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Businesses in Guilford County last year promised to create 856 new jobs and $70.9 million in new capital investment in 2009,  enough to slow down, but not stop rising unemployment in the county.

The Greensboro Economic Development Alliance , which handles job recruitment for the city and much of the county, said it also helped retain 232 jobs that could have been lost, according to a report it released Tuesday.  

Of the new jobs pledged, some will be created in the coming months.

Companies planning to open new operations are Ameritox Ltd., LabCorp and Flight Safety International Inc. Local companies expanding existing operations were Machine Specialties, ConvaTec, and the HF Group.  

The alliance also honored former Mayor Yvonne Johnson with its Stanley Frank Lifetime Achievement Award.  

Johnson, executive director of One Step Further, was honored because she fit the mold of “members of the community who have given many years of dedicated service in support of building a better Greensboro and Guilford County,” according to a news release.

Stanley Frank was a longtime Greensboro business and philanthropy leader.

The alliance presented the award and its jobs report at its annual investor breakfast Tuesday.

The roughly 1,000 jobs either recruited or retained helped to keep Guilford County’s employment picture steady, but they were far from enough to replace thousands of jobs lost.

For example, 217,916  people were employed in Guilford County in January 2009, according to state figures. That number had dropped by nearly a thousand jobs to 216,951  in December.

And the unemployment rate in the county increased from 9.9 percent in January 2009 to 11.2 percent in December .

Still, alliance officials emphasize that the new jobs fought the roaring tide of recession and showed that many local companies have a strong commitment to the city.

LabCorp, which makes and processes medical laboratory tests, will bring the most jobs to Greensboro — 373 — when it consolidates its billing operations here.  Ameritox, a medical testing company in a different specialty, plans to bring 228 jobs to the city when it opens a lab later this year.  

Another large contributor to new jobs was Machine Specialties, a machined and metal component company that will add 145 jobs to its existing 105 work force.

In giving the award to Johnson, the alliance said in addition to service as a Greensboro City Council member and mayor, she has given back to the community in other ways, serving on the boards of Malachi House and Bennett College, as well as helping to found Summit House.

“Yvonne Johnson is one of Greensboro’s most precious treasures,” said Dan Lynch, the alliance’s president . “Her work, energy and ability to bring people together have left a lasting impact, and we owe her a debt of gratitude for her focus on the importance of economic development.”

Contact Richard M. Barron at 373-7371 or richard.barron@news-record.com