Smithville is Ready for Your Business!
Smithville is a small, rural Texas town, and a great place to do business. It has been a Gigabit City since 2013; its people are friendly, creative, and inventive; and its history, charm, amenities and terrific school district provide everything needed for a high quality of life. “Everything is possible in Smithville!” (Richard D. Latham, past Chair of the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce). Demographic information and business statistics related to doing business here are available in our “Smithville Community Profile.”
Located in Central Texas on Highway 71, Smithville is 45 minutes from AUS/Austin, one hour from San Marcos, 90 minutes from San Antonio, two hours from Houston, and four hours from Dallas/Ft. Worth by highway. The Smithville Crawford Municipal Airport, the only airport in the County, is located at the intersection of HWY 71 and SH 95. An Industrial Park is currently under development directly across from the Airport, adjacent to these two major highways.
Texas Wide Open for Business offers many reasons why Texas makes such a great place to locate your business. In the heart of Texas, Smithville is well-situated for your business to benefit from these Texas advantages. See for example:
- Texas Bragging Rights
- Fast Facts: Why Locate in Texas
- Texas Infrastructure Snapshot
- Industry Snapshot: Information & Data Services
- Industry Snapshot: Information & Computer Technology
- Industry Snapshot: Advanced Tech & Manufacturing
- Incentives Snapshot
- Texas Business Incentives & Programs Overview
- Product Development & Small Business Incubator Program
- All Snapshots
Our Workforce is Ready for Your Business!
Smithville works hard to ensure that our workforce has the education, knowledge, and training needed to succeed in today’s business environment. Graduating high school students are prepared for their first jobs out of school and adults have many opportunities for additional training to improve their skillsets for the current or the next job.
- The Smithville Independent School District (SISD) offers traditional instruction and also provides innovative programming in culinary arts and welding, DECA, the Tiger Academy and the DAEP. The graduation rate in 2015 was 93.8% and the dropout rate was 1% -- far better than Texas averages (The Texas Tribune). These students have a broad base of skills and knowledge by the time they graduate, and have been exposed to the positive forces of giving back to their community as volunteers.
- SISD partners with Smithville Public Library (SPL) and the Smithville Education Foundation (SEF) to leverage additional resources for our small, rural school district. SPL and SEF provide funds and volunteers needed for enrichment activities for students at all levels including a strong visual and performing arts curriculum for students in Kindergarten through fifth grade not possible through school programming, and innovative humanities programs that bring regional scholars and other resources to all grades. SEF additionally provides grants to teachers to allow them to purchase needed equipment, software, technology, and supplies that are not available in the SISD budget but provide the assistance they need to teach more students more effectively.
- SISD has a strong partnership with the Austin Community College (ACC) to provide dual-credit courses, and works with them to ensure that all graduating seniors meet ACC entrance requirements, giving all of them an opportunity to advance to taking Associates level courses at this local two-year college.
- The Smithville Public Library offers adult programming such as ESL, GED, and job-readiness training, as well as computer classes for more general information and specific programs for different levels of users—for example, computer classes are taught in Spanish, and Spanish classes are available for kids and adults who primarily speak English. SPL also supports a variety of online programs related to the workforce.
- The Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce periodically offers classes in customer service, technology, internet and social media, and other useful skills for small businesses. The Chamber is also a tremendous resource for members and advocates for all businesses in the Smithville area.
For More Information…
If you are interested in doing business in Smithville, please contact Robert Tamble, the Smithville City Manager at (512) 237-3282.
