Integrity | Service | Quality | Innovation ABOUT LEADERSHIP HISTORY COMPANIES PRESS LOCATIONS The Swan Group’s History - Collapse All 1932 Emerson, Swan and Goodyear Was Established 1932 Amidst the heart of the Great Depression, Thomas J. Swan and two business partners establish Emerson, Swan and Goodyear, a manufacturer’s representative business based in Boston, MA. 1934 Emerson Swan Is Born 1934 The Company changes its name to Emerson Swan, Inc. 1950 Emerson Swan Is Purchased 1950 Thomas J. Swan acquires 100% ownership of Emerson Swan. 1968 The 2nd Generation Takes Over 1968 Thomas J Swan, Jr & his brother Joseph E Swan take over the business from their father 1972 Emerson Swan acquires Sullivan Associates 1972 Emerson Swan acquires Sullivan Associates. Larry Sullivan joins the company and Emerson Swan expands from heating into plumbing. 1976 The Class Of '76 1976 George Simas Jr., David VanHouten, Parker Wheat and John Williams join Emerson Swan as the class of “76”. All will become future leaders within the Swan Group. 1979 Vent-Rite Valve Corp. Is Acquired 1979 Vent-Rite Valve Corp. is acquired from Barnes and Jones. Vent-Rite manufactures a range of steam vents for the Northeast corridor. 1987 Flexcon Industries Is Founded 1987 Flexcon Industries is established as a joint venture with the Dutch-based Flamco Group. Flexcon manufactures pre-pressurized diaphragm expansion tanks for water well, water pressure boosting, reverse-osmosis, heating, and thermal applications. 1988 Vent-Rite Valve Corp. Acquires Skidmore 1988 Vent-Rite Valve Corp. acquires the Skidmore pump assets from Sta-Rite Industries. Vent-Rite moves into Skidmore’s facility in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Skidmore is a leading manufacturer of Steam return pumps. 1991 Smith's Is Founded 1991 Smith's is founded as a startup manufacturer of kick space heaters in the United Kingdom. Vent-Rite Valve Corp. takes a 40% ownership in this new Venture. Swan Leadership Changes 1991 Thomas J Swan Jr. turns over leadership of Emerson Swan to his Brother Joseph E Swan to take the helm at Flexcon. 2001 Flexcon Industries Is Acquired 2001 The Swan Family acquires 100% of Flexcon Industries. 2003 Supply House Times Names Emerson Swan "Rep Of The Year" 2003 The publication Supply House Times has awarded Emerson Swan its "Rep of the Year" honors. Read more>>> Global Water Solutions Is Founded 2003 The Swan Family, owners of Flexcon Industries, and the Lai Family, owners of TankPAC Industries, form a joint venture, Global Water Solutions Ltd, to market water pressure tanks and accessories globally. Sean Natarajan moves from Flexcon to become company CEO. 2004 Pumping Systems Unit Of Mepco LLC Acquired By Skidmore 2004 The acquisition of the Mepco line was made by Vent-Rite Valve Corp. 2006 Flexcon Expands Production 2006 Flexcon Industries begins production of a full range of composite well systems expansion vessels. The Swan Realty Group 2006 The Swan family sells Emerson Swan’s former offices on Boylston Street to the Boston Red Sox, preserving Fenway Park as a “blue sky” ballpark. 2007 Emerson Swan 75 Year Anniversary 2007 Emerson Swan celebrates its 75th anniversary as one of the leading manufacturer's representatives in the US. Plumbing And Mechanical Magazine Names Emerson Swan "Rep Of The Year" 2007 The publication Plumbing And Mechanical Magazine names Emerson Swan "Rep of the Year". Read more>>> 2010 Emerson Swan Celebrates 75 Years With Taco 2010 Emerson Swan and Taco celebrate their 75th anniversary as partners. 