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Upstate Business Has Gone to the Dogs

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Many of us around the country find ourselves on our sofas glued to the TV on Thanksgiving.  OK maybe it’s because we can’t move after stuffing on stuffing, but let’s face it, the National Dog Show is fascinating!  (You probably thought I was going to mention the parade or football.)  Our next guest is capitalizing on the need for well-behaved dogs, building a significant dog-training business not only in the Upstate where she is headquartered, but all over the country and now the globe.

Mike Switzer interviews Connie Cleveland, founder and CEO of Dog Trainers Workshop, based in Fountain Inn, SC.

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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.