Rent-to-own News - Golf and bass tournaments rule day two of Heartland Show

Fishing enthusiasts at the Heartland of America Trade Show Annual Bass Fishing Tournament.

The weather couldn't have been better for golfers and fishermen who got busy recreating bright and early June 16 at the Missouri Rental Dealers Association's Heartland of America Regional Trade Show's Golf Tournament and Buddy Bass Tourney.

Both events, held at the Lodge of the Four Seasons Resort in Lake Ozark, Missouri, were well-attended opportunities for rental dealers and vendors to swing, catch, release, mingle and network.

Eleven foursomes hit the greens for MRDA's Golf Tournament soon after the sun rose--some arriving an hour early to get tips from PGA golf pro Gene Bone II.

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Bone is also a vendor at this year's Heartland of America Regional Trade Show, proudly touting the newly unveiled ProGuard window security system by Affiliated Construction Specialists, a company based in Oxford, Michigan. Bone helped golf tournament attendees with their swing prior to the shotgun start. His father, Gene Bone Sr., was also a pro golfer.

More than 20 fishing enthusiasts, meanwhile, headed to the lake for the annual Buddy Bass Tourney. The largest catch of the day weighed 5.14 pounds and was caught by Brian Barnes of Show-Me Rent-to-Own. Barnes, along with his fishing buddy Jeremy Phillips, also with Show-Me, were the championship team, catching five keeper bass weighing a total of 12.8 pounds.

The second-place team was comprised of Dan Cole and Joe Fagin of National Rent-to-Own, hauling in 10.82 pounds total, with the largest tipping the scales at 3.57 pounds. Third place was hooked by APRO President Tiger John Cleek and Darryl Darling of Cleek's, finishing just behind the number-two spot with 10.20 pounds total (five keepers), the biggest weighing a hefty 3.33 pounds. Steve Braning and Ron Mueller of National Rent-to-Own comprised the fourth-place team, with five keepers totaling 9.19 pounds, 2.97 pounds being the heaviest. After the weigh-ins, the bass were released back into the blue waters of the Lake of the Ozarks.

After a morning of tournaments, rental dealers and vendors will get down to business in the afternoon with the heart of the Heartland event: the trade show. Seventy vendors representing 57 companies will show off their products and services to rental dealers from across the Midwest--including attendees from Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Arkansas. Member companies attending this year totals 24, up from 19 companies last year. A full day of activities on June 16 will conclude in the evening with the annual Awards Dinner and Presentation.

Day three of the Heartland of America show, June 17, will feature training sessions presented by six leading industry vendors: ArchBrook Laguna, LG Electronics, Moneris Solutions, O'Rourke Sales Co., Simmons and Whirlpool. This is the second year for the training sessions, which were very popular at last year's event.

See photos from the event here.