South Carolina Business Review

SC heirloom rice making a comeback

By Mike Switzer

Published April 10, 2024 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Mike Switzer, host of the SC Business Review

Rice is one of our state’s earliest domesticated crops. It fell by the wayside when heavy equipment was introduced to agriculture because it would get bogged down in the swampy land where the rice was farmed. It’s been making a comeback the last several years though, thanks in part to our next guest. Mike Switzer interviews Rollen Chalmers, owner of Rollen’s RAW Grains in Hardeeville, SC.

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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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