Abright College New Letter

Heather Clark ’04 Says “GO FISH!”
DCP alumna opens fish market on Penn Avenue in West Reading

As a full-time student Heather Clark ’04 worked three jobs, which sometimes left her feeling overwhelmed. But, with the support of her cohort peers in Lancaster, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in applied psychology/organizational behavior from Albright in 2004. Today, Clark is the owner of GO FISH! Seafood and Sushi Bar in Reading; a career path she could not have predicted.

After graduation, Clark moved to the Lehigh Valley area where she worked for a pharmaceutical company counseling customers who had trouble trying to quit smoking. She then worked in the Human Resources department of a dental practice where her former boss asked her if she would like to purchase his seafood business. It was a perfect opportunity for her, she says.

Originally located at the Fairgrounds Farmers Market, Clark opened an expanded store on Penn Avenue in October 2008. As the owner of a flourishing business, she says that the challenges she is faced with everyday allow her to set goals and achieve them more easily.

“The most important thing I got out of my education is that the success of a company lies in its own core values,” she says. While Clark knows the most important rule in running a successful business is to make the customers happy, she notes that that task is impossible without making one’s staff happy first.

As a leader, Clark says her most important role is to make sure that all members of her staff have a sense of self-worth and belonging to the success of the business, as if it were their own. Clark has seen her share of challenges, but says she will always remain positive and continue to grow.

Her advice: “No matter how hard it seems to be going for you or how tired you are, remind yourself that you are doing something to improve your future and it will be worth it.”