South Carolina Business Review

SC nonprofit receives $2 million to expand ex-inmate success

By Mike Switzer

Published May 8, 2024 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Amy Barch, founder and executive director of Turn90 in Charleston, SC.

It should come as no surprise that men leaving prison and attempting to start life anew, run into roadblocks. But our next guest founded and has been running a unique program that is finding success in helping these men. So much success, in fact, that it recently attracted a $2 million grant to help expand the program out of our state and across the nation. Mike Switzer interviews Amy Barch, founder and executive director of Turn90 in Charleston, 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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