Winter 2015

three. Swan found himself in a 14th story board room of a
San Francisco high-rise pitching to attorneys, accountants and
trustees in well-tailored suits.
Two weeks later as Swan and his family were en route
to Colorado Springs, his phone rang. It was the attorney
representing the Broken O’s Trustees. In the parking lot of the
Flying J Truck Stop in Casper, Wyoming, Swan received the news
he would be at the helm of a deal that was to be listed for $132.5
million. As fate would have it, the attorney was a Casper native.
He said, “You’re our guy. Your closing comment about your
work ethic and focus made the difference because we knew
where you came from—and knew that you meant it.”
In November of 2012 Swan sold the Broken O Ranch to Stan
Kroenke. That winter he opened Swan Land Company.
It’s no surprise the foundation of the hard-charging exclusive
firm is personal integrity and hard work. Swan and his team have
developed a reputation for handling high-profile, and often times,
complex transactions: most notably the Broken O Ranch, Lazy
J Ranch and recently Fonda’s Forked Lightning Ranch, among
others.
“I surround myself with good people—people of high
personal integrity,” Swan said. “I can work with about anybody
to help them learn real estate, but you can’t teach integrity and
work ethic. When I find those rare individuals who have high
character and drive—those are the people I want to associate
with.”
In the past three years, Swan has expanded from a oneman
operation based in Bozeman, Montana to offices in Salt
Lake City, Utah, and Buffalo, Wyoming. Licensed in Montana,
Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska and New Mexico—Swan has
expanded his firm’s reach across the entire Rocky Mountain
West. His roster of trusted professionals has grown to include:
Tim Anderson, Sam Sanders, David Lowry, Stephen Leibinger,
Scott Williams, Leo Lane and Annie Leibinger.
“I am extremely proud of our team. We work very hard but
have a lot of fun along the way,” Swan said. “We continually
communicate and collaborate on how we can better serve our
clients—strategizing is one aspect of our profession that I really
enjoy.”
For Swan, though, the business is really all about the people,
especially the people of the land.
“The best thing about the Rocky Mountain West is the
people,” he said. “I love the people—their quality is second
to none. In these long-line ranching and farming families,
generations have worked to build a legacy.
“When I get invited to sit down at their kitchen tables to
discuss representing them, all of that financial, historical and
emotional responsibility rests on me. It’s an honor and a privilege
that I take seriously—often times I’ve developed close personal
friendships during the process—friendships that I will carry with
me for a long, long time.
“I never expected to be in the real estate
business, but it’s been an incredible journey—
and I’m far from being done.”
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