Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Rogers.
Hi Adam, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It all officially kicks off back in 1984 with my grandfather, Joe Norris, a General Motors engineer who started a technical advisory firm called “Reed & Co.”—named as a nod to his very own invention, the “Reed diving board.” Fast forward to 2008: I wanted to merge his engineering legacy with my Big 4 accounting experience, so I teamed up with an old colleague, Damian Smyth. I was actually walking down Swanston Street in Melbourne when we were hashing out the details, and since the website domains for both “Reed” and “Swanston” were already taken, we just dropped the “t,” mashed the words together, and Swanson Reed was born! Unfortunately, our big relaunch collided right with the 2008 global financial crisis. In a moment of absolute panic, I made the bold—and supposedly crazy—decision to ditch our broad grant and patent services to niche down 100% into R&D tax credits, betting that the need for corporate tax relief was about to skyrocket.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was a ridiculously bumpy ride at first; the financial stress of the 2008-200 recession and constant travel nearly crushed me until Damian formally stepped in to wrangle the operations and save my sanity. But honestly, our absolute biggest break came down to pure, clumsy luck at a fancy polo club. I somehow managed to mistake the global CFO of a billion-dollar mining company for a hostess and spilled an expensive glass of red wine all over her gorgeous silk gown! Miraculously, she laughed off my epic blunder, and twelve months later—right at the peak of the recession—she signed on as our biggest account, essentially saving the firm. Today, we’ve grown into a massive global operation handling over 1,500 claims a year, proving that a hyper-focused strategy, a great partner, and a spilled glass of wine can sometimes be the ultimate recipe for success!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Swanson Reed | Specialist R&D Tax Advisors?
At Swanson Reed, we are unabashedly obsessed with just one thing: Research and Development (R&D) tax credits. While other advisory firms try to be a jack-of-all-trades, we do exactly one thing and we think do it really well.
What really sets us apart is the mashup of my Big 4 accounting chops and my grandfather’s engineering legacy—we don’t just crunch the numbers; we actually understand the complex science and tech behind our clients’ innovations!
We handle everything from claim preparation to audit defense, all wrapped up in a transparent, fixed-fee pricing model so you’re never hit with a surprise bill. Brand-wise, I’m beyond proud that a niche firm forged in the fiery chaos of the 2008-2009 recession has blossomed into a global operation in United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom and Ireland. We’re hyper-focused specialists dedicated to getting your business the absolute best tax relief possible—and we also promise not to spill wine on you while doing it! – so its a win, win for everyone!
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I possessed a naturally analytical and inquisitive mindset, always driven by a desire to understand the mechanics of how things worked. Much of my personality and early interests were profoundly shaped by my grandfather, Joe. Given his background as an engineer, I spent a great deal of my childhood eagerly assisting him with various hands-on engineering and construction projects.
We were constantly engaged in practical work, like building sheds, paving driveways, repairing lawnmowers, and restoring broken machinery. Whether we were troubleshooting a small engine or constructing something from the ground up, those formative experiences instilled in me a strong work ethic, a meticulous attention to detail, and a deep-seated appreciation for technical design. Ultimately, those early days of problem-solving alongside my grandfather not only shaped my practical approach to business but also laid the foundational engineering perspective that I bring to Swanson Reed today.
Pricing:
- Fixed Fee Pricing
- Hourly Rates ($195-$395/hr)
Contact Info:
