HGTV FOLLOWS BOSTON CONTRACTOR CINDY STUMPO AS SHE RUNS HER EMPIRE AND HOME IN 'TOUGH AS NAILS'

Series Premieres Sunday, March 14, at 11 p.m. ET/PT

Knoxville, Tenn. [For Immediate Release--February 16, 2010] - Despite the increasing number of female leaders in the workplace, the male-dominated world of home construction is still a rare place for a woman to build an empire. In the new weekly series Tough as Nails, premiering Sunday, March 14, at 11 p.m. ET/PT, HGTV cameras will follow successful Boston contractor Cindy Stumpo as she juggles the demands of running her booming construction business and her family life. Known for building high-end, multimillion-dollar luxury homes, Cindy is a strong, independent woman who has made a name for herself during her 21-year career by being fiercely determined and uncompromising. Even as the construction crews balk at Cindy's demands, she makes it clear that she has the final say because at the end of the day, it's her name that is on the line.

Managing two cell phones with nearly 200 incoming calls per day, Cindy hustles to keep multiple sub-contractors and employees--including her ex-husband, Joe--in line as she manages the construction and development of multiple building projects. When Cindy isn't calling the shots at work, she spends time managing the needs of her family. Her mother, Beverly, tries to keep up with Cindy's instructions as her office secretary but doesn't always succeed. Samantha, Cindy's 23-year old daughter, is being groomed to take over the family business one day, while son, Chad, aspires to be a professional golfer. Nana, Cindy's grandmother and oldest living relative, serves as Cindy's confidante and helps her with everything from work frustrations to matters of the heart.

"Tough as Nails is the perfect phrase to describe Cindy Stumpo," said Freddy James, senior vice president, program development & production, HGTV. "Viewers will be inspired by this self-made woman who's doing it all."

In the premiere episode, Cindy is under the wire to complete a 4,800-square-foot home that must be finished in less than one week for a broker's open house. While the listing agent and broker are anxiously waiting to showcase the home, Cindy must motivate her team to install the plumbing, kitchen and bathrooms in time for the open house.

Future episodes will reveal Cindy's tough-as-nails approach to managing all aspects of her work and personal life. Although her demanding style can be daunting, Cindy's dedication to being the best allows everyone to shine.

About HGTV

HGTV, America's leader in home and lifestyle programming, is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and is one of cable's top-rated networks. HGTV's website, HGTV.com, is the nation's leading online home-and-garden destination, which attracts an average of more than 4 million unique visitors per month.