COLUMBUS — Providing a health and wellness center for its employees is next on the agenda for The Point industrial park.

“International companies coming in will be more concerned with health and wellness,” Dr. Bill Dingus of the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation told the economic development session at Legislative Day in Columbus on Tuesday. “We have a commitment to try to meet that.”

To do that, six acres at The Point are being set aside for such a center that will feature a medical center, gym and aquatic center.

“We will also be building a 24-hour day care center,” Dingus said. “We have a tremendous need for a 24-hour day care.”

With a workforce that is on the job on multiple shifts, providing childcare has become a necessity, Dingus said.

Within the center will be a medical ward where sick children can be cared for enabling their parents not to have to miss a day’s work.

Also at the session Dingus and Viviane Vallance of the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce gave an update of the progress at The Point.

“Our shining star is The Point industrial park,” Vallance said. “In the past 12 months over 500 jobs have been created.”

With a strategy to make The Point an intermodal facility that progress is expected to expand.

Also speaking at the session was Glenn Richardson of JobsOhio, a private nonprofit organization created in 2011 to attract new business to the state and maintain current job levels.

Last year the nonprofit brought in 17,857 new jobs and retained 70,449 jobs.

“We have developed a unique model and one that is very effective,” Richardson said. “We are very business oriented and transparent.”