Business-Friendly Environment with Low Taxes and High Quality of Life Offers Ideal Relocation Opportunity
The Howard Hughes Corporation announced today that SmartDraw Software, LLC (SmartDraw) has signed a lease and relocated to The Woodlands from San Diego. A creator of sophisticated diagramming and visualization software used by more than half of the Fortune 500, SmartDraw selected The Woodlands for its business-friendly environment with a low cost of living and a high quality of life for their team members.
“Texas is a business-friendly state with a reasonable regulatory environment and a cost of living that is vastly lower than found in San Diego,” Paul Stannard, Chief Executive Officer of SmartDraw said. “We decided to relocate to Texas—and specifically to The Woodlands—for many reasons, including the opportunity for our employees to become homeowners – something that was out of reach for many of them in San Diego. The Woodlands offers an exceptional quality of work-life experience in a beautiful natural setting and it was clear that our employees and our company would thrive in this community which is the ultimate office perk.”
With 220 miles of hike and bike trails, an outstanding 7,665 acres (28%) of open green space, and a 1,000-acre commercial town center with office, shopping, dining and entertainment, The Woodlands is one of the most acclaimed master planned communities in the nation, providing the perfect combination of nature and urban walkability. SmartDraw’s new office, totaling approximately 6,500 square feet, will be located within the award-winning Hughes Landing development along Lake Woodlands.
“We are thrilled to welcome SmartDraw to The Woodlands and to the Howard Hughes family of customers. We know that once decision makers from organizations such as SmartDraw come to our community and visit our trophy assets, The Woodlands sets itself apart in terms of the work-life balance that has been curated here over the last 46 years. We are excited to add this unique and growing technology business and appreciate the trust they have given to HHC and this community as they selected their new home,” said Jim Carman, President of the Houston Region for The Howard Hughes Corporation.
SmartDraw is a privately held, growing technology firm whose software is used by thousands of organizations worldwide including over half of the Fortune 500, law firms, police departments, health systems, technology companies and private enterprises of all types and sizes. Its flagship software enables teams to capture and share information and collaborate on projects and initiatives across all functional groups of the enterprise. It does this by making it easy to create more than 70 types of common diagrams—including flowcharts, project charts, mind maps, org charts, floorplans, and more—so teams can document processes, visualize complex systems, and make informed decisions as they work to improve their products and businesses. VisualScript, the latest offering from SmartDraw, provides powerful automated reporting for decisions makers who rely on tools like Atlassian to develop software and collaborate.
“The Woodlands offers an ideal corporate environment for growing firms like SmartDraw which will benefit from recruitment opportunities offered by the community’s educated workforce, as well as enjoy the unprecedented amount of open green space integrated with a walkable, amenity-rich urban core,” added Carman.