Bill Knight On The Greensboro Chamber Of Commerce

Any investigation of the Greensboro Partnership has to include the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. You see, the Greensboro Partnership, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, Action Greensboro, Downtown Greensboro Inc., Downtown Greensboro Improvement Corporation, Downtown Greensboro Foundation, Guilford Nonprofit Consortium, Greensboro Economic Development Alliance, and any number of area non profits are, for all intents and purposes, one in the same. Many even share the exact same boards of directors.

From a recent conversation between John Hammer and former Mayor Bill Knight:

"He said he spent a lot of time on economic development and would love to see the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce take a more active role in economic development and with existing businesses like it does in other communities.

He said he was surprised to see how little the chamber knows about some segments of business in Greensboro."

You see, as a non profit, the Chamber Of Commerce has no need to know about private business. The Chamber exists on handouts, taxpayer dollars and donations just like the downtown panhandlers who are forced to get permits before they panhandle. They don't do business, they beg. Since when did we put beggars in charge of business?

So maybe, just maybe the point of my investigation shouldn't be the infractions I've found thus far. Maybe it's simply inept management?

Continue to page 21. Greensboro Beautiful Inc Board Of Directors.

Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro Board Of Directors

I'm sure some of you are wondering about my unusual approach to exposing the truth, lies and deceit of the Greensboro Partnership but trust me there is method to my madness. Besides, I'm not telling everything I've learned-- yet.

Here on page 10 of the book we concentrate on the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. The Community Foundation solicits donations from the public and is said to spend those donations on public art, women's issues and other things of social value. In 2010 the foundation, chaired by Louise Brady, claims to have collected over $10 Million in donations and paid out $10 Million in grants to worthy nonprofits including the Interactive Resource Center, the Future Fund, the Public Art Endowment and Women to Women. Their 2010-2011 Annual Report lists the boards of 3 donating companies but doesn't tell us who sits on their own board of directors.

The articles of incorporation for Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro are not available at the NC Secretary of State website probably because their 1983 date of incorporation predates the Internet. They apparently changed the name of the corporation in 1995 but that is also pre Internet. Their previous name was the Foundation of Greater Greensboro, Inc. but they currently do business (dba) as the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium. Why two names? I haven't a clue.

From the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium:

"In 2003, Weaver Foundation and the Community Foundation were instrumental in the exploring the interest in and need for the Consortium. Facilitated by a Leadership Greensboro project team, nonprofit stakeholders in our community defined the need for and dimensions of a capacity building consortium. The question they sought to answer was: "How might nonprofits come together as a community and build capacities among and between nonprofits as a way to creatively meet some of these growing challenges?" In 2004, more than 100 nonprofit organizations stepped forward to form the initial membership of the Consortium and local foundations came together to fund the Consortium so that annual dues could be kept to a minimum."

The Consortium membership list appears to be a who's who of who wants a handout. Apparently they do the same thing as the United Way except on a smaller and more local scale. Apparently they are the go to people for local non profit organizations in need of money.

I find it strange that the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro and most of the local non profits I've discussed to date all have problems making known who their board members are as it's apparently not a problem for the non profit, Guilford 200 Club.

Continue to page 11. Grassroots Productions Limited Board Of Directors.

synerG Board Of Directors

From what I can determine, synerG neither has nor needs a board of directors as it is operated by and for Action Greensboro. Apparently, membership is restricted to 20 select young professionals who, for the most part, reside in Greensboro. According to their website, one of their goals is to promote connectedness. Considering that all the Greensboro organizations I've discussed thus far all seem to be one in the same they probably find meeting that goal to be rather easy. Since their inception in 2001, it appears their only claim to fame is the building of the downtown WIFI system that serves South Elm St. and City Center Park.

Only 1 of synerG's current members is actually from Greensboro. Is this not looking more and more like Greensboro is one big party town with only one party to go to? I know, I know, it's really about grooming young people to be leaders but considering the history of Greensboro I can't help but wonder what we're grooming them for.

Coming soon: the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro and the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium.

Continue to page 10. Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro Board Of Directors.