ProKidney announced Tuesday, June 13, that it would indeed be making a $458 million investment to establish a cutting-edge biomanufacturing facility in Greensboro.
In May, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners voted to offer ProKidney up to $15.3 million in economic incentives to build a facility and bring 330 jobs with an average yearly salary of $74,600 to Greensboro.
And in June, the Greensboro City Council, with little fanfare, voted to offer ProKidney up to $13.2 million in economic incentives.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, speaking about the Pro-Kidney announcement, said, “Imagine if that announcement had come out three years ago. There would be a marching band down the street.”
She said, “With all these announcements, we’re beginning to overlook the economic roll that we are on. As far as economic development goes, we are in a place now that we have been praying for for decades.”
Vaughan said, “These are very well-paying jobs in biotech, something we are not really known for.”
The anticipated investment by ProKidney is about the same as the investment by Boom Supersonic, which received much more hype.
In the press release, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said, “With the addition of ProKidney, Guilford County is home to yet another groundbreaking industry pioneer. Guilford County is happy to share the business advantages available here, from our workforce to our friendly business climate, we are confident we’re the right partner to accelerate the growth of ProKidney. On behalf of the Board of Commissioners, I am happy to extend my heartfelt congratulations to ProKidney for choosing Guilford County and the Triad as their home.”
Chief Executive Officer of ProKidney Dr. Tim Bertram said, “We are excited to expand our operations in North Carolina and become part of the Greensboro community. In addition to the friendly welcome, Greensboro offers us the opportunity to continue to build and grow our business and recruit top talent to produce our highly innovative cell therapy product-candidate REnal Autologous Cell Therapy (REACT®) developed with the goal of preserving kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease.”
Good, but remember, a blind hog can find an acorn. City and County are known for their SNAFUS so be careful with trusting them.
Another corporate handout. Does Pro-Kidney know about our local government? Do they know there are not enough police and sheriff officers to police the City or County?
I need to think before opening my mouth. ProKidney (NYSE: PROK) is headquartered in Winston-Salem – so they well know the politics here. PROK has a book value of -$1.6 billion, and a market cap of + $718 million. NYSE listed in 2021, never shown a profit. Last 12 months, they have lost about 82c/share, or over 5 million dollars. These stats taken on line, you can verify them.
They could certainly use the County tax-payer funded handout. How about a company that actually makes a profit – like Tesla, Toyota?
With the announcement, $15M+ tax dollars just left the city’s account. Your tax money never to benefit your interests and needs. Your taxes that were increased substantially by GCC to be given away to a corporation without your consent.