GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Greensboro’s Chamber of Commerce held its annual State of Our Community Luncheon titled “Greensboro 2030” at the Koury Convention Center on Tuesday. The event highlights the state of business in Greensboro and Guilford County.
One of the big takeaways was a panel discussion of industry leaders discussing what Greensboro will look like in 2030.
“What’s to look forward to? What kind of growth are we going to have in this community … but also what are the kind of challenges that we’re going to face?” Executive Vice President of Economic Development for the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Marvin Price said.
These are some of the things discussed by panelists at the Greensboro 2030 luncheon hosted by the Chamber of Commerce.
Panelists included local business leaders Sean Suggs of Toyota North Carolina, Monte Edwards of MEG and David Congdon of Old Dominion Freight Line.
They expect Greensboro and its surrounding area to continue to see lots of economic development but say the need is high for people and talent to work in these jobs.
“So tapping into our universities, our community colleges, and offering jobs and opportunities for growth and … good career paths and that kind of thing are important. And also attracting maybe some new talent to the region,” Congdon said.
They each spoke to the importance of technology in future economic developments and encouraged the further implementation of it in school curriculums for students to help with the student-to-workforce pipeline.
“We need to teach them coding, A.I., all of those things that are trending and going in the upward direction needs to be a part of the core curriculum for the pipeline of talent. I think a lot of businesses, including the ones that we see up here on stage, are getting engaged with the school systems to teach them some of the things we need, but it’s got to be a part of the core curriculum that gets a kid or student excited about the new technologies,” Suggs said.
At the luncheon, this year’s Stanley Frank Economic and Workforce Development Award was given to the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite Foundation, Randolph County and the North Carolina Railroad Company for their work with the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite.
Toyota plans to develop and produce lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles starting in 2025.
Southeastern Guilford High School was also announced as the winner of the Hubert B. Humphrey Jr. School Improvement Award at the event.
The high school will receive $12,000, which it will use to focus on student support.
