Helping Children in Poverty Achieve Success

By Mike Switzer

Published April 21, 2016 at 5:28 AM EDT

Education continues to be a priority for South Carolina’s business community. One area that has been a subject of concern for many years is delivering a quality education to the poverty-stricken areas of our state. Our next guest says that’s exactly why her organization works with children and schools to provide the extra support these kids need to help insure their future success.

Mike Switzer interviews Gail Wilson-Giarratano, executive director of City Year Columbia.

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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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