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Growing SC’s venture capitalists

South Carolina Business Review
SC Public Radio

We often hear of the need for our state to have more capital available to entrepreneurs. Our next guest is going to tell us about a new program her state agency has put together to help grow our venture capital base. Mike Switzer interviews Laura Corder McIntosh, managing director of the Office of Innovation at the South Carolina Dept. of Commerce in Columbia. She will tell us about the Palmetto Venture Fellowship.

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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.