Libraries and the business community

By Mike Switzer

Published April 10, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT

Mike Switzer, host of the South Carolina Business Review

The Midlands is home to the largest public library building in our state, more than twice the size of its closest competitor in Charleston. Its system includes 13 locations and over 1.3 million books and non-print resources. And as of last August, they have a new leader. Mike Switzer interviews Tamara King, executive director of the Richland Library 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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