Mike Switzer

When a business owner looks at their marketing budget, they need to determine the best place to spend that money.  Where is the business getting the most bang for its buck?  Our next guest says that measuring your return on your marketing investment can be a confusing process indeed but is possible.

Mike Switzer interviews Ray Owens, CEO of the Greenville, SC consumer insights firm DXM.

If you read Garden and Gun magazine or Bon Appetit, you may have noticed our next guest’s company receiving some accolades for their cast iron skillets.  His company is also one of several that has found a home at the old Charleston Navy Base.

Mike Switzer interviews Isaac Morton, founder of Smithey Ironware in North Charleston, SC.

The activities of lawmakers, government and other public entities are under intense scrutiny these days.  Which means that businesses need to be aware of the legal ramifications of their interactions with these organizations.

Mike Switzer interviews Michael Burchstead, an attorney with Collins and Lacy in Columbia, SC and the head of their new government, ethics, and compliance practice.

Most of us make regular donations to charities during our lifetimes, but how many of us think about making room for those charities in our wills and/or estate plans?  Our next guest says there are certainly some things to keep in mind if that is your desire.

Mike Switzer interviews Corrine Hanna, a certified financial planner with Abacus Planning Group in Columbia, SC.

An update of the news, events and issues that are trending right now across South Carolina's business community.

Mike Switzer interviews Andy Owens, managing editor of SCBizNews, the company that publishes the Columbia Regional Business Report, Charleston Regional Business Journal, GSA Business and SCBizNews magazine.

Earlier this year, our next guest’s Upstate company was named one of the “Top Workplaces” in our state by Energage, an employee research and consulting firm that gathers feedback about workplace environment.  He credits their recognition to the company’s commitment to value and their appreciation for employee contributions.

More electric vehicles are on the road than ever before, more solar panels are on roofs than ever before.  These trends mean there are more business opportunities for clean energy focused companies than ever before.  Which is why our next guest’s organization puts on an annual summit in our state on this topic.

Mike Switzer interviews Bonnie Loomis, executive director of the SC Clean Energy Business Alliance in Columbia, SC. 

2018 SC Clean Energy Summit

Water may be one of our state’s most important natural resources and one that is of vital importance to our business community.  Fortunately, we have an annual conference each year that addresses South Carolina’s water issues that is attended by over 100 presenters, including academics, utilities, environmental law and engineering firms, and policy makers.

South Carolina’s economy continues to feature solid growth, a strong housing market, and a tight labor market.  We’re now starting the final quarter of the year, will the strength continue?

Mike Switzer interviews Joey Von Nessen, with the Division of Research at the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.

A weekly update of the entrepreneurial activity in South Carolina.

Mike Switzer interviews John Warner, co-founder of Accessible Diagnostics and the Swampfox Facebook page, based in Greenville, S.C.

South Carolina has been in the aerospace industry for many years, but once Boeing came here we have seen exponential growth.  Which is probably why the South Carolina Aerospace Conference & Expo, now in its fifth year, has become one of the most important in the Southeast.

Ever-changing tax laws create a constant need for updated tax filing software.  Our next guest’s company has taken advantage of that opportunity to grow from a lean start-up to a global enterprise in just the last few years.

Mike Switzer interviews Charles Hardy with SPAN Enterprises in Rock Hill, SC.

Huge demographic shifts are happening across our country and in our state that can impact many business models, which is why our next guest says that building a diverse and inclusive workplace should be a priority for a company’s leadership team.

Mike Switzer interviews Nika White with the Greenville, SC Chamber of Commerce, which each year holds a Diversity and Inclusion Summit which is coming up again on October 16th.

With baby-boomers comprising one of the largest groups of our population, it should come as no surprise that another large group is made up of those that are in retirement mode.  If that’s you, our next guest says there are five things you must know before you start your retirement.

Mike Switzer interviews Hans Blake, a chartered financial analyst with Intelligent Investing in Greenville, SC. He is also a member of the SC Chapter of the CFA Society.

A weekly update of the entrepreneurial activity in South Carolina.

