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The early birth and growth of the High Standard Company in Connecticut was all due to the guiding genius and drive of one man, a very talented and energetic Swede and New Haven, Connecticut, resident, Carl Gustav Swebilius. He was instrumental in the entire concept and the initial achievements of the High Standard Company.

Swebilius had a very extensive background in the firearms business. The son of a Swedish watchmaker, he learned his trade as a young man working as an apprentice toolmaker and designer for the Marlin Firearms Co. in New Haven. During World War I he was instrumental in converting a Colt .30 caliber machine gun into an aircraft weapon. He is also credited for developing a synchronous fire control permitting a machine gun to fire through the moving blades of an aircraft propeller. He became experienced and well-respected at Marlin, both as a tooling expert and as an accomplished designer.

After the war was over, Swebilius joined a Hamden wire company for which he designed machinery for manufacturing insulated wire. In 1921 Marlin rehired him back as the chief engineer for a short time until they temporarily ceased operations in 1923. Swebilius then joined Winchester as a senior gun designer. During this period of unrest in the firearms industry, Swebilius wanted to start and control his own gun company, and he subsequently resigned from Winchester and started his own business in 1926.