South Carolina Business Review

S.C. tallest building getting new tenant at the top

By Mike Switzer

Published February 28, 2025 at 6:30 AM EST

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Cameron Runyon, superintendent of the Charter Institute of Erskine.

Atop our state’s tallest building was a restaurant and social club, but soon the 25th floor of the Capitol Center office building at 1201 Main St. in Columbia will be office and event space for one of our state’s charter schools. Mike Switzer interviews Cameron Runyon, superintendent of the Charter Institute of Erskine.

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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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