In June of 2021, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution supporting an application to the North Carolina Department of Commerce for a special “Rural Building Reuse Grant” meant to assist Guerrilla RF, Inc – along with Koury Corporation – in renovating the vacant building at 2000 Pisgah Church Road in Greensboro.

Guerrilla RF Inc. is a wireless semiconductor company that makes electronic circuits for cars, infrastructure for 5G networks, and other cell phone related products.

 Koury is a large property management company that’s very well known to those in Guilford County.

On Thursday, Sept. 21, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is expected to finalize the grant process by voting to authorize Guilford County to accept $475,000 in federal and state funds to help put that building back in use.

The state has awarded Guilford County the nearly half million-dollar grant to support the reuse of the roughly 60,000-square-foot building that’s been vacant for years.

The Board of Commissioners is expected to approve the move as a no brainer at its September 21 meeting.

 However, before doing so, the commissioners will hold a public hearing to hear what county residents have to say regarding the matter, which is most likely nothing.

A decade and a half ago, there would usually be at least a few opponents who came out and spoke against any county or state incentives being offered to large, successful corporations.  However, these days, it’s rare that anyone speaks against incentives, and usually the “public hearings” last about five minutes, if that.

The Guilford County Commissioners –  both the Republicans and Democrats – almost always argue that “That’s how the game is played” and they believe that, if Guilford County or the state of North Carolina isn’t willing to give a company what it wants, then another county or state will.

If approved, the grant will be delivered in the form of pass-through funding as a loan to Koury Corporation which is the property owner. The loan, according to documents presented to the commissioners will be “fully forgivable” once the following requirements are met:

• Satisfactory documentation of payment of eligible upfit/renovation expenses.

 • Providing – for six consecutive months –  at least 50 new full-time jobs paying minimum wage or higher at the building.

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