CEO Stories: Never Settle - The Story of Tana Greene

Surviving Abuse

As a ninth grader, dating a well-known high school senior seemed dreamlike. Reality hit when Tana Greene got pregnant. The young couple married, and the father of her child soon changed. She says he beat her before she dropped her baby off at her parents, and that he aimed a shotgun at her head as she prepared for work. After two years, Greene mustered the courage to leave him. She wrote down four goals — finish school, own a home by the age of 25, start a business by 30, and marry a “knight in shining armor.”

Growing Businesses

Greene accomplished them all, ahead of schedule. First came an associate’s degree, then a sales job. She met the man who would become her current husband, and the two of them bought a staffing franchise. They weathered cash shortages, cut-throat competition and bureaucracy to achieve success with The Greene Group’s staffing firms Strataforce and Road Dog, as well as her latest business, the Blue Bloodhound app for linking truckers with motor carriers.

Empowering Women

Her life changed even more profoundly in 2007, when a friend’s daughter asked her to speak about healthy relationships at school. Greene had kept her personal struggles secret from her professional circle. Yet she felt compelled to share her story and empower women to leave abusive relationships. Since then she’s continued to inspire women through public speaking and book writing. For Greene, it’s part of being what she calls a CLO: Chief Leadership Officer.