South Carolina Business Review

Bringing university research to market

By Mike Switzer

Published October 8, 2025 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Jeannine Briggman Rogers, director of academic innovations at the South Carolina Research Authority in Greenville, SC.

The research that is conducted at our universities oftentimes leads to products and services that can be commercialized, which can then lead to the creation of high paying jobs. And that’s something that’s at the heart of our next guest’s organizational mission. Mike Switzer interviews Jeannine Briggman Rogers, director of academic innovations at the South Carolina Research Authority in Greenville, SC.

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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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