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South Carolina Business Review

Myrtle Beach looking to diversify tourism-focused economy

By Mike Switzer
Published August 21, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT
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Matt Pivarnik, CEO of the Greater Myrtle Beach Collaborative
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Greater Myrtle Beach Collaborative
Matt Pivarnik, CEO of the Greater Myrtle Beach Collaborative

If there’s one area of our state that is dependent on the tourism economy, it would be our coastal regions, and in particular that area known as the Grand Strand, which is where our next guest is. Mike Switzer interviews Matt Pivarnik, CEO of the Greater Myrtle Beach Collaborative.

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South Carolina Business Review SC Business Reviewbusiness newsbusinessMyrtle BeachtourismSC News
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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