MOUNT JOY - Shipley Fuels Marketing, a Shipley Group Company, has an agreement to purchase the wholesale motor fuels business of SICO Petroleum by March 31, 2004. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

According to Judith Cassel, Vice President of Commercial Sales for Shipley Fuels Marketing, the acquisition gives Shipley an important, complementary piece of Central Pennsylvania's wholesale motor fuels market.

"SICO's motor fuels business is almost a mirror image of our own, so it fits in well with our existing customer base," said Ms. Cassel, formerly Vice President of Retail Sales at SICO. "And like Shipley, it's a terrific Central Pennsylvania business with a great heritage, so I expect a very smooth transition."

According to Ms. Cassel, the acquisition will "nearly double" the wholesale gasoline portion of Shipley's commercial line of business, which also encompasses gasoline, diesel, heavy oils, natural gas and bulk commercial heating oil. As part of the purchase, Shipley will obtain distribution rights to SICO's service station dealer organization, consisting of 40-plus dealers operating under the Sunoco, Gulf and Exxon brands. Shipley is already a distributor of the Exxon, Citgo and Mobil brands.

Shipley is also acquiring SICO's GasCard network, which provides fleet management services to business and consumers for the purchase of motor fuels and related services.

Said Mike Reese, President of SICO Petroleum, "We are very pleased. We wanted to sell to an organization that will treat our dealers, our customers and our associates with the same quality and integrity that we feel has marked our service through the years. Having known the Shipley organization and the principals of the organization for years, I am confident that we have achieved our goal."

The SICO Company's roots stretch back to 1876 when its predecessor, Schock Coal and Lumber, of Mount Joy, added kerosene to its list of products, thus becoming one of the first petroleum distributors in Pennsylvania. Shortly thereafter, gasoline, fuel oil, motor oil and grease were added to the company's list of products.

Shipley Fuels Marketing is one of the Mid-Atlantic region's leading energy suppliers, a status the company says it has earned by offering lower prices, better buying opportunities and innovative pricing options through its company-wide commitment to responsiveness and accountability.

The Shipley Group is in its 75th year of service to Central Pennsylvania. In addition to being the region's largest distributor of home heating oil, The Shipley Group companies market natural gas and sell bulk fuels such as oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas. The Shipley Group companies also sell, install and service heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, offer indoor air quality services, operate Tom's convenience stores, and provide e-business solutions.