Where did McFadden Art Glass find its beginning? We dug through the archives to find this 2005 article about Tim’s winning of the Salisbury University, Bernstein Business Plan competition. Here’s what they had to say…

“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.

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.

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.

McFadden entered the contest after winning the 2005 Bernstein Achievement Award for Excellence, an annual $5,000 prize awarded to the SU student or team submitting the most viable business plan in the competition hosted by the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business.

McFadden became interested in glass blowing thanks to his brother, Marty, a senior at SU when McFadden was a freshman. Marty was involved in glass blowing classes at SU and interested his brother in the process.

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

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.

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.”

For more on the studio head over to www.McFaddenArtGlass.com.

You can find the original article here.