Rent-to-own News

Rent-to-own News - Rent One employees help spearhead new mentorship program in Jefferson County

October 19, 2010

When the local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters ceased operations in Jefferson County, Rent One's David Keen and Mark Williams went to work getting another mentorship program, Mentors 4 Kids, tapped into the local scene.

"Mark had been on the Big Brothers Big Sisters Board of Directors and I've been involved as a mentor for the past seven years so we both saw the importance of keeping a mentorship program in Southern Illinois," Keen said.

The effort paid off and Mentors 4 Kids (M4K) opened a chapter to serve Mt. Vernon and the Jefferson County area in 2009. Keen then went about assembling a regional advisory board to promote M4K within the Mt. Vernon community, workplace and personal circle of friends and relatives. His goal was to not only provide a leadership core for local operations, but also a network for fundraising efforts. Already the group has raised enough money through various events including a "Night Out at Rent One Park", to hire a full time program coordinator.

M4K is hosting a Trivia Night fundraiser this Saturday in Mt. Vernon.

"It's a great opportunity to really build a sustainable community for the kids that come through the program," said Keen, who also serves on the advisory board.


 

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The Association of Progressive Rental Organizations is the official voice of the rent-to-own industry and the most accurate and trustworthy source of rent-to-own news in the industry. Founded in 1980, APRO is the national, nonprofit trade association advocating and representing the rent-to-own industry before the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, courts, media and the public.

For more information, visit www.rtohq.org.




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APRO's new, mobile-ready magazine is now available in addition to our print edition. The digital format provides the same informative content as our printed magazine, but also offers tools to make the reading experience more enriching. Access the table of contents page with one click or tap. Get additional information from advertisers by clicking on the links in their ads. The interface is easy to navigate and requires no special app—read our magazine on your computer, digital table or smartphone. Click here to access the digital version of RTOHQ: The Magazine March-April 2012.

 

 

A New Rent-to-Own Experience

by Neil Ferguson

Here’s the lowdown on APRO’s 2012 Convention and Trade Show, July 24-26 in Memphis. The RTO industry’s big event will offer many valuable experiences, including insights on how to turn your stores into “experiences”–the good kind for consumers

 

Who Is Your Competition?

by Bill Keese

In order to expand your customer base, you can learn a lot by observing your competitors. But first, you need to figure out just who they are. If you think your only competition is the rent-to-own store down the street, you’re not considering the bigger picture. APRO’s executive director offers a big-picture perspective.

 

A Review of Online Customer Complaints

by Ed Winn III

While rent-to-own companies have not cornered the market on negative reviews posted on consumer complaint websites, it’s no surprise that there are cyberspace beefs against RTO. APRO’s general counsel reviews some of them in search of a pattern and he considers appropriate response to online complaints.

 

Rent-to-Own Families, Part VIII

by Kristen Card

Our series of family-run rent-to-own businesses continues with profiles of the Homeiers in Kansas and two Texas-based sets of kindred colleagues, the Spangles and the Weisblatts.

 

 

Future issues of APRO's magazine will be available in this same new format. Click here to access past issues that are not yet archived in the new interface.

 

Association of Progressive Rental Organizations
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