2011 Thomas J. Swan, Jr. Passes Away 2011 Thomas J. Swan, Jr., chairman of The Swan Group, died on March 5, 2011 in Palm Beach, Fla., after a long battle with several health problems. He leaves his wife, Carroll; son, Tom III (TJ); his brother Joseph E. Swan and family. Swan attended St Sebastian’s School, Harvard College and the University of Chicago Business School. He began his career at Emerson-Swan on Oct. 21, 1967, after leaving law school in order to assist his ailing father who needed his help in running the family business, manufacturers representative firm Emerson-Swan. Over the years his vision, along with the assistance of his brother, who joined the company two years later, set Emerson-Swan on a transformative and successful path. His vision, industry knowledge and unique ability to put people together led to the formation of The Swan Group, an international company involved in manufacturing and the distribution of plumbing, heating and well-water products. These companies — Flexcon, GWS, Skidmore, Vent-Rite Valve Corp. and Smith’s — do business in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, including approximately 90 countries. In addition to his involvement in overseeing the Swan Group as its chairman, Swan sat on many boards, including St Sebastian’s (past chairman), Wianno Club (past president), Board of Electrographic Corp. and Oxy-Dry Corp. He also was a board member of McLean Hospital and a member of the Corporation of Partners Healthcare System. He served on the University Resources Committee and the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility at Harvard University. Swan talked frequently to his brother during the last weeks of his life about his associates, customers and manufacturers, and how much he “respected and appreciated” all of the remarkable individuals he worked with during the past 44 years. His family, friends and associates will miss his leadership, vision, intellect, humor, caring, energy and friendship. The Swan Group Board Of Directors Is Activated 2011 Emerson Swan Management Changes 2011 Parker Wheat and George Simas III assume the title of CEO of Emerson Swan and President & COO of Emerson Swan, respectively. 2013 Emerson Swan Canada Is Founded 2013 Emerson Swan Canada, ULC is founded as Emerson Swan expands its footprint into the Greater Toronto area. Global Water Solutions 10 Year Anniversary 2013 Global Water Solutions celebrates its 10th anniversary. With distribution facilities in 5 continents, GWS now sells into over 130 countries across the world. Skidmore Pump & Vent-Rite Valve Corp. Celebrate 25 Years Together 2013 The team at Skidmore Pump and Vent-Rite Valve Corp. celebrate their 25th anniversary together. 2014 Smith's Investment 2014 The Swan family takes a controlling stake in Smith’s. Flexcon Industries 25 Year Anniversary 2014 Flexcon celebrates its 25th Anniversary, as the industry leader in the professional well water channel. The Swan Group Executive Team Is Established 2014 The Swan Group Executive Team (SGET) is created to serve as a leadership Team for the entire Swan Group organization. The team consists of Thomas J Swan, III, Keith T Swan, Parker Wheat and George Simas III. 2015 The 3rd Generation Takes Over 2015 Joseph E Swan retires as CEO of The Swan Group. He is succeeded by Thomas J Swan III and Joe’s son, Keith T. Swan, who become co-CEO’s of The Swan Group commencing a 3rd generation of family leadership. Parker Wheat assumes the role of Vice Chairman of the Swan Group in addition to his role as CEO of Emerson Swan, and George Simas III assumes the role of Executive Vice President of the Swan Group in addition to his role as President and COO of Emerson Swan. 2016 GWS China Manufacturing Company Grand Opening 2016 Global Water Solutions celebrated the grand opening of their new manufacturing facility in Qingdao. Read more>>> Smith's Celebrates Its 25 Year Anniversary 2016 The team at Smith's celebrates 25 years in business. 2017 Skidmore Announces A New President 2017 We are pleased to announce that Jeffrey Paul ("JP") La Forest will become the next President of Skidmore. Read more>>> 2021 Skidmore Pump Celebrates Its 100 Year Anniversary 2021 Founded by Benjamin Skidmore in Chicago, IL in 1921, Skidmore achieved the historic 100 year milestone in 2021. Neutra-Safe Is Acquired 2021 The Swan Group acquires 100% ownership of Neutra-Safe.