LabCorp seeks incentives to add jobs in Guilford
LabCorp seeks incentives to add jobs in Guilford
GREENSBORO — LabCorp is looking to Guilford County as a potential place to expand its operation, even if it means pulling jobs from other areas of the country.
The company will ask Guilford County next week for $373,000 to bring 373 jobs .
Commissioner Kay Cashion said the jobs would mostly be entry-level positions for high school graduates.
“It’s my understanding that they want to consolidate all of their billing operations here from all over the United States,” she said.
Commissioners will hold a hearing on the incentive request Nov. 19.
Burlington-based LabCorp did not respond to questions from the News & Record. The company provides medical laboratory tests and services.
It has more than 28,000 employees worldwide , according to the company Web site.
Wages for those jobs would fall short of the county’s requirement to pay average wages or better to receive the standard incentive of $1,000 per job created.
“I don’t know if I would vote for the whole $373,000,” said Melvin “Skip” Alston, chairman of the county commissioners . “I don’t want to set a precedent, and our threshold is our threshold.”
The average wage for Guilford County is about $40,000 a year, Alston said, and the jobs would pay an average of $26,000.
He said the company instead could receive $500 to $600 per job created, which he might be more inclined to support.
“Especially if it’s 300 some jobs coming to the community,” he said, “and we shouldn’t just brush that off. I would lean more to giving two-thirds of that incentive package.”
If the board approves the incentives, and LabCorp moves here, the money would be paid over three years after the company meets hiring and investment requirements, including $3 million in equipment and furniture .
The Greensboro Economic Development Alliance , which often presents incentive requests from companies, did not comment.
“That may change over the course of the week,” said Andrea Miller , spokeswoman for the alliance.
The incentives were first discussed in an October closed session, commissioners said, and LabCorp may take one of two prospective sites in the county.
Commissioner Paul Gibson said he believes that the company is also researching a site in Lynchburg, Va., and he’s unlikely to support the incentives request.
“You never say never,” he said. “I voted to bring it forward, but I can’t imagine I’ll support it.”
Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com
Related Links
- LabCorp (site)
