Apprentice Program a Hit in Upstate

By Mike Switzer

Published March 24, 2016 at 5:49 AM EDT

We often hear of companies in our state who are struggling to find the skilled labor they need. Our next guest has decided to do something about this shortage by launching an apprentice program, that they say is working out very well.

Mike Switzer interviews Wade Herrin, who leads General Electric's machinist apprentice program in Greenville, SC.

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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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