South Moon Under to add new store Sept. 16

South Moon Under owner Frank Gunion is set to open a brand-new 4,500-square-foot store Friday, Sept. 16, in the Christiana Mall. It will be his 15th store in four decades, and his third since the longest and deepest recession in U.S. history began three years ago.

At the apparel company’s headquarters in Berlin, Md., more growth and jobs are being created with a new 120-panel, state-of-the-art, custom-designed Flexera solar power system, the first renewable energy project in Berlin.

Connected this month, it provides all electrical needs for the chain’s 7,500-square-foot distribution center, will pay for itself in three years, and will save the company $12,000 a year in electric bills - a savings, Gunion says, that will help him maintain his company’s competitive edge.

South Moon Under’s growth, he says, is the result of his lifelong “surfing” mode of doing business - slow, steady, conservative and environmentally conscious, but always competitive.

Flexera, the company which custom designed and built South Moon Under’s new solar system, is also making large strides on the jobs and growth front. Alice Lisiewski, founding partner and COO, attributes her Harbeson-based company’s fast growth to the same principles. Flexera is six times the size it was when founded in 2006.

They’re two distinctly different companies, but despite the economic downturn of recent years, “We’ve found a way,” says Gunion, “to be a member of the community, a good steward of the environment and still make a profit.”

Gunion’s trend-setting apparel chain employs more than 300, about 240 in stores throughout a four-state region, and a support staff of approximately 60 at corporate headquarters. About 33 more will be added with the new Christiana store, 30 at the store, and three support staff members at company headquarters.

The buildings are home to creative teams, marketing teams, buying, IT, human resources, website development, college intern programs, photography, modeling, accounting, and apparel receiving and distribution.

Flexera is also modestly headquartered in a large, steel building on a back road just outside Harbeson, identified quietly from the road by a small sign and a large state-of-the-art windmill designed by the firm’s creative department.

Like South Moon Under, inside, it’s a beehive of activity: engineering teams, design teams, sales teams, energy-auditing teams, regulatory affairs management, federal and state grant-writing specialists, and a brokerage team who continually monitors the value of customers’ Solar Renewable Energy Certificates to get the best price for them.

South Moon Under’s story started with a young man fresh out of a D.C. high school who loved to surf. In 1968, 18-year-old Frank Gunion left college studies in international relations behind and with financial help from his parents opened a surf shop in Ocean City, Md.

The surf shop gradually morphed from selling boards and bikinis into predominantly selling apparel. The privately held apparel company today showcases the hand-picked wearable creations of more than 2,000 designers and competes against some of the largest apparel brands in the U.S.

South Moon Under’s and Flexera’s paths converged as Gunion sought a way to run a tighter ship while offsetting the high waste of the garment industry.

Gunion looked into aligning himself with Flexera to design and install his new system largely because he discovered similarities in the way they run their businesses.

“There were several things that really made this work: the government support, the technology is there, and the electric rates have gone up," he said. "All those things converging meant it was a great time to do it, and Flexera was the most professional, predictable, reliable, quality-oriented company we looked at.”

Flexera was born in 2006 as the dream child of four founding partners with engineering backgrounds, a patent or two in their back pockets and a love for Earth’s environment.

Lisiewski and her husband, Flexera president Brian Lisiewski, both hold engineering degrees. Both early on in their lives decided they wanted to make a positive difference in the world.

“We wanted to do something to help the environment,” Alice Lisiewski says. When it became evident that a proposed hydrogen fuel cell system would be impractical, she said, “The next thing was solar and wind, and we decided to start the company with that in mind. But, we wanted to leave our options open because we know technology’s coming along, so we’re not limited to solar and wind. We’re always working on researching and developing technologies that can make life better.”

The first few years in business, the Lisiewskis believed in their dream enough that they drew no pay in order to be able to do the right things the right way and hire the right people to do the right kind of work. The company started growing rapidly through referrals.

Like Gunion’s business, Flexera also continues to grow in diversity, she added. This has been a key factor, not only in the company’s growth, but in expansively creating jobs in the communities where their projects are installed through the hiring of local subcontractors.

The fact that Gunion’s new solar power system is creating jobs in his community makes it that much better, he says.

“That’s a win-win situation for everyone,” Lisiewski says. “At the end of the day, I feel good about that. We’re employing people and cleaning up the environment, while helping people and companies reduce their energy bills and carbon footprints, and that’s big with us.”