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It's somehow appropriate that a new company whose specialty is chronic pain relief could bring 228 precious new jobs to Guilford County.

The recession began inflicting pain on the Triad before much of the rest of the country felt its sting.

Even more appropriate is the company's snug fit in the area's designs on health care and biotechnology as among the keys to revitalizing the economy.

The company in question, Baltimore-based Ameritox, would create 228 jobs, according to county documents, which would pay an average wage of $44,000. Guilford County's average wage is $38,900. The company also projects an investment of $26 million in property and equipment if it chooses to locate here. In return, Ameritox seeks $277,500 in local incentives.

As bids for economic sweeteners go, this should be an easy call.

Founded in 1996 in Midland, Texas, as Universal Toxicology Laboratories, Ameritox bills itself as "the nation's leader in pain prescription monitoring." The company's labs test urine of patients who are undergoing treatment for chronic pain to ensure that those patients avoid abusing their medication.

Beyond the salaries and monetary investments, Ameritox appears to be the kind of company that the proposed pharmacy school at UNCG eventually would help attract.

Coincidentally, Ameritox's incentives request will come before the commissioners on Sept. 17, the same night the board is scheduled to revisit a new incentives policy that would pay grants to businesses that add to the tax base through expansion or improvements.

If that new policy passes, Ameritox could benefit from it as well.

Whatever the rules of the game, this one looks like a winner.