South Carolina Business Review

S.C.’s glass industry offering opportunities

By Mike Switzer

Published March 27, 2025 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Connor Sell (top left), founder and president of Quality Glass & Design of The Upstate, with his family.

Our next guest spent nearly 15 years wiring aircraft, then sold his real estate, cashed out his 401k, and emptied his bank account to buy a glass & mirror business. But then, something happened and he ended up starting a glass business from scratch. Mike Switzer interviews Connor Sell, founder and president of Quality Glass & Design of The Upstate in Greenville, 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.

See stories by Mike Switzer