South Carolina Business Review

SC setting employment records

By Mike Switzer

Published February 24, 2022 at 5:30 AM EST

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Our state is one of only a few that now has more people employed than before the pandemic. In fact, the latest numbers are the highest in South Carolina’s history. What are we doing that is “working” so well? Mike Switzer interviews Daniel Ellzey, executive director of the SC Department of Employment and Workforce (SC DEW).

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Mike Switzer

After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.

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