined Intel’s workplace of choice meet group. He was one of two technicians in the group involved in discussions about improving workplace satisfaction, employee happiness and making recommendations to management. He also helped at job fairs.

“That was fun. You'd get kids from community college who were looking for welding jobs, then you’d get guys who had degrees in other fields who wanted to work in our factories. I’d encourage them to join trade unions and get more experience. It was like giving them fatherly advice,” Dave said.

Dave launched his career with 10 years in the Navy where he tested to see what kinds of jobs would suit his skills. They offered a couple of different choices like handling nuclear weapons, something else and gas turbines.

“I just want to be a diesel mechanic,” he told them, as his dad had a good career as a mechanic. “I did that for a while and got into the electronics aspect of the work -- especially the satisfaction of fixing something.

Dave worked with many engineers throughout his career who were helpful and supportive. Some of them are retired now and others are working for large organizations.

“Early on, a lot of the engineers would give me something to do, and I’d go it. They gave me a lot of autonomy. Later, I’d meet with contractors, and I’d give input to new engineers.

A conversation might go like this, “Yes, that’s a good idea, go with it. And they would say, “Okay, yeah, we’ll go with it.”

Dave shared advice that he received from an early mentor, which was, “Don't worry what other people are doing, worry what you're doing and how to better yourself.”

Before retiring Dave took the time to help his team by saving 20+ years of documentation for all the machinery he worked on, uploaded to SharePoint, ensuring that his wealth of institutional knowledge would benefit future teams.

His advice to the next generation is clear and practical:

• Always ask questions.
• Understand how things work.
• Focus on moving forward, regardless of distractions.

In retirement, Dave embraced his hobbies and passions. A self-described “gearhead,” he spends his time restoring classic vehicles, including a ’79 Bronco and a ’66 Mustang. He continues to connect with former colleagues, meeting for lunch and sharing stories. He even gets calls from time to time from colleagues still at Intel asking for help.

Live music takes Dave to a groovy place, and he’s dug bands like the Rolling Stones, Foreigner, and Alice Cooper who have come to town. He’s also taking time for trips, enjoying life beyond the confines of the workplace.

For those entering the workforce, he emphasized the importance of a positive attitude, a willingness to learn, and perseverance. His dream job? “Being the old guy in the office with a pot of coffee—leave me alone.”

Dave cherishes his roots. His youngest son is following in his footsteps as a pipefitting apprentice, continuing the family tradition of craftsmanship and hard work.

Dave Collins is more than a retired facility technician; he’s a legacy builder, mentor, and inspiration to those who strive to make a meaningful impact in their careers and communities.

 

Explore the experiences of retired facilities professionals in the latest series from ARC Facilities -- Legacy Insights: Wisdom from Retired Facilities Professionals and follow us on LinkedIn.