It's the biggest rep firm around, and by almost universal acclaim, among the best.
It's been that way for a long time. The company was founded by Thomas Swan Sr. and partner Ralph Emerson in 1932. The founders were working for Hoffman Specialties when the Great Depression made it impossible for the company to keep salesmen employed. So Messrs. Emerson and Swan went off on their own as independent Hoffman representatives, and were compelled to pursue other business opportunities as well in that bleak economic era. Those businesses now form the core of The Swan Group, a holding company for enterprises that include manufacturing, realty and building management companies in addition to Emerson-Swan (ES).