FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The M.J. Soffe Company, a leading manufacturer of active apparel for teens and young adults, has embarked on an aggressive energy efficiency project at its Fayetteville, NC headquarters that should reduce its lighting costs by 65 percent and cut its overall electricity costs by almost 20 percent.
“This project is a superb example of what we can achieve to reduce our energy footprint to benefit both our bottom line and our environment,” said Scott Reynolds, Vice President of Operations at Soffe.
Soffe partnered with Piedmont Service Group, a NC-based facility services and energy efficiency company, to lower its utility costs by retrofitting its warehouse and other buildings with new energy efficient lighting technology.
Piedmont will upgrade 2,500 lighting fixtures at the Soffe campus during the next four months. The new fixtures include the addition of LED lights in conference rooms and a complete overhaul of the warehouse lighting, including occupancy sensors that allow lights to be turned off when distribution and warehouse spaces are unoccupied. Piedmont identified tax credits available through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that may help offset the cost of the project for Soffe.
The new fixtures offer many other benefits: improving workplace safety by providing better illumination; reducing overall utility costs by eliminating older lights that generated heat inside the plant; and lowering maintenance costs through the installation of products with a longer life. The new technology also brings Soffe into compliance with new federal lighting efficiency regulations that take effect in the coming years.
The greatest benefit, however, is the positive impact on the environment and Soffe’s bottom line. The energy efficiency project reduces Soffe’s carbon footprint by eliminating 846 metric tons of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of taking 166 cars off the road.
About M.J. Soffe Company
M.J. Soffe, LLC is a branded apparel company with a long history of profitability and growth in the active apparel market. Founded in 1946, the Soffe® brand has stood for quality and value, and is well recognized at sporting goods retailers and department stores. In addition, Soffe supplies college bookstores and produces products for the U.S. military exchanges world-wide. M.J. Soffe was acquired by Delta Apparel, Inc. in 2003. Delta Apparel, Inc. (NYSE Amex: DLA), along with its operating subsidiaries, M.J. Soffe, LLC, Junkfood Clothing Company, To The Game, LLC and Art Gun, LLC, is an international design, marketing, manufacturing, and sourcing company that features a diverse portfolio of lifestyle branded activewear apparel and headwear, and produces high quality private label programs. The Company specializes in selling casual and athletic products across distribution tiers and in most store types, including specialty stores, boutiques, department stores, mid-tier and mass chains. From a niche distribution standpoint, the Company also has strong distribution at college bookstores and the U.S. military. The Company’s products are made available direct-to-consumer on its websites at www.soffe.com, www.junkfoodclothing.com, www.saltlife.com and www.deltaapparel.com. Additional products can be viewed at www.2thegame.com and www.thecottonexchange.com. The Company's operations are located throughout the United States, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico, and it employs approximately 7,200 people worldwide. Additional information about the Company is available at www.deltaapparelinc.com.
About Piedmont Service Group
Piedmont Service Group, formerly Piedmont Air Conditioning, makes buildings more efficient. A leader in energy services, Piedmont has expanded its core HVAC business to address the growing market demand for energy efficiency and sustainability services. The company is headquartered in Raleigh, NC and employs 175 people across seven locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Piedmont was founded in 1971. Learn more at www.PiedmontServiceGroup.com.