Cathy Deano & Renee Maloney

Owners, Painting With a Twist

Not many people can claim they created awhole new industry, but Renee Maloney and Cathy Deano have done just that.

These two Mandeville residents were friends and fellow PTA moms back in 2007 when they went looking for a way to stay busy and give back to their community in the post-Katrina landscape.

What they came up with was a fun way to hang out with friends, have some wine, and create a painting you can take home with you. From that idea, the first Painting With a Twist was born in Mandeville in 2007.

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The 10 years since have been one expansion after another. In 2017, the now-successful franchisor opened five more studios throughout California, bringing the company to a grand total of 349 studios across 39 states. It was the most significant expansion in California since the first studio was added in 2013. In 2017, the company also opened its first studios in Wisconsin, New Mexico and Arizona.

Last year was a game changer that started right out of the gate in January with Maloney’s appearance on the CBS hit television series, “Undercover Boss.”

In addition to providing Maloney and Deano with an opportunity to get an undercover look at their own rapidly growing company — something that Maloney said in an interview in the February 2017 issue of Biz New Orleans led to the implementation of “a lot of changes” — the show also served to spread awareness of the brand throughout the country.

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January also marked another prestigious recognition: For the fourth year in a row, Entrepreneur Magazine rated Painting with a Twist the No. 1 paint-and-sip studio in the country — a fitting honor since it’s an industry they created. The magazine also named the company “Fastest-Growing Franchise.”

The first ladies of fun art are showing no signs of slowing down. According to Maloney, the company’s goal is to someday reach 700 stores nationwide. There’s even thought of going international.

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