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South Carolina Business Review

A career in jazz

By Mike Switzer
Published August 8, 2024 at 6:30 AM EDT
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Mark Rapp, founder and executive director of ColaJazz Foundation in Columbia, S.C.
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Mark Rapp
Mark Rapp, founder and executive director of ColaJazz Foundation in Columbia, S.C.

We recently attended a performance by our next guest, a jazz trumpet player, and someone in the crowd whispered to me that they were curious if you could make a living in our state playing jazz. Let’s find out. Mike Switzer interviews Mark Rapp, founder and executive director of ColaJazz Foundation in Columbia, S.C.

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South Carolina Business Review SC Business Reviewbusiness newsbusinessJazzColaJazz FoundationartsSC News
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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.
See stories by Mike Switzer