Diamond Celebrates 40 Years

From Diamond Pharmacy's President, Joan Zilner:

We are very pleased to announce with the arrival of 2010 marks 99 years that Diamond Pharmacy has serviced the city of Indiana, PA and surrounding areas, 40 of those under our ownership.

In February 1970, my husband, Gib and I purchased a 3200 square foot store, which staffed three clerks and two pharmacists. Prescription labels were typed by hand using two fingers on an old-fashioned typewriter. Today, we have grown to include two retail stores, a medical supply, a pharmacy within a nursing home, and a 135,000 square foot institutional pharmacy, employing a total of 760 highly skilled workers, including 60 pharmacists. Diamond is also a licensed wholesaler and a registered repackager.

Diamond's nursing home experience began immediately upon purchase of the original store. One of our pharmacists was integral in helping to construct a nursing home for his church. He personally filled their prescriptions daily, delivering them on his way home from work. This was before the days of blister packs, MAR's, and the regulations that guide us today.

Diamond's entry into the correctional field began in the late 80's when Gib was successful in his bid for providing pharmacy services to the State Correctional Institute (SCI) in Greensburg, PA. Our son, Mark, entered the business after graduating from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts in 1991. Following a brief stint in community pharmacy, Mark realized that the rapidly-growing correctional field was his niche. By 2001, Diamond had become the nation's largest supplier of patient-specific medications to correctional institutions, and I am proud to say we still hold this honor today.

Diamond has always been a family operated business since its inception. My mother has the distinction of being the very first female pharmacist in Indiana County. She worked for a time in the business, while my father enjoyed doing the bookkeeping. Our four children have all worked at Diamond in some capacity over the years, while Mark is the only sibling having chosen pharmacy as a career.

We attribute much of our success to our loyal employees, many of whom we have drawn locally and who have provided years of dedicated service. Thirty-five individuals have been employed by Diamond for over fifteen years, six of them being with our organization twenty-five years or longer, including: Tom Seifert, R.Ph., Pharmacy Manager Diamond Drugs (29 years); John Avolio, R.Ph., Director of Assisted Living Diamond Pharmacy Services (27 years); and Mark Hazlett, Warehouse Manager Diamond Pharmacy Services (25 years).

From our founding in 1970 to the present, our family has always believed that we have an unwritten contract to continue to work day and night serving our customers and building an ever-lasting relationship that matters.

Now, with young, resourceful leadership and stability, along with 40 years of experience, Diamond is poised to continue to be a leader in pharmacy technology and innovation, while maintaining good, old-fashioned service that our customers have come to expect.

We appreciate your business and look forward to servicing you for years to come.