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Turning Flowers Into a Jewelry Business

Cristina Segarra
Mike Switzer/SC Public Radio

 For more than 20 years, our next guest has been busy turning flower petals from gardens, memorial services, weddings, and other events into jewelry.  She has grown the business from one employee into a full staff.

Mike Switzer interviews Cristina Segarra, CEO and founder of Flowers Forever and Bellabeads in Columbia, 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.