© 2026 South Carolina Public Radio
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
SC Public Radio's statewide network is experiencing intermittent outages and programming issues due to ongoing infrastructure upgrades. Our team is working to keep these disruptions to a minimum and to resolve issues that do arise. Streaming on this site, the SCETV App, the NPR App, and smart speakers is unaffected.
Business
South Carolina Business Review

Exploring Success in the Wilderness

By Mike Switzer
Published May 21, 2015 at 5:29 AM EDT

  For the past 24 years, our next guest has been hiking and exploring the wilderness of our state and the country. After working many years for others, he has decided to go into business for himself and share his passion for hiking and exploring with others.

Mike Switzer interviews Christopher Smith (Smitty), owner of Southeastern Backcountry Adventures, based in Columbia, SC.

Tags
South Carolina Business Review business news
Stay Connected
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