Grand Strand Summer Tourism Results

By Mike Switzer

Published September 6, 2018 at 5:51 AM EDT

Tourism is obviously a big part of our state’s economy, especially along the coastal areas. Now that the summer vacation season is over for this year, let’s check in with an expert who studies the Grand Strand area to see how they fared.

Mike Switzer interviews Dr. Taylor Damonte, a professor at and the director of the Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, 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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