Heather Clark of Paradise Valley is the owner of Pomchies, an accessory company with more than 44 products made of high-quality swimwear fabric (think headbands, scrunchies, lanyards and masks). Recently, Inc. magazine placed Pomchies at No. 221 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. Learn about Heather Clark…
Hometown: Born in Platteville, WI., but from sixth grade to 12th grade was in Westport, CT.
First job: Paper route in Akron, Ohio.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in AZ: Hiking Camelback or any nearby mountains.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: Running the Original Marathon in Athens, Greece without training for it and finishing first in my age group. Four hours and four minutes. I was just in Athens for a girls weekend and a marathon was on my bucket list. So, why not run it?
The biggest obstacle you overcame: My very long, painful divorce.
Someone who inspires you and why: Vera Wang. She has all the money in the world but keeps working and designing beautiful things! She’s amazing!
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Only order in samples and take pre-orders. Don’t order 10,000 units without knowing if it’ll sell.
Favorite quote: Strong woman don’t have attitudes. They standards and boundaries!
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I have learning disabilities.