Is Robbie Perkins' Business Network a Strength or a Systemic Conflict?

Robbie Perkins' deep ties to TREBIC and the real estate industry would create an unprecedented web of conflicts, sidelining him on the city's most critical decisions.

The upcoming Greensboro mayoral election has placed a spotlight on former mayor Robbie Perkins, whose deep professional ties to the real estate industry present a complex web of potential conflicts of interest should he return to office.

With the general election set for November 4, 2025, Perkins is facing current council member Marikay Abuzuaiter. A closer examination of his career reveals that the very business relationships he touts as a strength could severely complicate his ability to govern impartially on the city’s most pressing development issues.

The Legal Framework; A Barrier to Participation

North Carolina law, specifically § 160D-109, establishes clear rules for conflicts of interest in municipal zoning and development decisions. The statute forbids a governing board member from voting on any legislative decision if;

The outcome is “reasonably likely to have a direct, substantial, and readily identifiable financial impact on the member”.

The landowner or applicant is “a person with whom the member has a close familial, business, or other associational relationship.”

A conflict does not merely require a council member to abstain from voting; it demands a complete recusal from the entire process. For Robbie Perkins, this would mean that on any zoning matter involving a TREBIC member, a client or a project impacting his own financial interests, he would be legally and ethically barred from not only casting a vote but also from any and all prior deliberations. He would be forced to sit in silence, unable to debate the merits with fellow council members, ask critical questions of staff or the applicant or advocate for the concerns of the surrounding community. This would effectively silence the city’s mayor on some of the most significant and contentious issues coming before the council, rendering him an observer rather than a leader in shaping his own city’s development.

A violation of this law is not merely an ethical misstep; it can constitute a Class 1 misdemeanor under the separate criminal statute, GS 14-234. For a mayor who also leads a real estate company, these legal restrictions would likely necessitate frequent recusals, potentially sidelining the city’s chief elected official during critical votes on the city’s growth and development.

A Career Defined by Real Estate

Robbie Perkins is not a casual observer of the real estate market; he has been a central figure in it for decades. His professional profile outlines a career dedicated to commercial brokerage since 1979, with a focus on areas directly impacted by city policy: land, marketing, retail and site selection. His transaction history includes:

Apartment investment sales in excess of $100 million.

Representing a landowner on the sale of a 337-acre tract to Publix for $28 million in which Greensboro’s taxpayers paid incentive monies, among other incentive recieving projects.

Assembling a 154-acre industrial site for a 1.5 million-square-foot business park.

This extensive deal-making history means Perkins has a long list of past and likely future clients who regularly seek approvals from the very city government he would lead.

The TREBIC Connection; A Lobbying Arm at the Table

Perhaps the most significant source of potential conflict is Perkins’s role within TREBIC, the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition. TREBIC is a non-profit coalition that acts as a unified lobbying voice for the real estate development and building industries in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point and their surrounding counties.

The organization’s membership includes nearly every major developer and real estate firm in the region, such as Blue Ridge Companies, The Carroll Companies, Samet Corporation and Granville Homes. Perkins has served as both Vice Chairman and Chairman of TREBIC, a position that required him to advocate for the business interests of its members.

“Since leaving office, Mr. Perkins has served as President of Triad Real Estate and Builders Coalition (TREBIC) and Chair of the Economic Development Committee of the North Carolina Association of Realtors.”

https://www.naiglobal.com/agents/Robbie-Perkins,++CCIM,+SIOR/

Notably, TREBIC’s own meeting agendas include a standing item for “Declarations of Conflicts of Interest,” acknowledging that its discussions involve matters that could conflict with members’ other affiliations. If Perkins becomes mayor, he would be in the extraordinary position of presiding over a government that regulates an organization he once led, creating an inherent “associational relationship” with a vast number of applicants coming before the city council.

