Brewery Tours on the Rise in SC

By Mike Switzer

Published September 7, 2016 at 5:47 AM EDT

You may have noticed that the micro-brewery industry in our state has been in a state of rapid growth since the legislature relaxed some rules a couple years ago that made getting into this business more attractive. And with more breweries has come more brewery tours, which our next guest says led to his business idea.

Mike Switzer interviews Cameron Powell, owner of Columbia Brew Bus, based in Columbia, 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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