Scio Diamond Sees Greenville As A Gem

Greenville County revealed the identity for Project Gem Monday morning.  The South Carolina Department of Commerce and the Greenville Area Development Corporation announced that Scio Diamond Technology Corporation will bring its corporate headquarters and manufacturing operations to Greenville County. The project is expected to generate 70 new jobs over the next five years. 

Scio Diamond employs a patent-protected chemical deposition process to produce high-quality, single-crystal diamonds in a controlled laboratory setting, with such diamonds referred to as “lab-grown” or cultivated diamonds.  The diamonds have the identical chemical, physical and optical properties as any diamond found in the earth, and the company’s highly controlled manufacturing process enables it to produce very high-quality, high-purity, single-crystal colorless, near colorless and fancy colored diamonds. 

“Before deciding to locate here in South Carolina, we considered several locations for our corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility,” said Joseph Lancia, President and CEO of Scio Diamond Technology Corporation. 

Officials say Scio is in process of upfitting a 9,300-square-foot section of the $10 million NEXT Innovation Center development, at the corner of Church Street and University Ridge.  The company will use more than 6,000 square feet for a secure manufacturing facility, which they say will provide space for 18-20 diamond growing reactors, supporting equipment, plus laser and polishing operations. 

Scio will relocate their operation from Boston, Massachusetts during the first quarter of 2012 and expects to have the facility online by the second quarter,  according to Lancia. 

Scio leaders say the facility in Greenville will focus on maximizing production yield of diamonds for a variety of uses and applications.  “Our ability to manufacture diamonds that meet the needs of both the gemstone market and for industry in a wide range of verticals is very exciting,” Scio Chief Operating Officer Mike McMahon added.  “From medical equipment to manufacturing, advanced materials to water purification, the applications for Scio diamonds are perhaps limited only by our production capacity and our imaginations.” 

“We’re pleased that Scio Diamonds has chosen to locate their headquarters and manufacturing operations in Greenville County, and appreciate the valuable roles played by partners including Greenville County Council, the City of Greenville, Duke Energy, and the Greenville Chamber’s NEXT initiative in making this happen,” said Chris Riley, chairman of the Greenville Area Development Corporation. “Scio Diamond's decision is an important affirmation of this region’s focus on attracting, developing and growing technology- and knowledge-based manufacturers and businesses of all types.” 

The state of South Carolina provided the company with job development credits, which will be available when hiring targets are met. 

Scio officials says job inquiries will be accepted beginning January 1, 2012 by visiting the company online by clicking here or emailing jobs@sciodiamond.com.  Jobs to be filled include: growers, materials handlers, chemical engineers, as well as a range of corporate headquarters positions.