SC business advocacy groups merge

By Mike Switzer

Published February 6, 2026 at 6:30 AM EST

FILE - Sara Hazzard — Sara Hazzard, president of South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce

As of the first of this year, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance are now one entity. What was the impetus for this merger? Mike Switzer interviews Sara Hazzard, the new president of South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce.

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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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