Founded at the start of the American Civil War (1861-1865), Thos. Somerville Co. is no ordinary supply firm. After 164 years in the industry, the family-owned company has cultivated customer relationships spanning several generations. Part of its superpower resides in an unapologetic commitment to providing and maintaining the best customer experience possible; meanwhile, its category experts handle everything from customer inquiries to supplying an incredible range of hardware, mainly focusing on plumbing, hydronics, and heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) systems—the company’s fastest growing segment.
There is a rare and uncanny sense of joy amongst the team members of Thos. Somerville Co., based in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Committed to maintaining organizational health by cultivating a sense of positive chemistry among its people, the company’s leadership comprises genuine people who hold sincerity in high regard. As a result of dreaming big, working hard, and excellent customer support, the business has enjoyed substantial growth over the past year or so.
Following the opening of a new branch in Seaford, Delaware, the company was ranked 53rd by Supply House Times on its Premier 150 Distributor list in 2025 in response to its outstanding service. As its name continues reaching new customers throughout this region, Thos. Somerville Co. also serves customers from Southern Virginia to Central New Jersey and as far west as Martinsburg with speed, efficiency, and extraordinary attention to detail.
By making its mission fully grasping its customers’ goals and needs, this team of 357 endeavors to support them in bridging the gap between where they are and where they want to be in the best way possible.
“We don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach—we’re doing many different things to make sure all of our customers are as happy as they can be,” says President Doug Riley of the company’s efforts to meet and exceed its customers’ needs.
As a service leader with a true heart for the well-being of every individual on his team, Riley sat down with each member of his staff to learn more about them—whether they were satisfied at work, what they liked about the company, and what they would like to see change. In turn, they asked customers the same questions. The exercise included questions on how the company could help its customers improve their profitability, how it could make the supply process easier for them, and, of course, what their pain points were.
Today, Thos. Somerville Co. continues asking these questions. To provide the best service possible, the company maintains inventory for customers while investing heavily both in technological infrastructure and in its people. As such, it has a robust technology department and top-quality training facility where in-house educators are qualified to certify contractors that fulfil specific course requirements.
Always looking for ways to improve and evolve means that the company is perpetually improving its own systems—a trait which proved invaluable with the advent of recent changes in legislation of HVAC refrigerants. With the federal government’s move toward phasing out production of R-410A refrigerants starting in 2025 due to their negative environmental impact, the company has its hands full with retraining its industry professionals on the new products while adapting to accommodate new systems. Due to the number of models and range of coolants available, the process is fraught with complications.
But the team has successfully navigated these challenges. “Our strategy through the whole process was to stay with the old refrigerant for as long as we possibly could. That plan was well orchestrated and worked out well for everyone,” says Ray Mikell, Executive Vice President. To enable easy replacement, new versions of old models are being released onto the market, and as per the law, the company continues to stock parts for older models.
Mikell and Riley are full of praise for the team that gives this outstanding firm meaning. “I think that what sets Somerville apart from other distributors is our people,” Mikell says. Perhaps the best part is that, in a lovely episode of We Supply America, Dirk Beveridge interviews staff on why they enjoy working here, and the feeling is mutual, with team members attesting to the value of being genuinely cared about, appreciated, acknowledged, and seen.
With this much reciprocal respect in the company, one is bound to understand why its doors have remained open and its operation has thrived for this long. “I have the best managers in the world. We have a nice family here,” Billy Eccles, Counter Sales, told Beveridge.
Another plus for staff members is that their ideas are heard and considered. As a result, the company’s high level of appreciation is reflected in the impressive tenures of its staff, an aspect of the business that’s more important than many people realize. “Our folks have generational relationships; in many cases, we’re working with the grandsons and great-grandsons of our original customers. It’s really something special, and it all comes back to the relationships our people have built and continue to grow. And it doesn’t stop with our customers—our employees are our greatest recruiters, recommending other family members and friends. That’s what makes the difference,” Mikell continues. Longevity is woven into Thos. Somerville Co.’s very fabric.
One of its longest-serving team members, Driver Willard Johnson, has been with the firm for 51 years, and in honor of his sterling example in the workplace, the company decided to name its annual driver’s award after him last year. Now, the Willard Johnson Safe Driving Award will go to the company’s best-in-class drivers of the year, every year.
Mikell could not be prouder. “I feel honored to have these individuals in our company and be able to work alongside of them. I genuinely look at them as family,” he adds, pointing out that Thos. Somerville Co.’s success is entirely determined by the outstanding quality of its people. One of the most important aspects of such long tenures being commonplace here is that knowledge is passed down from one generation to the next—a precious asset in itself.
Although the company has enjoyed incredible success, turning the corner toward two centuries in business, its current trajectory was not always the case. After hitting a rough patch in 2017 following a software conversion, the results of this attempted upgrade brought the company to its knees in 2019. “One of our board members was telling shareholders that it might be time to abandon the company,” Riley—who was never prepared to call it quits—told Beveridge.
The following year, just as business started improving, COVID-19 hit. The team’s solution was to return to and actively develop its core strengths. In the process, it recovered its momentum and hasn’t looked back since.
Reestablishing itself as the leader it is today meant returning to base camp: studying the values that gave the company such longevity in the first place. It all came down to the quality of relationships. “When you have that mentality of getting the business versus the order, you take a much more long-term approach,” says Riley. “You want to make sure you’re solving problems, not just going in with the lowest price.” So the company adjusted its bootstraps, secured its footing, and prepared for its next ascent, ensuring that its customers are well cared for, its shareholders are profiting, and its staff are happy in long-term careers where they feel appreciated.
Thos. Somerville Co.’s team reciprocates in the best ways possible. “People here care about each other, so they’re going to make sure that they’re helping each other get their jobs done and they’re doing it in a really good fashion,” Riley says. For this reason, the company’s leadership continues to promote from within. “This way, you get four or five people who all get a promotion—that’s fantastic. You have a team of happy employees because their potential is being fulfilled.”
By keeping its collective gaze on the horizon and its business moving forward with product diversification and other opportunities for evolution, this legendary team continues meeting the future with courage and determination. With 21 trade locations, six retail stores, and a Central Distribution Center, growing the company’s prospects further will mean expanding its footprint through acquisition and purchasing more land. Armed with a solid succession plan and a long line of trusted professionals ready to continue its proud legacy, Thos. Somerville Co. will no doubt remain a noteworthy part of America’s industrial history for generations to come.