Mike Switzer interviews John Warner, co-founder of Accessible Diagnostics and the Swampfox Facebook page, based in Greenville, S.C.

After a year of successfully building an online retail business, our next guest decided it was time to open a brick and mortar location.  Why take on that added expense and risk?

Mike Switzer interviews Sarah Rama, owner of Duck Duck Goose Children’s Shop in Columbia, SC.

You’ve probably heard some recent interviews we’ve done on the increasing sports business activity in Rock Hill, SC.  Today we’re going to tell you about some more because we keep learning more.  Our next guest is involved in developing the new indoor sports facility which is expected to open in Rock Hill’s Knowledge Park in the spring of 2019.

When we interviewed our next guest two years ago, his company had just been created but was still part of the parent company.  Since then, it has gained enough traction and business to become its own entity.

Mike Switzer interviews Jamie Thomas, CEO of Cognito Forms in Columbia, SC.  Disclaimer: The Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce, of which Mike Switzer is the executive director, is a customer of Cognito Forms.

There can obviously be many sources of stress in one’s life, but according to a 2017 study from the American Psychological Association, 62% of respondents listed money as a source of stress in their daily lives.  What is it about money?

Mike Switzer interviews Josh Harris, a certified financial planner and lecturer at the Department of Finance at Clemson University.

A weekly update of the entrepreneurial activity in South Carolina.

Mike Switzer interviews John Warner, co-founder of Accessible Diagnostics and the Swampfox Facebook page, based in Greenville, S.C.

Our state’s research universities have been collaborating with SCRA, a public, nonprofit focused on South Carolina’s innovation economy, to identify applied research areas in which we have high-caliber talent, infrastructure, financial resources, and commercial relevance.  Two recent grant announcements have resulted from this work, one in the area of medical devices and the other in technology-enabled population health.

Mike Switzer interviews Christine Dixon-Thiesing, director of academic programs at SCRA in Charleston, SC.

We don’t know if you’ve noticed, but everything seems to be going retro these days.  It probably all started with our kids buying record players and vinyl LPs.  The latest trend in retro we’ve just discovered is the restoration of the old mid-century beach motels.

Mike Switzer interviews Will Brennan, a developer working to bring back to life the 1963 Waikiki Village Motel in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Representational State Transfer may sound like a diplomatic term but in actuality, it involves Internet architecture and is better known by its acronym: REST.  For those software engineers in our audience who use REST, you probably already know that South Carolina happens to be home to a very popular conference on this topic, or maybe I should say “unconference”.

Did you know that women now own more of the world’s personal wealth than men?  This was first reported by the Bank of Montreal’s Wealth Institute three years ago.  And yet, our next guest says she continues to see women being underserved and overlooked when it comes to financial matters.

Mike Switzer interviews Stephanie Vokral, a certified financial planner with Critical Transitions Wealth Advisors in Columbia, SC.

A weekly update of the entrepreneurial activity in South Carolina.

Mike Switzer interviews John Warner, co-founder of Accessible Diagnostics and the Swampfox Facebook page, based in Greenville, S.C.

The electric car industry continues to grow as almost every automobile manufacturer is now making at least one electric model.  One of the industry’s big annual events is Drive Electric Week where electric car enthusiasts bring their cars out to the public to see and drive and answer questions.  Columbia, SC participates each year and this year’s event is September 22nd at Soda City Market, the city’s weekly downtown farmers market.

Tourism is obviously a big part of our state’s economy, especially along the coastal areas.  Now that the summer vacation season is over for this year, let’s check in with an expert who studies the Grand Strand area to see how they fared.

Mike Switzer interviews Dr. Taylor Damonte, a professor at and the director of the Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC.

Since we last spoke with our next guest, we’ve seen some pretty powerful numbers for GDP growth nationally and in our state.  Is “slow but sure” a thing of the past?  Are we now off to the races, economically speaking?

An update of the news, events and issues that are trending right now across South Carolina's business community.

Mike Switzer interviews Alan Cooper, founder and editor of three online business news websites in South Carolina: MidlandsBiz, UpstateBizSC, and LowCountryBizSC.