South Carolina Business Review

Electric bills, insurance bills and a secret project in Rock Hill

By Mike Switzer

Published May 11, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT

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

It’s Monday, and that’s when we like to take a look at current business issues that are trending across our state and discuss them with one of our fellow news media friends. This week, Mike Switzer interviews Jessica Holdman, a reporter with the South Carolina Daily Gazette in Columbia, SC. Jessica tells us about Santee Cooper looking at raising rates for its electricity customers, the statehouse looking at trying to lower insurance bills by offering options on glass deductibles, and a buyer may be showing up for part of the land in Rock Hill where the Panthers’ football practice facility was supposed to be built.

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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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