Swanson Bark & Wood Products was founded by Ray Swanson in 1928 (then called Swanson Fuel). The company-which was located on Talley Way in Kelso, Washington from about 1971 through 2001 - originally sold fuel in the form of wood by-products.

During the late 1960s, Martin Neumann purchased the company from Swanson. Newmann expanded the product line to include beauty bark, sawdust, animal bedding, and playground material.

When Neumann sold Swanson Fuel to John Leber in 1994, the company employed 20 people. Under Leber's guidance, the name was changed to Swanson Bark & Wood Products, Inc., the workforce has grown to 70 plus employees, and Swanson has been transformed from a small, locally focused business into a nationally recognized entity that distributes its products throughout the United States.

During the mid-'90s, Swanson initiated an urban wood program that placed drop boxes at sawmills, cabinet shops, and construction sites. The collected material is sold as fuel, firewood or processed and marketed to pressboard and particleboard manufacturers as furnish.

Walking floor (or live floor) trailers were soon added to make off-loading of materials easier, and the company's product line has expanded to include a wide range of rock, soil mixtures, landscaping materials, and gardening accessories, as well as 12 different types of bark.
The makeover continued in 1997 with the addition of a bag plant that allows Swanson to package custom soil mixes and bark grinds for wholesale clients. A blower truck was purchased in 1999, giving customers the opportunity to have playground materials, bark products, and sawdust blown directly onto flowerbeds and recreational areas or into stalls and arenas. The blower truck has hose that will reach up to 300 feet.

In 2001, Swanson Bark & Wood Products moved from Talley Way (where they had run out of room) to a 20-acre site on Tennant Way in Longview, Washington, where the company continues to grow (it now occupies 27 acres).

Swanson has repeatedly demonstrated its strong commitment to the local community. The company has sponsored youth football, t-ball, softball, soccer, and baseball teams in Longview and Kelso and has provided support for the Babe Ruth World Series, the Drug-Free Community Project, and many, many other programs.

Swanson is also a leader in the environmental arena and is constantly seeking new ways to maximize its recycling capabilities. Swanson Bark & Wood Products is a member of the Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA) and the Washington Organic Recycling Council (WORC). Swanson employees have served on the WORC's board of directors, as well as other boards.

The company's other professional memberships include the Lower Columbia Contractors Association, the Federation of Small Business, the Oregon Association of Nurserymen, the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, National Federal of Independent Businesses, Association of Washington Businesses, the Cowlitz Economic Development Council, the Washington State Nursery & Landscapers Association, the Mulch and Soil Council, and TOC Management Group (to name a few).