South Carolina Business Review

Socially responsible investing, sustainable investing, ESG investing, faith-based investing, and biblically responsible investing all describe forms of investing whose proponents hope to leave the world a better place by changing the companies they own. Today, we’re going to take a little closer look at these terms with the help of our next guest. Mike Switzer interviews Jeff Wildes, a certified f...

Mike Switzer interviews John Warner, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Innoventure in Greenville, S.C. John talks about his efforts to form a consortium to focus on advanced manufacturing and supply chain technologies in SC.

For two years in a row now, our next guest’s university has been named as the best in the country for veterans by the Military Times. And they weren’t even on the radar three years ago. Mike Switzer interviews Jared Evans, executive director for Veterans and Military Affairs at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.

The largest economic development project ever announced in our state, Scout Motors coming to Richland County, has, as would be expected, ratcheted up real estate activity in that part of the Midlands. And our next guest is going to give us some insight into what is indeed happening. Mike Switzer interviews Darren Rhodes, managing broker with SouthEast Land and Real Estate in Orangeburg, SC.

While we frequently talk about the various growth industries in our state such as automotive, aerospace, and healthcare, agriculture remains an important part of South Carolina’s economy. An Upstate university, in fact, is working hard to develop, test, and help implement new technologies for increasing productivity and decreasing costs in the agribusiness sector. Mike Switzer interviews Mallory D...

With interest rates considerably higher than they were a year ago, many investors are becoming interested again in income generating investments. Today, we will talk about the advantages to investing in individual bonds vs. bond mutual funds. Mike Switzer interviews Roy Janse, a certified financial planner with Mariner Wealth Advisors in Greenville, SC.

An update of the news, events and issues that are trending right now across South Carolina's business community. Mike Switzer interviews Alan Cooper, founder and editor of three online business news websites in South Carolina: MidlandsBiz, UpstateBizSC, and LowCountryBizSC. Disclaimer: Alan Cooper’s company has a business relationship with Voterheads.com, an affiliate of Magnolia Media, which is t...

13 years ago, the South Carolina Community Capital Alliance was formed with the mission of increasing capital resources for our state’s underserved and undercapitalized communities with the hope that the additional funding would lead to valuable new jobs. And each year, the Alliance recognizes individuals or organizations that have made a difference toward that end. And one of those persons is our...

The labor market continues to be tight almost everywhere and in some areas that situation has existed for a long time. Such as, in education. Mike Switzer interviews Sherry East, president of the South Carolina Education Association in West Columbia, SC.

Hurricane season has started and while many people are preparing their homes and businesses for the possibility of a hurricane or tropical storm, our next guest says it’s also the perfect time to make sure your finances are in order. Mike Switzer interviews Justin Hawkins, a regional banking director for Wells Fargo in Greenville, SC.

In case you didn’t know, “financial porn” is a slang term used to describe sensationalist reports of financial news and products that could cause irrational investment buying that can be detrimental to an investor's financial health. I had never heard this term before which is why we are dialing up our next guest for some help. Mike Switzer interviews Anthony Colancecco, a certified financial plan...

Mike Switzer interviews John Warner, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Innoventure in Greenville, S.C. John talks about listener responses to one of our recent interviews regarding a national technology grant program.

The COVID-19 national and public health emergencies officially ended recently and our next guest says that this is causing some confusion for employers and employees regarding testing, vaccinations, and even remote working. Mike Switzer interviews Hagood Tighe, an employment lawyer with Fisher Phillips in Columbia, SC.

Two years ago, our next guest was bearish on stocks and bonds when interest rates were much lower. But now that the Federal Reserve has ratched up short term rates and 10-year Treasury yields have jumped from 0.5% to nearly 4.0%, we thought now would be a good time to check in with him to see if he still feels the same. Mike Switzer interviews Tyson Halsey, a chartered financial analyst with Incom...

We’re halfway through the year and many economists are still divided over the topic of a recession. Is one looming or not? Mike Switzer interviews Joey Von Nessen, chief economist at the Division of Research at the Darla Moore School of Business at USC in Columbia, SC.

(This is a replay of a previous program which originally aired Mar. 23, 2023) We keep hearing about companies having a really hard time finding qualified employees. There simply are lots of job openings all across the country. Our next guest is trying to help with this situation by working with the business community to find careers for former prison inmates. Mike Switzer interviews Bryan Stirling...

(This is a replay of a previous program which originally aired Mar. 10, 2023) As a minority in the legal profession, our next guest found it easy to understand the challenges faced by minorities, especially in her particular area of expertise, intellectual property law, where she encountered many creators who had no idea what the topic even meant. Shontavia Johnson is now using her skills to activ...

13 years ago, the South Carolina Community Capital Alliance was formed with the mission of increasing capital resources for our state’s underserved and undercapitalized communities with the hope that the additional funding would lead to valuable new jobs. And each year, the Alliance recognizes individuals or organizations that have made a difference toward that end. And one of those persons is our...

With a growth rate of almost 1,600% over the past two years, our next guest’s software and swag printing company was recently named the fastest growing business in South Carolina (and #17 in the entire Southeast Region) by Inc.com. Mike Switzer interviews Jayson Tompkins, CEO and co-founder of Print Your Cause, based in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Most people know, or at least aren’t surprised to learn, that timber is our state’s number one cash crop. And all of that timber is owned not just by big forest products companies, but also by individuals. A market that our next guest has found lucrative through his mobile sawyer business. Mike Switzer interviews Ted Bullock, owner of Carolina Sawyers in Charleston, SC.

Building a retirement nest egg is one of the most important financial activities you can engage in. And the earlier you can get started on that task, of course, the better. Our next guest says that even teenagers with summer jobs can start contributing to their own IRAs. Mike Switzer interviews Alex Chastain, a certified financial planner with Abacus Planning Group in Columbia, SC.

An update of the news, events and issues that are trending right now across South Carolina's business community. Mike Switzer interviews Jason Thomas, executive editor of SCBizNews, the company that publishes the Columbia Regional Business Report, Charleston Regional Business Journal, GSA Business and SCBizNews magazine.

More and more individuals are making the switch to electric vehicles these days and so are companies. In fact, our next guest’s Upstate company fleet recently logged over one million EV miles. Mike Switzer interviews Chris Russo, co-owner of Elite Home Care, Day Centers and Transportation in Spartanburg, SC.

Our next guest’s story involves the Gulla Geechee culture, a rare disease, a passion for science and creating, a chemistry degree, and entrepreneurship. All of which recently resulted in her attaining the honor of being named the SC Female Small Business Person of the Year by the US Small Business Administration. Mike Switzer interviews Abenaa Moore, founder of Naturally Geechee in North Charlesto...

It’s not too often that a small business gets to have its product featured on a national television show but that’s exactly what happened to our next guest when her innovative undergarment recently appeared on the Today show on NBC. Mike Switzer interviews Erin Mehagan, founder of Livi Lu Lane in Greenville, SC.