South Carolina Business Review

TEDx returns to Columbia, SC after 10-year absence

By Mike Switzer

Published March 4, 2026 at 6:30 AM EST

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Shyam Ganesh Babu, founder of TEDxCongareeVista

You’ve probably heard of TED Talks, and maybe even TEDx, but you may not be aware that for over a decade, our capital city has not had either. But soon that will change. Shyam Ganesh Babu is a top scholar at the University of South Carolina and founder of TEDxCongareeVista, coming to Columbia March 14th.

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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