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Lowcountry Rug Dealer Believes in Afghanistan

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We continue to be amazed at the unlikely economic links we discover between our state and other countries around the world.  The latest involves a Lowcountry rug dealer and his attempts to build the same industry in Afghanistan.

Mike Switzer interviews Rob Leahy, owner of Fine Rugs of Charleston in Charleston, SC.

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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.