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KYLE — SmileDirectClub Inc., a teeth-straightening company, and its manufacturing and distribution affiliate Access Dental Lab TX, LLC will establish a new high-tech dental manufacturing lab in Kyle, which will create a total of 850 new jobs.
The Kyle City Council approved an economic development agreement for the project at a special meeting on Tuesday. The City of Kyle will provide an estimated incentive value of $659,799 with a net benefit of $5,234,235 over eight years. Access Dental Lab TX, LLC has been extended a $2.2 million Texas Enterprise Grant to support the creation of more than 440 new qualified jobs and more that $36 million in capital investment for the Kyle project.
The dental manufacturing lab will be housed at the Hays Logistics Center located at 300 Vista Ridge Dr. in Kyle.
Mayor Travis Mitchell said this is the biggest jobs announcement in Kyle’s history.
“We have been working to announce jobs of this caliber for years,” Mitchell said. “We have had a vision for a very long time to create a city and to build a city that allows for our residents to live, work and play. To us, that’s far more than just an overused phrase, it means something very dear to us. This facility cannot happen without years of advocacy and groundwork and strategic planning to make it happen.”
SmileDirectClub Inc. will become Kyle’s biggest single private employer with production at the manufacturing lab expected to begin in February.
“We chose Kyle, Texas and the greater Austin area because of the caliber of the workforce,” said Dan Baker, Global Head of Supply Chain for Access Dental Lab. “They’re skilled and committed. The culture that they have and their commitment and work ethics fit perfectly with SmileDirectClub’s mission, values and culture all based around innovation.”
Diana Torres, director of economic development for the City of Kyle, said the city’s location between Austin and San Antonio attracted SmileDirectClub to set up a new manufacturing lab in Kyle.
“I think it was initially the Austin region market (that attracted SmileDirectClub),” Torres said. “But then I think once they got here, they really fell in love with Kyle. It was the location between Austin and San Antonio on the (Interstate 35) corridor, logistically having that access. But then I think it was the demographic of Kyle. I think it was the warmth of Kyle. It was being welcomed to Kyle. It was the building itself.”
Adriana Cruz, president of the Greater San Marcos Partnership, said Tuesday’s announcement is huge not just for Kyle but also for Hays County and the region as a whole.
“I think that this company is a disrupter and an innovator in their field,” Cruz said. “I think that the fact that it is a high-tech type of manufacturing, it’s an advanced manufacturing, it’s a medical device. All of that plays into the 'innovation corridor' concept that we’re promoting. It also provides opportunities for students coming out of Texas State University, some of the students coming out of Austin Community College, as well as maybe some of the Hays Consolidated Independent School District students as well.
“We’re very excited about this opportunity for the City of Kyle, for this county and for what it means for our entire region,” Cruz added. “I think we’re just really excited about what the future holds.”
