MOVING RIGHT ALONG: Guilford County welcomes new transportation projects while its stronghold Furniture industry keeps on giving.

Guilford County has long been a hub for a variety of businesses, including High Points famed furniture sector. It's also becoming home to a growing number of transportation businesses. Here's a look at Guilford's transportation scorecard.

High Point-based Thomas Built Buses which has a long presence in the county, added close to 300 employees last year to boost production of leading edge vehicles. Its Jouley model can travel 135 miles fully charged, seats 81 passengers and is quieter than gas-powered models.

Toyota plans to invest $5.6 billion for its electric vehicle battery plant at the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite near Liberty. The site is expected to employ about 2,100 at a median salary of $62,234.

Piedmont Triad International Airport, with 1,000 acres ready for development, already hosts FedEx, Honda Aircraft, HAECO Americas, Cessna. Boom Supersonic plans a $500 million plant.

Mack Truck's global headquarters also calls Greensboro home.

"We talk a lot about the transportation transformation, and these kinds of companies are making a difference and providing work opportunities for people, as well as bringing recognition to our region," says Sandy Dunbeck, director of economic development in High Point. Dunbeck was director of the Guilford County Economic Development Alliance in 2021, which represents High Point, Greensboro and other local economic groups.

"The HondaJet project speaks to the assets we have here. And the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite, with the Toyota battery project, is transformational for our area and the people who work there."

Brent Christensen, CEO of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, calls Toyota's commitment "transformational."

"For Toyota to have an EV strategy, this is a mission that is critical to them," he says, "so we're excited about it. Then up the road a little you have Volvo Mack, and the cars, trucks, electric school buses.

This part of North Carolina is going to touch every kind of electric vehicle made in the future. The road to electrification goes through Guilford County."

New industries bring new workers --local people trained in workforce pathways through colleges, such as Guilford Technical Community College and High Point University.

And new workers mean new families.

Guilford's population in 2021 was 542,410, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, up from 517,281 in 2015, making it the third-most populous county in the state. Greensboro counted 298,263 residents in 2021.

"The good news is, we've been preparing for this a long time," Christensen says. "The beauty of these [industry] projects is they've been in the works for a while, so last year Guilford County passed a resolution to schedule a $1.7 billion bond referendum for school construction and renovation. So we'll have the schools ready for the future when these projects come to fruition. We've also focused on housing and have seen thousands of new housing units."

Bond funds will address infrastructure needs, including building three new schools and renovating about 30 others, as well as provide safety and technology upgrades, according to...