Practical Implications: A Mayor Sidelined

The combination of Perkins’s active real estate career and his deep ties to TREBIC would create a minefield of recusal scenarios;

Votes on TREBIC Initiatives: Any zoning amendment or text change advocated for by TREBIC, an organization he previously chaired, would present a direct “associational relationship” conflict, legally prohibiting his participation.

Projects by Business Associates; Perkins would likely need to recuse himself from votes involving developers who are fellow members of TREBIC, strategic clients of his firm NAI Piedmont Triad or past business partners.

City-Wide Policy; Broader legislative decisions on zoning, infrastructure, and housing policy that could directly and substantially impact the business model of his company, NAI Piedmont Triad, or the value of land he owns or represents would also be fraught with legal peril.

A City Demanding Transparency

The question for Greensboro voters is whether they are comfortable with a mayor who may be legally barred from participating in some of the most significant decisions facing the city. While Perkins’s experience is undeniable, the structural nature of these conflicts suggests they would not be occasional obstacles but a recurring theme of his administration.

In a political climate where public trust in government is paramount, the potential for perpetual recusals and the appearance of impropriety could hinder effective leadership and undermine confidence in City Hall.

TREBIC members and some corresponding campaign contributions;

BOARD MEMBERS 2025:

Officers:

President: – Jon Hardister
Treasurer: Will Yearns – Granville Homes
WILL YEARNS GRANVILLE HOMES 500

Chairman: Adam Carroll – Timmons Group

Secretary: Richard Vanore – Koury Corporation
GORDON CRAIG KOURY CORPORATION 4000
KELLY HARRILL KOURY CORPORATION 4000
RICHARD VANORE KOURY CORPORATION 4000

Vice Chairman: Amanda Williams – BSC Holdings
BARRY S SIEGAL BSC HOLDINGS 1000

Past Chairman: Amanda Hodierne – Isaacson Sheridan

Board of Directors:

President: – Jon Hardister
Treasurer: Will Yearns – Granville Homes
WILL YEARNS GRANVILLE HOMES 500

Chairman: Adam Carroll – Timmons Group
Secretary: Richard Vanore – Koury Corporation
Vice Chairman: Amanda Williams – BSC Holdings
BARRY S SIEGAL BSC HOLDINGS 1000

Chuck Boecker – Stimmel Associates
Phil Warrick – Piedmont Wholesale Engineered Product
Scott Wallace – Keystone Group
Andy Dreyfuss – Nova Triad Homes
Jeremy Medlin – GreenHawk Corporation
David Michaels – Windsor Companies
TOM HALL WINDSOR 500
DAVID HOWARD WINDSOR COMPANIES 1000

Tom Flanagan – Blue Ridge Companies
CHRISTOPHER T DUNBAR BLUE RIDGE COMPANIES 6400
DAVID F. COUCH BLUE RIDGE COMPANIES 6400

Brian Hall – Samet Corporation
Ben Brockschmidt – Piedmont Triad Apartment Association
Cheryl Collins – Greensboro Builders Association
Gisela Lopez – Homes Builders Association Winston Salem
David Ramsey – NAIOP Piedmont Triad Chapter

BUSINESS MEMBERS:

President Level:

Blue Ridge Companies
Koury Corporation
GORDON CRAIG KOURY CORPORATION 4000
KELLY HARRILL KOURY CORPORATION 4000
RICHARD VANORE KOURY CORPORATION 4000

Vice-President Level:

DAVENPORT
Granville Homes
WILL YEARNS GRANVILLE HOMES 500

Hubbard Realty

Governor Level;

Arden Group
Beam General Contractors
Burkely Communities
Byron Donnelly Development
DRB Group North Carolina
D R Horton
Garman Homes
Glenwood Homes
GreenHawk Development
Keystone Group
Kickass Concepts = Marty Kotis
Lumos Fiber
Onsite Wastewater Professionals
Piedmont Wholesale
Pulte Homes
Samet Corporation
Shugart Mungo Homes
Signature Property Group
HOWARD AUMAN SIGNATURE PROPERTY GROUP 3000

