Lexington, SC Software Company Wins Academy Award

By Mike Switzer

Published August 5, 2015 at 5:11 AM EDT

Fifteen years ago, one of the most successful companies to ever come out of the University of South Carolina-Columbia Technology Incubator, was born. After initially focusing on simulation and visualization software for the Department of Defense, they ended up creating extremely realistic digital trees that have not only appeared in hit movies like Snow White and the Huntsman, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Avatar, but last year won them a Scientific and Technical Academy Award.

Mike Switzer interviews Kevin Meredith, Director of Business Development for IDV, in Lexington, SC, the company that created the award-winning and now world-famous Speedtree software.

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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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