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Hydroponics Growing Success in Ridgeway, SC

  Farming is big business in South Carolina and one segment of the farm industry that is growing rapidly is indoor farming, also known as hydroponics.  Our next guest jumped right into this trend recently by converting an old manufacturing facility into the largest indoor, wholesale hydroponic farm in the state.

Mike Switzer interviews Chip Harriford, founder of Royal Greens in Ridgeway, 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.