COG Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

In 2017, the City of Greensboro took 3rd place in the annual Digital Cities Survey for cities with a population of 250,000 to 500,000. The survey recognizes cities that use technology to improve services and boost efficiencies. Greensboro stood out for its mobile progress, including the TransLoc Rider app that allows real- time tracking of city buses and its Parkmobile app that allows drivers to pay to park at all meters and parking lots using the online mobile payment system. The City is also working together with High Point and Guilford County to develop a mobile application that will allow users to search for parks and trails based on available amenities, distance or location. Greensboro was one of 10 cities invited to participate in Envision America 2017, a workshop focused on developing smart city initiatives. Greensboro was also recognized in part for its effort in forming the Tri-Gig High Speed Broadband Initiative . The regional partnership plans to take advantage of existing fiber optic cable infrastructure previously installed for Greensboro’s traffic-light system. The partnership hopes to provide the next-generation of high-speed broadband infrastructure needed to meet the technological needs of current and future businesses, public institutions, educational institutions, and local residents at a substantial discount from current market prices. The Piedmont Triad Regional Council selected North State Communications as its preferred vendor for delivering high-speed internet services to the region. In FY 2011, Greensboro annexed 145 acres east of the City for an American Express Data Center . The LEED-certified data center is complete and began processing data in February 2012. The Greensboro region is well-suited for sizeable computing centers due to the significant electric power grid developed in previous years to accommodate large textile manufacturing operations, along with existing fiber optic and advanced telecommunications infrastructure. Also, legislation was recently passed that extends tax incentives to smaller data center customers in North Carolina and makes it a state with one of the lowest investment thresholds. North Carolina is home to Facebook, Apple, Google and IBM among other large scale data centers. Communications industry leader, Qorvo , recently expanded by buying Amalfi Semiconductor, another cell phone component manufacturer located in California. The company’s area headquarters currently employees approximately 1,500 workers in Guilford County. In December 2015, the company announced plans to add an additional 100 new jobs over a period of 3 years as part of a $25 million expansion of its Guilford county operations, primarily in research and development. The expansion project is substantially complete. Qorvo is the outcome of an approximate $2 billion merger between RF Micro Devices and TriQuint Semiconductor, an Oregon-based microchip products company. In August 2016, the Greensboro site was named the sole headquarters location. In 2012 , BB&T opened its new Triad Operations Center in the former American Express customer service center near PTI. The 390,000 square-foot building will eventually house 2,500 employees working primarily in back office, administrative and support functions. BB&T is a regional bank with more than 2,100 financial centers and $39 billion in market capitalization. It has reportedly grown to more than 4,000 employees in the Triad. Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery Corporation has been in the process of a $97 million expansion in its neighboring Kernersville location that currently employs roughly 950 employees and has a goal of adding an additional 125 employees by January, 2019. The company manufactures and distributes excavation equipment for the mining and construction industry. Coupled with nearby Caterpillar, Inc. in Forsyth County, expansion in heavy equipment manufacturing is noted in the region. Cone Health received State approval in 2016 for plans to pursue a $100 million project to relocate the standalone Women’s Hospita l to a 196,000 square foot, 6-story new construction addition on the south side of the existing Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital. The halfway mark in the construction project was reached in August, 2018 and the new facility is expected to open in 2019. The capital investment plan also calls for $38 million in renovations of operating suites at Wesley Long Hospital, to be completed in 2018. Cone health also proposed plans to build a $23.5 million emergency MedCenter in Northwest Greensboro to meet the expanding need for emergency medical services in the area. These projects continue to ensure long–term sustainability XII