South Carolina Business Review

Clemson receives NSF grant to help move research to market

By Mike Switzer

Published April 24, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Craig Kinley, coordinator of the STRIDE program at the Watt Family Innovation Center at Clemson University

The National Science Foundation recently awarded over $100 million dollars to 17 universities across the country to grow and strengthen the research-to-market ecosystem. Our next guest’s Upstate University received some of that money. Mike Switzer interviews Craig Kinley, coordinator of the STRIDE program at the Watt Family Innovation Center at Clemson University. Disclaimer: Craig Kinley is the 3rd Congressional District commissioner for SCTEV.

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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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