Challenges remain for women in the construction industry

By Mike Switzer

Published January 14, 2022 at 5:30 AM EST

You may have noticed that there are not a lot of women in the construction business. Our next guest is trying to change that as co-founder of the Palmetto Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction. She was recently honored for her work in this area by the YWCA Greater Charleston. Mike Switzer interviews Janet Bates, client solutions manager at JE Dunn Construction Company in North Charleston, 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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