South Carolina Business Review

Manufacturing labor market stays hot

By Mike Switzer

Published November 11, 2022 at 5:30 AM EST

For a long time, our state has developed a reputation as a manufacturing state. A segment of our economy that continues to struggle to find qualified employees and is keeping our next guest very busy. Mike Switzer interviews Ben Talbert, president and CEO of Better Than Found, a recruiting firm in Greenville, 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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