LifeGem is the worl's first company offering to synthesize diamonds from the carbonized remains of people or pets. Established as the International Research & Recovery Corporation, LifeGem was the first U.S. company to develop a way to extract carbon from remains. According to Dean VandenBiesen, speaking on the Stan and Terry show May 7, 2007, the company recently became able to create a diamond from a lock of hair. The company was founded in 2001 by Greg Herro, Mike Herro, Rusty VandenBiesen, and Dean VandenBiesen, and was first based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. It is now headquartered in Chicago and a second office, under the name LifeGem UK, was recently opened in Hove, England. In 2006, LifeGem had US$ 7.5 million in revenue, and is experiencing more calls coming in from international customers in Japan, the Netherlands and Australia. Projections for 2007 included an increased sales of 15% to 20%. LifeGem's services are offered at over 580 of the nearly 20,000 funeral homes in the United States.