Competing in the Midlands

By Mike Switzer

Published January 31, 2020 at 5:36 AM EST

Each year, our next guest’s nonprofit organization releases its Midlands Regional Competitiveness Report, kind of a report card on how the central part of our state’s economy is doing compared to other areas.

Mike Switzer interviews Meghan Hickman, executive director of EngenuitySC 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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