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Need For Early Intervention Launched Business 20 Years Ago

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In 1986, the United States Congress mandated federal funding for early intervention services for children with disabilities in an effort to boost their development and lessen their developmental delays.  Our next guest and an associate were involved in assisting children with this program through state agencies but they became frustrated and so decided to open the first private early intervention service company in South Carolina twenty years ago.

Mike Switzer interviews Beth Bunge, co-owner of Bright Start in Columbia, 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.