Half-Moon Outfitters Alum/Harvard Consultant Joins Effort to Turn Green into Platinum

CHARLESTON, S.C. – In its effort to create a new distribution center designed to be so environmentally friendly as to attain the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)Platinum certification, Half-Moon Outfitters is teaming with a former employee and seasoned consultant on sustainability and “green” construction.

Nathan Gauthier, currently the coordinator of High Performance Building Service at the Harvard Green Campus Initiative in Cambridge, Mass., will oversee all aspects of LEED compliance, documentation and certification during the renovation for the Half-Moon Outfitters facility at 1084 East Montague Ave. in North Charleston.

“I’m excited to be working with Half-Moon again as they continue to be good stewards of the planet,” Gauthier commented. “The organization is committed
to being socially and environmentally responsible and they realize that the two are often connected.”

Half-Moon Outfitters, a retailer of high-quality outdoor sporting apparel and equipment, is set to embark on renovations for its new distribution
center, a project that will transform an outdated 1940s grocery store into the corporate offices and distribution center for the organization’s five
retail stores and online store. Throughout the project, expected to take six months to build and up to a year to certify, all phases of construction will be monitored by Gauthier and meticulously documented for LEED-NC 2.2
certification. LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations (LEED-NC 2.2)is the “green” building rating system designed to guide and distinguish
high-performance commercial and institutional projects.

“Having the opportunity to draw on the expertise of Nathan, who knows our organization so well and understands our deep commitment to sustainability,
is a key component of this effort,” commented Beezer Molten, owner of Half-Moon Outfitters. “His experiences with LEED projects and history with
Half-Moon make him uniquely qualified for this effort, and we’re thrilled to have him on board.”

An avid outdoor sportsman, Gauthier explains that he pursued green building construction as a career in an effort to protect the rivers, forests and
mountains he enjoys and points to his experiences working with Half-Moon Outfitters as a catalyst. “Besides getting great equipment, a surprising
benefit from working at Half-Moon was being able to use it as a platform for educating people about sustainability,” he explains. “Getting people out of the disposable, cheapest-is-always-best, mindset that has become so prevalent in our society was a tremendous perk of working at Half-Moon.”

Gauthier has completed studies and is currently working on his thesis for a Master’s of Earth and Environmental Resource Management from the University of South Carolina. He received a Bachelor of Science in marine biology from
Texas A&M University at Galveston. Additionally, he studied international environmental management systems at the Universität Siegen in Germany and
has been trained as an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) auditor.

In his current position with the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, Gauthier educates building operators, conducts resource efficiency audits of existing buildings and consults on new construction and renovations. He is or has
been directly involved with over 10 LEED registered/certified buildings, including the first LEED certified kitchen and an office renovation that seeks the LEED Platinum designation.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance,
sustainable buildings. Within the LEED rating system, the NC 2.2 classification is the most comprehensive for an individual building. Of the
69 points on the LEED-NC 2.2 project checklist, a minimum of 52 must be achieved and documented for the platinum designation. More information on
the LEED program can be found at www.usgbc.org.

Half-Moon Outfitters, founded in 1993 and based in Charleston, S.C., features clothing and gear for adventure and travel. Offering lines that include Patagonia, The North Face, Chaco, Montrail and Mountain Hardwear, experienced staff members guide customers through equipment selection with
safety, comfort and fun in mind. Half-Moon employees share a love of the outdoors with a commitment to the environment. Half-Moon Outfitters has five stores in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Columbia, Greenville and Savannah,
Georgia, and recently launched a Web-based store. For more information, visit www.halfmoonoutfitters.com.

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