BEDFORD, PA (November 30, 2007) – Lauth and Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a national retail cooperative providing quality outdoor gear and clothing, today celebrated the opening of one of the largest green distribution centers in the United States. The 525,000 square foot (SF) and LEED Registered facility located in Bedford, Pennsylvania will serve as REI’s eastern distribution hub. It was built to LEED Silver specifications.

“Lauth is proud to partner with REI to deliver a building that meets the logistics needs of their growing customer base and the needs of the environment,” said Mike Jones, Sr. Vice President of Office and Industrial Development at Lauth. “It is a testament to the entire project team that engineered a building that uses significant less energy and water.”

The building sits on 42 acres with 12 acres of walking paths through a natural habitat. The structure features a high performance envelope and lighting system with daylight and occupancy sensors. The facility is modeled to reduce energy costs 25% over a typical distribution center with conventional systems. The site also utilizes a unique system of bio-swales (filtering ponds) to naturally clean storm water runoff and regenerate the area’s existing wetlands. Additionally, Lauth and REI contracted with a local company to reuse a barn on the property and REI donated an existing house on the property to Habitat for Humanity ensuring those materials did not end up in a local landfill.

“REI’s new distribution center complements our aspirations to reduce our company’s overall environmental footprint through decreased greenhouse gas emissions and waste stream,” added Dave Presley, vice president of Logistics for REI. “Early next year we anticipate being one of the largest distribution centers in the country certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.”

The REI distribution center is one of several sustainable projects by Lauth. Earlier this year the company’s HSBC Regional Headquarters outside of Charlotte received LEED Silver certification. In addition the company has the following LEED Registered projects currently in development: NASCAR Plaza, a 20-story office tower in Charlotte; Montecito Point, a 186,000 SF office building in Las Vegas; Washington Point Business Center, a 696,960 SF, master-planned business park in Phoenix; Riverview Point, a 443,000 mixed-use development in Mesa, AZ; and Parcland Crossing, a 183,000 SF, mixed-use development in Chandler, AZ.

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About Lauth

Since 1977, Lauth has been building facilities for clients to lease or own throughout the United States. Lauth’s years of solid experience, coupled with completed projects worth billions, make it a leading national development and construction firm. Lauth delivers virtually any type of facility including healthcare, industrial, office, and retail from offices in Indianapolis, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Orlando and Phoenix. Additional Lauth information is available at www.lauth.net. People. Trust. Experience. ^®