RFMD (formerly known as RF Micro Devices), a Greensboro-based global leader in wireless technology will add 300 jobs during the next three years and invest $80 million to expand its Greensboro facility.

The 300 new jobs will be highly-skilled manufacturing positions that will pay an average salary of $52,290 plus benefits. This is substantially more than Guilford County’s average salary of $34,268 plus benefits. Construction on the expansion of the facility is scheduled to start in June with new expanded operations beginning in the fall of 2006.

Founded in Greensboro in 1991, RFMD has grown from a small design shop into a global leader in supplying components that allow wireless devices to transmit and receive signals. The company, which currently provides approximately half of all the power amplifiers used in cell phones, needs to expand again to continue to meet market demands for its products. RFMD has centers across the United States, as well as in Asia and Europe. It has 2,600 employees worldwide, with 1,650 in Guilford County.

"We are extremely appreciative of the support we received from the Governor, our state representatives, and city and county officials, who were instrumental in our decision to expand our manufacturing operations here in Greensboro and create additional jobs for the local area," said Jerry Neal, co-founder and vice president for marketing and strategic development.

For each year that RFMD meets required performance targets, the state will provide a grant equivalent to 70 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs. If the company creates all of the jobs called for under the agreement and sustains them for 11 years, RFMD could receive a maximum benefit of $4.9 million.

Job Development Incentive Grant (JDIG) grants are awarded only to projects whose benefits exceed their costs to the state and which would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant. Since the first grant was awarded in 2003, the program has been responsible for creating more than 13,000 jobs and $2.3 billion in investment to North Carolina.