It’s been less than a year since The New Albany Company and City of New Albany announced plans to create a Beauty and Personal Care Innovation Campus within the New Albany Business Park, yet the effort has already attracted some of the industry’s leading national and international companies.

The appeal of a highly-integrated supply chain hub designed to support companies within the beauty and personal care industry that can benefit from complementary capabilities, common supply chain contractors and creative synergies has led five companies, four of which were lured from outside Ohio, to develop facilities in the park. In sheer scale, the commitment of companies to the campus makes it one of the fastest growing clusters in the region with a total of 1,170 jobs created and more than 1.2 million square feet of space under development.

Among the attractions, the Innovation Campus features a highly-accessible location, adapted vehicular circulation patterns and sustainable building standards. The companies that have committed to the Innovation Campus represent a diverse range of interests from packaging and fulfillment to product manufacturing.

Accel Inc, accel-inc.com, currently based in Lewis Center, Ohio, provides fulfillment, contract packaging and distribution services, including kit assembly, gift wrapping, labeling, shrink wrapping and quality sort operation. Its service capabilities span the globe and its clients include major retailers such as Limited Brands and Bath & Body Works. The company plans a $20 million, 417,000-square-foot facility projected to employ more than 200 workers.

Alene Candles, www.alene.com, from Milford, New Hampshire, a full-service contract and private-label manufacturer of custom-designed, filled candles and home fragrance products, is a pioneer in cutting-edge wax blends that feature the latest in wax technologies such as UV inhibitors and antioxidants. The company which operates specially-designed burn test labs that can test up to 1,500 candles per day plans to build new research and laboratory facilities that encompass 300,000 square feet and will eventually employ 130 people.

Axium Plastics, www.axiumplastics.com, from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, manufactures plastic containers using a production platform featuring the latest extrusion blow molding and injection blow molding technologies. With plans to build a new 110,000-square-foot facility, the company will expand their manufacturing and research and development operations and create 165 new jobs.

The Knowlton Development Corp., www.kdc-companies.com, based in Quebec will be opening a $55 million, 250,000-square-foot manufacturing plant on the campus in 2012 that will ultimately employ 250. A solutions provider for Fortune 500 personal care companies, Knowlton manufactures shower gels, soaps, skin lotions and other cosmetics and toiletries. Knowlton has spearheaded single-dose, butterfly packaging as well as all-natural, petroleum-free deodorant platforms.

Vee Pak, a subsidiary of Countryside, Ill.-based Vee Pak Inc., www.veepak.com, plans to build a 105,000-square-foot plant utilizing state-of-the-art technology to create labels. The facility will employ 120 workers. In addition to printing product labels, Vee Pak develops and manufactures personal care products, including shampoos, lotions, soaps and antibacterial products and provides package and filling services.