South Carolina Business Review

“Made in the South” awards deadline looms

By Mike Switzer

Published May 14, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT

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Caroline Sanders Clements, associate editor of Garden and Gun magazine in Charleston, S.C.

Each year our next guest’s magazine launches an awards contest looking for unique and attractive products made in the South that they feel are set up for success. And the deadline for entering this year’s “Made in the South” awards program is fast approaching. Mike Switzer interviews Caroline Clements, associate editor at Garden and Gun magazine in Charleston, 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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