If you’ve spent any time driving along Airport Boulevard in North Austin, you’ve probably passed a sprawling building that used to be one of the city’s busiest shopping malls. Today, that same site is home to something very different: a hub for education, workforce training, and community organizations known as the Highland Business Center in Austin TX.
For business owners, nonprofit professionals, and residents looking for meeting space, training programs, or administrative services, the Highland Business Center (often shortened to HBC) plays a quieter but genuinely useful role in the city’s business ecosystem. This guide breaks down exactly what the center is, what it offers, and how it fits into North Austin’s business and education landscape.
What Is the Highland Business Center in Austin TX?
The Highland Business Center is a facility operated by Austin Community College (ACC), located within the larger ACC Highland Campus in North Austin. Rather than functioning as a typical office building or coworking space, HBC serves as a business and training center for industry, government agencies, nonprofits, and the surrounding community.
The center is designed to support:
- Customized workforce training for individual employers
- Meeting and conference space for businesses and organizations
- Administrative offices for Austin Community College
- Office space for nonprofit and community partner organizations
In short, it functions as a bridge between education, workforce development, and the local business community — a role that’s become increasingly important as Austin’s economy continues to grow.
Location and Contact Details
The Highland Business Center is located at:
5930 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin, TX 78752
It sits within the broader ACC Highland Campus, making it easy to identify along Middle Fiskville Road in North Austin, not far from Airport Boulevard and I-35.
For current hours, availability, and booking inquiries, it’s best to contact Austin Community College directly, since scheduling and program availability can change with the academic calendar.
A Brief History: From Highland Mall to Highland Business Center
The story of the Highland Business Center is tied closely to the history of Highland Mall, which opened in 1971 as Austin’s first suburban shopping mall. For decades, Highland Mall was a major retail destination in the city, jointly owned at one point by General Growth Properties and Simon Property Group.
As shopping patterns shifted and the mall’s retail presence declined, Austin Community College acquired the property and began transforming it into an educational campus. Highland Mall officially closed its doors in April 2015, and the site was repurposed into what is now the ACC Highland Campus — a redevelopment that includes classrooms, administrative offices, and the Highland Business Center itself.
This transformation is a notable example of adaptive reuse in Austin, turning a struggling retail property into a functioning hub for education and workforce development rather than leaving it vacant or demolishing it entirely.
What the Highland Business Center Offers
Training and Meeting Facilities
One of the primary functions of HBC is providing space and resources for professional training. The facility includes:
- Computer labs equipped for hands-on technical training
- An interactive video classroom for remote or hybrid learning sessions
- Seminar and conference rooms suited for workshops, meetings, and symposiums
This makes the center a practical option for businesses that need professional training space without investing in their own dedicated facilities.
Community and Nonprofit Partners Housed at HBC
Beyond training space, the Highland Business Center also houses established nonprofit organizations that work closely with the Austin community. Current tenant organizations include:
- E3 Alliance, an education-focused nonprofit working on regional education initiatives
- United Way for Greater Austin, a well-known nonprofit focused on community support and social services
Having these organizations based at HBC reflects the center’s broader role as a community and civic hub, not just a corporate training facility.
ACC Administrative Offices
The Highland Business Center also serves as a base for Austin Community College’s district administrative offices. This administrative presence means the building plays a dual role — supporting both the internal operations of ACC and external business and community programming.
Who Uses the Highland Business Center?
The center’s client base is intentionally broad. It’s commonly used by:
- Businesses seeking customized employee training programs
- Government agencies hosting meetings, workshops, or training sessions
- Nonprofit organizations that either lease office space or use meeting facilities
- Community groups hosting conventions, symposiums, or public events
- Austin Community College staff and administrators working out of the district offices
This mix of users is part of what makes the Highland Business Center distinct from a typical commercial office building — it genuinely blends education, government, nonprofit, and private-sector activity under one roof.
Hours of Operation
Based on publicly listed information, the Highland Business Center generally operates on the following schedule:
- Monday through Friday: Early morning through evening hours, generally accommodating both daytime professionals and evening training sessions
- Saturday: Limited daytime hours
- Sunday: Typically closed
Because hours can shift based on academic schedules, holidays, or specific events, it’s always a good idea to confirm current hours directly with Austin Community College before planning a visit.
Nearby Amenities and Getting There
The Highland Business Center’s location on Middle Fiskville Road puts it within easy reach of several North Austin conveniences:
- Restaurants and cafes along nearby Airport Boulevard
- Hotels in the surrounding Highland and Midtown areas, useful for out-of-town visitors attending training sessions
- Access to Austin’s public transit system, including a nearby rail station connected to the former Highland Mall site
- Straightforward access from I-35, making it a reasonably central location for businesses across the greater Austin area
For visitors unfamiliar with the area, the center’s location within the larger ACC Highland Campus makes it easy to find using standard GPS navigation, though first-time visitors may want to allow extra time to locate the correct building entrance within the campus.
How to Book Space at the Highland Business Center
If your business or organization is interested in using meeting rooms, training facilities, or event space at HBC, the general process typically involves:
- Contacting Austin Community College directly to inquire about current availability
- Specifying your needs, such as room size, technology requirements, or training format
- Confirming pricing and scheduling, which can vary depending on the type of space and duration of use
- Reviewing any requirements related to setup, technology, or catering for your specific event
Because Highland Business Center primarily serves training and community purposes rather than functioning as a commercial event venue, availability and booking procedures should always be confirmed directly with ACC rather than assumed from general listings.
Why the Highland Business Center Matters for Austin’s Business Community
As Austin continues to grow as a business and tech hub, facilities like the Highland Business Center play an important, if understated, role. They provide:
- Affordable access to professional training space, especially valuable for small and midsize businesses
- A physical home for nonprofit organizations doing meaningful community work
- A model for adaptive reuse, showing how aging commercial real estate can be transformed into lasting community infrastructure
- A connection point between education, workforce development, and local industry needs
For businesses navigating Austin’s competitive landscape, resources like HBC offer a practical, community-rooted alternative to pricier private training and event spaces.
Conclusion
The Highland Business Center in Austin TX is more than just an office building — it’s a working example of how a city can repurpose aging retail space into something genuinely useful for its business and nonprofit community. From workforce training and meeting facilities to housing respected organizations like United Way for Greater Austin and E3 Alliance, HBC continues to serve a wide range of businesses, government agencies, and community groups.
If you’re considering the Highland Business Center for training, meetings, or partnership opportunities, reaching out directly to Austin Community College is the best way to get accurate, up-to-date details for your specific needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q.1 What is the Highland Business Center in Austin TX?
The Highland Business Center is a facility operated by Austin Community College that provides training space, meeting rooms, and offices for businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, and ACC’s own administrative staff.
Q.2 Where is the Highland Business Center located?
It’s located at 5930 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin, TX 78752, within the larger ACC Highland Campus in North Austin.
Q.3 What organizations are based at the Highland Business Center?
The center houses nonprofit organizations including E3 Alliance and United Way for Greater Austin, along with Austin Community College’s district administrative offices.
Q.4 Can businesses rent meeting or training space at the Highland Business Center?
Yes, HBC offers computer labs, an interactive video classroom, and seminar and conference rooms that businesses and organizations can use for training and meetings, though availability should be confirmed directly with Austin Community College.
Q.5 Was the Highland Business Center always part of Austin Community College?
No, the site was originally home to Highland Mall, which opened in 1971 and closed in 2015. Austin Community College later redeveloped the property into the ACC Highland Campus, which includes the Highland Business Center.
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