By 1808Delaware
A new round of state-backed economic development projects includes a significant central Ohio headquarters expansion, with Centric HC, LLC expected to create 200 full-time-equivalent jobs in Worthington.
The project was one of five approved by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority during its monthly meeting, part of a statewide package announced by Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik. Together, the five projects are expected to create 437 new jobs, retain 315 existing jobs, generate more than $29.4 million in new payroll, and bring nearly $100 million in investment across Ohio.
Centric HC’s Worthington project is expected to generate $14 million in new annual payroll. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a 1.678 percent, nine-year Job Creation Tax Credit for the expansion.
The company is part of the OPOC.us family of brands, which includes Centric HC and Accelwell. OPOC.us describes its model as a “One-Point-of-CARE” approach, combining employee benefits, human resources, payroll, wellness, and retirement services for employers. The company is headquartered at 300 W. Wilson Bridge Road in Worthington.
That makes the announcement less about a single office move and more about the growing demand for companies that can help employers manage increasingly complex workforce needs. Centric HC presents itself as a partner for small and mid-sized businesses that may not have large internal teams to handle benefits, compliance, payroll, HR technology, risk management, and employee support.
According to the Columbus Region, OPOC.us plans to create 200 new jobs as it expands its Worthington headquarters. The company currently has nearly 200 team members and serves more than 1,500 companies across all 50 states.
The expansion is designed to add headquarters capacity as the company grows nationally. OPOC.us says demand is being driven by employers looking for better cost control, more coordinated administration, and stronger employee support across benefits and workforce functions.
For the 1808Delaware region, the announcement is notable because Worthington sits in the same central Ohio economic corridor that continues to influence job growth, commuting patterns, and business services demand across southern Delaware County and northern Franklin County.
Centric HC focuses on what it calls “human capital optimized.” Its services include HR management, payroll processing and administration, paperless new-hire onboarding, employee handbooks and job descriptions, compliance assistance, personnel recordkeeping, wage and salary analysis, time and attendance management, and payroll tax processing.
The company’s pitch is straightforward: many smaller employers are expected to manage the same complicated HR, benefits, payroll, and compliance systems as larger companies, but with fewer staff and less purchasing power. Centric HC says its model is intended to give those employers broader support without requiring them to build large internal departments.
The Worthington expansion was the largest single jobs commitment in the latest group of projects. Other approved projects include The Technology House in Streetsboro and Solon, Webb Chemical Service Corporation in Strongsville, Ohio Valley Electrical Services in Blue Ash, and Whirlpool Corporation in Perrysburg.
The mix of projects reflects several different sectors, including business services, manufacturing, chemical transportation, electrical contracting, and appliance production. But the Worthington project stands out for its headquarters and professional services character, a category that has become increasingly important in central Ohio’s growth story.
The practical impact of the announcement is simple: 200 additional full-time-equivalent jobs, $14 million in new annual payroll, and a continued headquarters presence in Worthington. For central Ohio, it is also another example of how regional job growth is not limited to factories, warehouses, or tech campuses. Increasingly, growth is also coming from firms that help other employers manage the machinery of modern work itself: benefits, payroll, compliance, wellness, retirement planning, and the daily employee-support systems that sit behind almost every workplace.
