South Carolina Business Review

Many issues facing our state’s small business community

By Mike Switzer

Published March 20, 2025 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Frank Knapp, president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce in Columbia, S.C.

Energy, healthcare, and elections are the top issues our next guest’s organization is addressing this year on behalf of our state’s small business community. And now with the chaos in Washington, maybe they could add economic uncertainty, as well. Mike Switzer interviews Frank Knapp, president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce in Columbia, S.C.

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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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