The Guilford County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to offer an economic incentives package for a Lenovo expansion in Whitsett. The package would create 420 new jobs and a $77 million capital investment.
The incentives request comes from Lenovo Global Technology U.S. Inc. in the 520,583-square-foot facility at 6550 Judge Adams Road in Rock Creek Industrial Park.
The company has been made eligible for up to $1.16 million in performance-based incentives from the county, which would be provided from the county’s general fund.
According to a legal notice, the company plans to request state and other local incentives before making a location decision.
The 420 new full-time jobs would nearly double Lenovo’s current workforce of about 500 at 6540 Franz Warner Parkway, which opened in 2007.
Marvin Price, with the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, said Lenovo is considering sites in Dallas, Canton, Ohio and Memphis, Tennessee.
Typically, when economic recruitment reaches the incentive package stage before council and commissioners, the incentives are approved, and the company commits to the project shortly thereafter.
Ben Massey, vice president of Lenovo’s Infrastructure Solutions Group, told commissioners that the current Lenovo facility in Whitsett “is a key component in our global supply chain footprint.”
“The expansion will enable us to serve our U.S. customers more quickly and more efficiently.
“This expansion underscores our commitment to North Carolina and our confidence in the Triad’s skilled workforce, the pro-business climate we’ve enjoyed for years.”
Price told commissioners that the average annual wage would be $66,776. By comparison, the average annual wage in Guilford is $60,195.
The expansion would primarily involve producing artificial intelligence devices “tailored for U.S. customers,” Price said.
In recent years, Lenovo shifted production from desktop and laptop computers to server manufacturing, rack integration, and other services and fulfillment activities.
Price said the expansion could feature personal computer production in a later phase.
The 6550 Judge Adams Road facility is owned by Mapletree and marketed by the Triad office of CBRE. According to a CBRE flier, 320,000 square feet is available now and the other 200,583 square feet by Jan. 1.
For the company to be fully eligible for the county’s incentive package, the additional 420 jobs would have to be created by Dec. 31, 2027.
Jobs include manufacturing, engineering, administrative, logistics, operations and quality control.
Job openings would be required to be posted on the GuilfordWorks website and with the Greensboro and High Point chambers of commerce. At least one open-to-the-public job fair would be held for each hiring phase.
rcraver@wsjournal.com
336-727-7376
@rcraverWSJ
Love
0
Funny
0
Wow
0
Sad
0
Angry
0
The business news you need
Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Richard Craver
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today