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Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman, are negotiating with Murray Stephens, co-owner of Meadowbrook Aquatic Center in northwest Baltimore, on a business partnership that could include expanding the facility where Phelps and other Olympians have trained, or even buying it, the Associated Press reported this week. Phelps won a record eight gold medals in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, which end Sunday.

Stephens said in the published report that working out details of a potential business agreement is a few months away, but he wants Phelps and Bowman, who will reportedly become CEO of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club next month, to help the swimming program grow. An employee at the club, whose members train at Meadowbrook, said Wednesday that Stephens will not return there until next month. Peter Carlisle, Phelps' agent, also could not be reached this week for comment.

The development is one of several stemming from the Olympics that could boost Maryland's image and economy. The Baltimore area — where Phelps plans to soon return after four years of study and swim training at the University of Michigan, where Bowman coached the men's swim team — and Maryland received a marketing jolt from the Olympics that will help attract future visitors, tourism officials said.

"Baltimore has been mentioned over and over on television and in the international media in a positive light," said Nancy Hinds, vice president of public affairs for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association. "Any city would love to have that."

Stephens' goal at Meadowbrook is to "create an aquatics venue in Baltimore comparable to competitive training centers in Florida and California," according to the swim center's Internet site. If officials are successful in expanding the center to a world-class Olympic training facility, it will become a tourist attraction, Hinds said.

"People will want to see where Michael Phelps trained," she said.

Phelps, Bowman and Stephens could do for swimming what Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. helped do in baseball with the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy, Hinds said. The training center in Aberdeen, where Ripken, a former Baltimore Orioles player, grew up, features youth-sized versions of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Baltimore's now-demolished Memorial Stadium. The academy also has a circular training infield, softball fields, batting cages and a tee or soft-toss area.

Phelps, 23, a Towson High School graduate who grew up in Rodgers Forge in Baltimore County, has bought a home in Fell's Point near Baltimore's Inner Harbor. He stands to more than double his annual $5 million in endorsement fees as a result of his Olympic success, and he wants to be involved in the Baltimore community, Carlisle said in published reports.

Phelps has endorsed products for several years and has lived up to expectations so far, said Scott Sanford, a senior client director for Dallas talent agency Davie Brown Talent. He seems like someone who is authentic, works hard and yet knows how to have fun, Sanford said.

"Even before the [Olympic] Games began, he was among the best-known U.S. Olympians," Sanford said. "From an endorsement perspective, what's not to like? The phrase ‘golden boy' certainly applies here."

Phelps is not the only Olympian to swim at Meadowbrook. Katie Hoff, who won one silver and two bronze medals in Beijing, trained with Phelps there. Others who trained there include Anita Nall, who won gold, silver and bronze medals at the 1992 Olympics; Beth Botsford, who won two gold medals at the 1996 Olympics; Joanna Zeiger, who finished fourth in the women's triathlon at the 2000 Olympics; and Whitney Metzler, who finished eighth in a swimming race at the 1996 Olympics.

Other Maryland companies that could go for the gold include sports apparel retailer Fleet Feet Sports Annapolis. That store is among those selling a performance drink that Phelps and other Olympic gold medalists endorse called PureSport.

Bethesda hotelier Marriott International has been marketing its brands during the international games. This summer, the company began a new health package involving private workouts and massages at its JW Marriott Hotel Beijing with the Olympic theme "Go for the Gold." Marriott has opened three new Beijing hotels in the past year and plans to add 18 hotels throughout China by 2012, increasing its total to 59 in that nation.

While Carlisle has said he is getting more than 50 pitches a day from executives wanting Phelps to endorse their products, some companies are staying away from the action.

Honest Tea, a Bethesda beverage company, counts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama — the only person with more fans or supporters on the Internet networking site Facebook than Phelps — among its regular customers. The company does not plan to actively court Phelps as an endorser but would welcome it if he, like Obama, drank its beverages, said Seth Goldman, co-founder and CEO of Honest Tea.

"We congratulate Michael Phelps on his achievements, and we'd love him to join Barack Obama and the millions of others people drinking Honest Tea, if he hasn't already," Goldman said in an e-mail. "Having Obama as an Honest Tea fan has been a fun way for lots of new people to discover our drinks."

This year, Honest Tea inked a deal with Coca-Cola Co., the nation's top-selling soft drink maker, to buy a 40 percent stake for a reported $43 million. Coca-Cola, a major Olympic sponsor, has the option of buying the rest of the Bethesda company after three years.

Baltimore County officials are planning a parade for Phelps and Hoff, possibly during Labor Day weekend in Towson. Among those expected to attend is Gov. Martin O'Malley (D).

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has become the second-most-popular person or business on Internet networking site Facebook and is catching up with top-ranked Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Here are some people and businesses — most with strong Maryland ties — and the number of fans or supporters signed up on their sites, as of Thursday:

Obama, 1,362,444.

Phelps, 1,269,159.

Will Smith, actor, 463,829.

John McCain, Republican presidential candidate, 210,094.

Discovery Channel, Silver Spring cable channel, 31,698.

Washington Redskins, pro football team, 5,553.

Martin O'Malley (D), Maryland governor, 2,795.

Baltimore Orioles, pro baseball team, 2,181.

Baltimore Ravens, pro football team, 2,059.

Ray Lewis, Ravens linebacker, 1,417.

Washington Nationals, pro baseball team, 1,166.

Washington Wizards, pro basketball team, 994.

Johns Hopkins University, 775.