By Lillyan Baker

Tanna Marino

What a year it has been since Jan. 22, 2012 when Dina Dwyer-Owens donned a wig and some pearls as Faith Brown on CBS reality show, Undercover Boss. Since then, Tanna Marino, the same woman who told “Faith” she was going to have to lose the nails, has had an incredible year filled with memorable, career success. Enjoy her year-long journey!

Cypress Woman Succeeds After Reality TV

By CRYSTAL SIMMONS

A year after appearing on the reality show ‘Undercover Boss,’ Cypress woman Tanna Marino has turned a fairy tale ending into a new beginning, going from appliance technician to corporate consultant.

Now in her new position, Marino is finding more time than ever to be with her family and encourage women to get out of the office and into the field.

Back in November 2011, Marino was working as an appliance technician for Mr. Appliance, one of the Dwyer Group’s seven franchise organizations, when she was approached about being in a pilot for a new show she thought was called ‘Don’t Quit your day job. After agreeing, Marino was given details that made the show sound plausible but kept her from guessing the true identity of her co-worker for a day.

“I was told somebody would be working with me for the day and basically they would decide if they wanted to go back to their old career or if they wanted to quit that and do something completely different,” she said.

When filming began, Marino finally got to meet her new partner, a woman with long dark haired and brown eyes called Faith Brown. Little did she know her new partner was really the blue eyed blond, Dina Dwyer-Owens, CEO of the Dwyer Group.

“My first impression of her was that she was very made up,” said Marino. “She had long fingernails, pearls on and long curly hair. My impression was that she probably came from working behind a desk, definitely not a blue collar job. She was very polite, very friendly. We basically worked at her pace all day and we did things she was comfortable with.”

During filming, the two also got a chance to get to know each other. After work, Marino, a married mother of four, introduced Dwyer to her family and mentioned she might have to get a second job. The statement struck close to home for Dwyer who often had to sacrifice quality time with her father, Don Dwyer, as he worked to found the Dwyer Group.

“One of my concerns in listening to Tanna is her and her husband are working, and now she’s going to take on a second job,” said Dwyer during the show. “Just thinking back, my father was amazing but he wasn’t home. It was rare that he was home and we were all still awake.”

After spending the day with Dwyer, Marino thought she was finished, until Dwyer invited her out to her ranch for the big reveal.

“My goal in going undercover was to figure out how we were doing. Are we really living up to the values that my father founded the company on?” Dwyer told Marino. “You are the epitome of what Don Dwyer would have looked for. You’re an incredible technician; you’re an incredible mother and an incredible wife.”

While Dwyer met three other employees, she identified with Marino’s ability to excel in a male dominated field while supporting a family. She ended up giving Marino $25,000 and $10,000 to create a scholarship fund for her children. Dwyer also offered Marino $5,000 to help create the “Women in the Trades” program.

“My life has changed in every possible way,” said Marino. “The cash that was gifted to me allowed our family to get into a bigger home.

“I work from home now. I have flexible hours and the opportunity to spend time with my kids.”

The opportunity also gave her the confidence to share her ideas with the company president, which led to her consulting job. Now, Marino is enjoying her new position working to help women like herself succeed at Mr. Appliance.

“My biggest obstacle now has been trying to spread awareness of the scholarship program,” she said. “We would truly love to have more women working in all the different brands. This is a good way to get the required training.

“More than anything, my experience as a whole has been phenomenal,” she said. “I work for a great company doing what I love. My whole experience with the Dwyer Group has been incredible.”