Sam’s Club, Beam Dental to add 675 jobs in central Ohio

Sam’s Club and the Columbus dental insurer Beam Dental received approval Monday for state tax incentives for projects which the companies say will create a combined 675 jobs in central Ohio.

Sam’s Club plans to build a distribution center in Groveport to serve its online business. The retailer wants to create 525 jobs with a total annual payroll of $17.5 million.

The projects were among three to be approved by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority that will create 754 jobs and retain 1,091 statewide.

Sam’s Club is opening a 750,000-square-foot facility this summer as part of its expansion of e-commerce operations that has reduced shipping times to two days or less for most members.

The new center at 6198 Green Pointe Drive will ship items from paper towels to trampolines available on Samsclub.com.

“More and more members are shopping with us on Samsclub.com. Our job is to curate the best assortment and deliver a perfect order on time, in one box and with no damages,” Mohan Akella, a Sam’s Club vice president, said in a statement.

The tax credits have an estimated value of $1.3 million.

Beam Dental, a 7-year-old company that offers dental insurance for small and medium-sized business, is adding 150 jobs in Columbus as part of an expansion in which it will invest $1.5 million. The new jobs will have an annual payroll of $13.5 million.

Beam, which currently has 50 employees Downtown, will expand into a new facility in June to accommodate its growth. The company will hire in areas that include engineering, sales and claims processing.

Beam works differently than traditional insurers by offering clients an incentive of lower rates for taking care of their teeth and a way to document their progress.

Beam offers what it calls Beam Perks, which consists of a toothbrush, paste, floss and refill heads shipped directly to the member’s door twice a year. The toothbrush syncs with a smartphone app that allows Beam to track brushing habits.

Better brushing can lead to reduced premiums.

“When we started Beam, we knew quality talent and community support would be critical to our success,” Alex Frommeyer, Beam’s founder and CEO, said in a statement. “Columbus has really impressed us with its digital talent ecosystem, which has proven to be vital for our rapid expansion and was a core reason behind our decision to build the company here.”

The tax credits have an estimated value of $2.4 million.