Hundreds of new, well-paying jobs are heading to Downtown.

They will result from the decision of medical supply giant Owens & Minor to set up a center in Riverfront Plaza to improve service to its clients, it was announced last week.

The company’s decision builds on the momentum of the past year that has seen more companies and more employees fill vacancies in Downtown buildings.

Founded in Richmond 135 years ago and now based in Mechanicsville, Owens & Minor plans to relocate 200 employees and hire another 300 to fill the four floors it will lease in the twin-tower, 22-story plaza at 901 E. Byrd St.

The company also will invest $15 million in improvements to the space over the next three years.

Cody Phipps, president and CEO of the company, joined Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Mayor Levar M. Stoney to deliver the good news that Richmond had beaten out 60 other cities for the expansion.

“This project will support our plan to build the most efficient and intelligent route to market for health care products and supplies,” said Mr. Phipps, who said the company’s headquarters will not be moving.

“The downtown Client Engagement Center is expected to enhance service to our nationwide customers, who are asking for our assistance in adapting to a changing health care market,” he said.

Mayor Stoney called the company’s decision “testimony to their confidence in the quality of our local workforce and to their commitment to the region.”

He promised that the city’s Office of Community Wealth Building and Workforce Development would work closely with Owens & Minor to develop training programs to help city residents fill the new positions that will pay an average of $53,000 a year, according to company estimates.

Mr. Phipps and other officials said the company initially expects to fill two floors by the end of the year and to expand to two more floors in 2018. That is about 10 percent of the space in the two buildings.

Gov. McAuliffe said the state would provide $1.5 million from the Commonwealth Opportunity Fund to assist the company in opening the new office. The company also will receive funding and assistance for training employees from the state’s Jobs Investment Program.

The company currently has 5,000 employees and operates 42 distribution centers nationwide. It reported $9.72 billion in revenue and $200 million in earnings in 2016.

Owens & Minor officials said one reason they decided on the Downtown location was the opportunity to lure younger employees who favor an urban atmosphere.

The company is just the latest to become part of the Downtown.

Newcomers include the International City Management Association-Retirement Corp., which has moved from Washington to Richmond and is hiring at least 100 workers from the area.

Others include Co-Star Group, also of Washington., which last year picked Richmond for its real estate research operation and is now filling more than 700 new jobs.