Business and government officials in Kyle have plenty to smile about: Nashville-based SmileDirectClub Inc. is bringing 850 jobs to a new manufacturing and distribution center to Hays County.

Once the facility opens in January or February, SmileDirectClub will become the largest private employer in Kyle. The startup and Governor Greg Abbott announced the expansion October 8.

Carrie Moore, a spokeswoman for SmileDirectClub, says the average annual salary at the Kyle site will be $39,000 plus benefits. Among the areas where the company will fill jobs at the facility are production, manufacturing, engineering, human resources, IT, 3-D printing, and quality assurance.

“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,” Dan Baker, global head of supply chain for Access Dental Lab LLC, a subsidiary of SmileDirectClub, says in a release. “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.”

The 150,000-square-foot Kyle operation, at the new Hays Logistics Center, will make “invisible” teeth aligners that are sold directly to consumers.

SmileDirectClub is receiving a more than $2.2 million grant from the Texas Enterprise Fund to set up the Kyle facility. The company plans to invest more than $36 million in the new plant.

“With 850 new jobs requiring a broad spectrum of skill levels, our regional workforce will benefit tremendously from these new opportunities," says Gary Farmer, chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce’s Opportunity Austin economic development initiative. "Our regional talent pipeline will surely help SmileDirectClub continue to grow, innovate, and prosper in Central Texas.”