South Carolina Business Review

Upstate SC on the prowl for more growth

By Mike Switzer

Published October 17, 2024 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Max Stewart, CEO at the Greenville Area Development Corporation

This past summer, an Upstate economic development organization brought in a new leader and today we have him on the phone to tell us what his plans are for a county that is already, like most of our state, experiencing strong economic growth. Mike Switzer interviews Max Stewart, CEO at the Greenville Area Development Corporation.

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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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