South Carolina Business Review

SC getting new solar jobs and blame game continues for Scout land cost overruns

By Mike Switzer

Published April 20, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Jessica Holdman, reporter with the South Carolina Daily Gazette in Columbia, S.C.

Mike Switzer interviews Jessica Holdman, a reporter with the South Carolina Daily Gazette in Columbia, SC. Jessica tells us about a new solar factory coming to Laurens County and how the state commerce and natural resources departments are arguing about who’s responsible for the land development cost overruns at Scout Motors in Richland County.

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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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