Diamond Data to Stay and Expand in Jefferson Parish
May 28, 2009
The Jefferson Parish Council approved an incentive package at its last meeting which will ensure that Diamond Data Systems (DDS) will grow and expand here in Jefferson Parish.
Having outgrown its Elmwood headquarters last year, the company considered moving to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, where it already has a satellite office at the Stennis Space Center. JEDCO worked with parish officials to utilize the Jefferson Economic Future Fund in order to retain DDS. While the incentive program is earmarked to attract companies from outside the region, in limited instances it can be used to retain businesses that commit to strict job retention and creation performance as with DDS.
"Losing Diamond Data was not an option for Jefferson Parish or JEDCO," said Dottie Stephenson, JEDCO's Deputy Director for Business Outreach. "This technology company was founded here and has become a significant asset for our economy, offering quality jobs and attracting talent from all over."
Weighing proposals from both Mississippi and Jefferson Parish, DDS notified JEDCO in February that it was accepting Jefferson Parish's offer. The council's action on Wednesday was the last in a series of approvals of the incentive package. The company has committed to maintain its headquarters in Jefferson Parish and 90 existing positions. DDS is further obligated to create 75 new jobs in Jefferson Parish. Average salaries for all jobs, both existing and future, have minimum thresholds.
Diamond Data Systems has located its new corporate office in the Heritage Plaza Building in Metairie. Councilwoman Cynthia Lee-Sheng, offered the council's resolution in support of the project and stated, "The retention of DDS, with its potential for significant growth due to expanding technology applications and processes, is a real win not only for Jefferson Parish but for the entire region and the state."
Founded in 1992, DDS is a leading provider of IT services, software engineering, network infrastructure design and technical support in Louisiana. In 2008, it became a subsidiary of Geocent, founded through the merger of DDS and Prescient Technologies. The company recently won an information technology and engineering support contract for the Navy Warfare Development Command and will execute the contract in partnership with General Dynamics Information Technology. According to Dr. Bobby Savoie, DDS CEO, "A technology company like ours is highly mobile. Geocent, and our Diamond Data Systems subsidiary, choose to keep our headquarters in Jefferson Parish because it is more than just a great place to live, it is the central hub of a regional economy. We believe Jefferson Parish has substantial growth potential in technology-related fields for companies possessing the innovative culture and vision to capture these opportunities and use them to create jobs and revenue. Having successfully built such companies in the past when opportunities were more limited, we believe this is an excellent time for our company to help grow the technology base in Jefferson Parish. Geocent has chosen to make a long-term commitment to Jefferson Parish and the region, and we are pleased the Parish has made a commensurate long-term commitment to Geocent. We are confident this relationship will be mutually beneficial and are excited about the future of our company and Jefferson Parish"