The Carroll Companies
True Homes
Whitewood Construction
Windsor Companies
TOM HALL WINDSOR 500
DAVID HOWARD WINDSOR COMPANIES 1000

Senator Level:

Bessemer Improvements
BluSky Restoration Contractors
Borum Wade & Associates
Brooks Pierce
BETH LANGLEY BROOKS PIERCE 100
BO RODENBOUGH Brooks Pierce 500
JEFFREY OLEYNIK BROOKS PIERCE 500
JEFFREY OLEYNIK BROOKS PIERCE 500
KEARNS DAVIS BROOKS PIERCE 100

Brown Investment Properties
CHESTER BROWN BROWN INVESTMENT PROPERTIES 300

BSC Holdings
BARRY S SIEGAL BSC HOLDINGS 1000

Collins and Galyon
TONY COLLINS Collins & Galyon General Contractors, Inc. 500

Deep River Partners
DH Griffin
DRB Group North Carolina
Evans Engineering
Fleming Engineering
Hawthorne Residential Partners
Isaacson Sheridan
KMW/Weaver Investments
Landmark Builders
NAI Piedmont Triad = Robbie Perkins
JONATHAN A. GOOD NAI PIEDMONT TRIAD 1000
ROBIN TYLER NAI PIEDMONT TRIAD 250

Piedmont Natural Gas
Smith and Jennings
Timmons Group
Truist Bank
Wynnefield Properties
CRAIG STONE WYNNEFIELD 5000

Mayor Level;

Allegro Investment Properties
Allen Tate Real Estate
AMG Properties
PAUL MENGERT AMG PROPERTIES 500

AT&T North Carolina
Berkley Hall Construction
MICHAEL A MURRAY SR BERKLEY HALL CONSTRUCTION 6400

Brad Coe
Braxton Real Estate Development
Brentwood RH, LLC
Carruthers & Roth
CBRE
DAVID HAGAN CBRE 250

CPT Engineering & Surveying
D. Stone Builders
Davis Martin Powell & Associates
Eastwood Homes
ECS Southeast LLC
Elite Property Services
First Bank
First Carolina Mortgage
Forge Investment
Forestar
Fourth Elm Construction
Heidelberg Materials
HICAPS, Inc
Investors Title Insurance
J. Gary Hill
Law Firm Carolinas = Adam Marshall
Lennar
Lomax Properties
MC Morgan & Associates
McAdams
Meridian Waste NC
NC A&T Real Estate Foundation
New Page Capital
Nova Triad Partners
Pest Management Systems
Phillips Management Group
Pilot Environmental Inc.
Pinnacle Financial
Regional Land Surveyors
Royal Homes
Sagamore Homes
Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc.
Simpson Commercial
CHARLES WRIGHT SIMPSON COMMERCIAL 100

Stantec
Stimmel Associates P.A
Stewart Realty.
Stoltzfus Engineering
Summit Lakes, LLC
The Congdon Foundation
T. Cooper James & Associates
The Erosion Company
Trinterra Consulting
Trisect Construction Co.
Truliant Federal Credit Union
Tuggle Duggins
DONALD SPARROW TUGGLE DUGGINS 250

United Finishers International Inc
Westcott Engineering & Consulting
Williams Development Group
Wilson Covington Construction

Allies:

Affordable Housing Management
AARP
Atlantic STS
Archdale-Trinity Chamber of Commerce
Business High Point
CSM Flooring
Duke Energy
Greensboro Chamber of Commerce
Guilford Merchants Association
Habitat for Humanity
HUB International Limited
New American Funding
Piedmont Environmental
Triangle Community Coalition
Weatherguard Roofing, LLC

MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS:

Greensboro Builders Association
High Point Area Builders Association
Home Builders Association of Winston Salem
Piedmont Triad Apartment Association
NAIOP Piedmont Triad Chapter

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS:

Randolph Community College
Guilford Technical Community College
Forsyth Technical Community College