John Dikos' Blue Marlin Marina Plan Wins $5,000 Bernstein Award for Entrepreneruship

SALISBURY, MD--A Salisbury State University business student with a plan to start a high-tech marina targeting affluent boaters received $5,000 recently when he won the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business’ prestigious Bernstein Award for Entrepreneurship.

John Dikos, a senior from Berlin, won the 12-year-old award based on his detailed 70-page plan for Blue Marlin Marina---a $600,000 venture he plans to start in Manteo, NC.

Dikos also was named the Perdue School’s top finance student in 1999.

The award was established in 1987 by Richard Bernstein, a former SSU student who is now president and chief executive officer of BAI Aerosystems. Bernstein also founded K&L Microwave Inc. of Salisbury. Other judges included Rafael Correa, president of Machining Technologies, and Raymond Nichols, chair and CEO of BSC America Inc.

Cristy Camardella of Bowie and Karin Rogers of Fruitland won second place and $1,000 for their proposed business, Beyond Baskets.

The $5,000 Bernstein Award for Entrepreneurship is believed to be Maryland’s largest undergraduate business plan award.