South Carolina Business Review

Transitioning to clean energy continues in SC

By Mike Switzer

Published May 2, 2025 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Cristina Parades, executive director at SC Nexus in Columbia, S.C.

Last July, our next guest’s statewide tech hub was one of only twelve across the country to receive federal grant funding as part of the previous administration’s initiative aimed at advancing U.S. leadership in critical technologies and industries. The funding in our state is supposed to implement four projects that will bolster this area’s ability to scale up the production and delivery of critical technologies that will strengthen America’s clean energy transition. Mike Switzer interviews Cristina Parades, executive director at SC Nexus 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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