City Of Kyle, Gov. Abbott Announce High-Tech Dental Manufacturing Lab To Come To Hays Logistics Center

By, Terra Rivers | Managing Editor

On Tuesday, the City of Kyle and Governor Greg Abbott announced SmileDirectClub will establish a new high-tech dental manufacturing lab in Kyle, Texas.

SmileDirectClub’s Access Dental Lab TX, LLC, will occupy 150,000 of a 222,800 square-foot building at the Hays Logistics Center.

Access Dental Lab TX, LLC, is a subsidiary of Access Dental Lab, LLC, SmileDirectClub’s manufacturing and distribution affiliate.

The Hays Logistics Center is a commercial center located off of Vista Ridge Dr. Access Dental Lab will mark the second company to join the center. 

A Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) grant of $2,215,000 has been extended to Access Dental Lab TX, LLC, to support the creation of 850 new qualified jobs and more than $36 million in capital investment.

“I am pleased that SmileDirectClub has chosen Kyle as their home base for Access Dental Lab TX. And I look forward to the prosperity and success that their investment will bring to the entire Lone Star State,” said Governor Abbott. “This exciting new expansion will bring even greater economic prosperity for this community, and the job creation and capital investment spurred by this announcement will create even more economic opportunities for Texans.”

“I am incredibly grateful to the governor’s office for partnering with us to help attract a large employer to locate their business in Kyle,” said Kyle Mayor, Travis Mitchell. “This is the biggest jobs announcement in the history of Kyle, and it didn’t come out of nowhere. For several years, our team has been laser-focused on creating an attractive environment for employers, because we know that local primary jobs are essential to improving the quality of life for those who call Kyle home.”

Kyle City Council members were joined by Hays County Commissioner, Mark Jones, at the Hays Logistics Center to make the announcement, which followed a special city council meeting where the council discussed economic incentives. 

The economic development agreement provides an estimated incentive of $659,799; the net benefit to the city of Kyle is approximately $5.23 million over the eight years.

The Hays County Commissioners approved an estimated incentive of $474,992; the net benefit for Hays County is estimated at approximately $1.78 million. 

Hays Consolidated Independent School District’s estimated net benefit is approximately $1.54 million. 

Mitchell said the City of Kyle and partners would not have been able to bring such a project to Kyle without the school district’s approval of the Triple Freeport Tax exemption and the support and help of community partners like the Greater San Marcos Partnership. 

Voters passed the Triple Freeport Tax Exemption as a constitutional amendment in 1989. But the state gave local entities, who collect the taxes, the authority to deny the exemption.

The Hays CISD Board of Trustees denied the exemption 30 years ago. However, in 2017, the board voted to nullify the 30-year-old ordinance and join the City of Kyle and Hays County in approving the exemption to provide tax relief to goods shipped into and out of state within 175 days. 

The Council held a special meeting Tuesday morning, Oct. 8, to discuss and approve an economic development agreement with Access Dental Lab; the agreement was approved with a 6-0 vote. Councilmember Daphne Tenorio was absent. 

“High-tech, ISO-certified manufacturing is a very welcome addition to the mix of companies starting up in and relocating to Hays County,” Commissioner Jones said. “SmileDirectClub brings with it a variety of job opportunities for area residents at competitive salaries and enhances our reputation as a great place to live, work, and raise a family. The County welcomes SmileDirectClub and extends our thanks to the Greater San Marcos Partnership, City of Kyle, Office of the Governor, and others involved in the cooperative effort to relocate them to Hays County.”

Access Dental Lab TX, LLC, will look to have 439 jobs filled in its first year, 648 in its second and 840 by its third, and retain the jobs for at least the next three years to receive their incentives. 

Dan Baker, Global Head of Supply Chain for Access Dental Lab, said the company expects to receive their certificate of occupancy in January 2020 and be in production by the end of February.

“The decision to expand our U.S. manufacturing and distribution supply chain to Texas is owed to the state and community leadership’s support for innovation and their belief in our mission,” Baker said. “The talent pool in the greater Kyle, Austin, and Hays County communities takes pride in where they live and work, and that aligns to SmileDirectClub’s culture of innovation, collaboration, and inclusion. As we set out to become the City of Kyle’s largest private employer, we are excited for the great state of Texas to accelerate our mission to help millions of people around the world unleash the power of their smile through safe, affordable, and convenient teeth straightening solutions.”

SmileDirectClub was founded in 2014; it has helped over 700,000 people transform their smiles without the need for traditional wire braces.

The company has 300 SmileShop locations and counting and employs more than 5,000 people nationwide.