Co-Chair of The Dwyer Group
America knows her for participating in CBS’s Emmy-winning hit reality show “Undercover Boss” and the first-ever special episode “Undercover Boss: Epic Bosses.” A winner of the 2012 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Southwest Area North, Dina leads by example and credits a growing team for the franchise family she presides over today.
Dina is a certified franchise executive with more than 30 years of industry experience, having grown up in The Dwyer Group. That business now includes eight franchise brands and more than 1,600 locations around the world through direct franchising and master license agreements operating as Air Serv, Glass Doctor, Mr. Appliance, Mr. Electric, Mr. Rooter, Rainbow International, The Grounds Guys and Five Star Painting. Collectively, those service brands make more than 2 million customer calls a year and account for more than $1 billion in system-wide sales.
In 2010, Dina served as the chair of the International Franchise Association (IFA) in Washington D.C., the world’s largest advocacy group for franchising as a business format. She also spearheaded the reintroduction of the IFA’s VetFran program in 2001, which now includes some 480 franchisors that offer franchising financial incentives to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. To date, more than 5,600 military veterans now own a franchise through the VetFran program, and The Dwyer Group has awarded more than $2.3 million in financial discounts to VetFran franchisees across its own service brands. In 2002, the IFA awarded Dina the Bonny LeVine Award, the IFA’s highest award for women who mentor other women and advance the careers of women in franchising.
In 2005, Dina launched the Live R.I.C.H. campaign to promote The Dwyer Group Code of Values and the themes of Respect, Integrity, Customer focus and Having fun in the process to a growing company. She also released her book, “Live R.I.C.H.: How to build success in your company and your life with a proven Code of Values.” Dina is a regular speaker for how to Live R.I.C.H. within her company and to audiences around the world, and she credits ethics in business and in life as a foundation to true happiness.
Dina is married to Mike Owens and they have two wonderful children.