The Wills Group Appoints Joseph M. Wills President of SMO Energy

LA PLATA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Wills Group, a family-owned company headquartered in La Plata, MD,
today announced the appointment of Joseph M. (Joe) Wills as president of
SMO Energy, the leading provider of propane, fuel oil and home comfort
solutions in Southern Maryland. Mr. Wills’ tenure began on July 1, 2017.

Wills was vice president at SMO Energy for the past year, where he
worked with the company to build on its customer and employee engagement
and safety efforts, and expand SMO Energy’s service and installation
revenue. Prior to joining SMO Energy, Wills worked in the Retail
Marketing division of The Wills Group, working across the Dash In Food
Stores, Potomac Energy Holdings and SMO Fuels companies where he was
responsible for more than 450,000,000 gallons of fuel products at more
than 280 retail outlets in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Wills worked
with the Retail Marketing team to grow fuel volumes by ten percent
during his final two years with The Wills Group fuels division.

“Joe’s appointment represents the beginning of the fourth generation of
Wills family leadership across The Wills Group,” said Lock Wills,
President and CEO of The Wills Group. “His leadership at SMO Energy has
resulted in the company exceeding performance goals during the past
year. With our focus on working to improve alignment across The Wills
Group family of companies, Joe’s knowledge of each respective company
that is part of The Wills Group will also help to ensure this effort
remains on track.”

In announcing Joe Wills’ appointment, The Wills Group also announced the
retirement of John D. Combs, who is stepping down as president after a
41-year tenure with The Wills Group. Mr. Combs’ retirement was
celebrated on July 6, with the event also serving as a celebration of
the growth and tremendous change that has taken place at SMO Energy
under Combs’ leadership.

“I am honored to follow in John’s footsteps, and share his commitment to
working to ensure that SMO Energy continues to be recognized as a
company that is number one when it comes to taking care of our
customers,” said Joe Wills, president of SMO Energy. “I am also excited
to work across The Wills Group to further serve our customers through
our community engagement program that was renewed and expanded last year
as part of The Wills Group’s 90^th anniversary celebration. I
welcome the opportunity to work with The Wills Group to keep families’
lives in motion across Southern Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region.”

Since 1980, SMO Energy has provided free equipment, home equipment
repairs and fuel service to eligible customers through its program, SMO
CARES. During the past year, the company has assisted more than 650
families across Southern Maryland. SMO Energy will build on this program
in partnership with The Wills Group and its companies, which include
Dash In Food Stores, to support The Wills Group’s commitment to
community engagement in the communities it serves. The Wills Group
community engagement program is focused on ending childhood hunger and
supporting safe and healthy homes. This past year, The Wills Group has
donated more than $450,000 to charitable organizations across the
Mid-Atlantic region that support these causes.

About The Wills Group, Inc.

Headquartered in La Plata, Maryland, The Wills Group, Inc. is a
family-owned company committed to being the preferred choice for
employees, customers, and business partners in the markets it serves
across Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The Wills Group
is the parent company of SMO Energy, a leading provider of propane,
heating oil and HVAC equipment in the Southern Maryland region, Dash In
Food Stores, Splash In ECO Car Wash, SMO Motor Fuels, and operates
Potomac Energy Holdings (PEH) as part of a joint venture with Motiva
Enterprises LLC.

Contacts

Alluvus, LLC
Jim Healy, 202-321-5808
[email protected]
or
The
Wills Group
Kim Purdy, 301-932-3662
[email protected]