AI education for companies

By Mike Switzer

Published May 1, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT

Mark Cecchini, associate dean for Executive Education at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC

AI continues to make inroads into the business community and at what appears to be an ever increasing pace. Which is why our next guest’s university is working hard to bring companies and organizations up to speed on the latest developments and how to use them to spur growth. Mike Switzer interviews Mark Cecchini, associate dean for Executive Education at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina 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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