Well known for leading the country and the world in business development and innovation in highly technological fields, little attention is paid to the ambitions and creativity of everyday New Englanders who find opportunity in the most unlikely places.

Kurt Harrington started his business when he was merely 15 years old. It all began when Mom gave Kurt a goldfish and a fishbowl for his 8th birthday. Who knew that would be the beginning of something so much bigger?

That one bowl turned into four or five tanks that filled Kurt and his twin brother Don’s bedroom. When they got a little older, the twins worked in a pet shop and they were in charge of cleaning the fish tanks as part of their job. That experience sparked an idea one day when they were at the dentist. Perhaps the dentist would like to have someone clean the fish tank that captivated all of the waiting patients. Indeed he did, and from then on the boys were making a cool $12 each month.

Why stop there? If they could do it for the dentist, they could certainly do it for others. After all, the overhead was negligible because they already had the hose and a bucket at home for when they cleaned their own fish tanks. This is where Kurt headed down the business path and Don headed in another direction for a while.

By the time Kurt finished his senior year of high school he had established a good many clients and had earned enough money to put himself through college. Not wanting to give up the business to solely pursue his education in Business Administration, he decided to do both. Seeing a significant opportunity, Kurt’s decided to focus on courting the management of the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut until they would give him a service contract. His persistence paid off when they finally did in 1998. This provided his growing business with a prominent customer and a solid revenue base. Since that contract was signed, Something Fishy, Inc. has been in that casino maintaining the aquariums every single day of the year without fail.

With a clear vision for the growth of the company, he decided to expand the types of services they could provide. In 1999, they tested out their first outdoor pond installation at Mystic Pizza (the pond is still there).   Seizing on the opportunities this opened up, in 2000, he established an Outdoor Water Features Division. Relying on the guidance of colleagues, trusted advisors and his employees, Something Fishy has stayed the course growing slowly and strategically. In 2004, they opened their first retail store. More recently the company landed a contract with Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut to manage the staff that maintains all of the tanks on site which houses a multitude of aquatic species and encapsulates an astounding 600,000 gallons of water.

This impressive tale of hard work and opportunistic attitude truly describes the essence of Something Fishy, Inc. Today, this company employs twenty people and by expanding the market for their retail business, it will likely continue to grow. They are known throughout Rhode Island for their expertise, customer support and dedicated staff. Kurt’s brother Don is now part of the team and works closely with him to build the dream they began as kids. Together, they have created an empowering, educational and fun work environment that fosters growth for their business and inspiration to others.

Details:

Something Fishy, Inc.

1185 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02886

(877) 347-4825