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class=""MsoNormal"">SALISBURY, MD---Blown glass in Baltimore? It’s an idea that just might work if Fortune Small Business magazine’s assessment of one Salisbury University student’s future plans is any indication.

class=""MsoNormal"">Senior management and marketing major Tim McFadden recently was named a semi-finalist in the magazine’s third annual Student Showdown business plan competition with a proposal to place a blown glass studio in his hometown of Baltimore.

class=""MsoNormal"">Some 82 students and teams from 66 schools entered this year’s Fortune Small Business Student Showdown. Semi-finalists joining McFadden in the top 11 spots included those from the Wharton School of Business, Stanford University and the Columbia School of Business, among others.

class=""MsoNormal"">McFadden entered the contest after winning the 2005 Bernstein Achievement Award for Excellence, an annual $5,000 prize awarded to the ³ÉÈ˶¶Òõstudent or team submitting the most viable business plan in the competition hosted by the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business.

class=""MsoNormal"">McFadden became interested in glass blowing thanks to his brother, Marty, a senior at ³ÉÈ˶¶Òõwhen McFadden was a freshman. Marty was involved in glass blowing classes at ³ÉÈ˶¶Òõand interested his brother in the process.

class=""MsoNormal"">“It’s the best course offered at SU,” said McFadden, who has been hooked on the art since 2003.

class=""MsoNormal"">Balancing his business major with that artistic interest proved to be his winning combination. According to his business plan, his studio, Blown Away Glass Inc., would house a gallery and gift shop where patrons and tourists could watch unique art being formed, possibly in the city’s trendy Canton section.

class=""MsoNormal"">Though that business is still several years from taking off—McFadden plans to complete his degree first—he said getting the ideas down on paper was an important first step.

class=""MsoNormal"">“Putting together a business plan now will make it easier when I graduate,” he said. For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the ³ÉÈ˶¶Òõwebsite at www.salisbury.edu. "