Rent-to-own News

Rent-to-own News - Rent One health initiatives inspire 40 to kick the habit

December 10, 2010

More than 40 Rent One smokers snuffed the habit this year as part of Mt. Vernon, Illinois-based Rent One's ramped up Health and Wellness Program, improving their quality of life and work performance.

After learning that more than 48 percent of his Rent One employees smoked, company owner Larry Carrico began working on strategies to help them quit. He paid for them to attend a "smoking cessation" class at nearby Saint Francis Medical Center and offered a $250 bonus on top of it.

"A healthier workforce is a much happier work force," Carrico said. "On one level they are more productive employees, but that spills over into their personal lives. They aren't dead tired with nothing left to give to their families at the end of the day. We want to help our employees lead a balanced life, socially, spiritually and financially."

A recent power training led by Jeremiah Wilson of Contact Point that encouraged Rent One Employees to give 100 percent netted 15 new non-smokers.

As part of Rent One Academy's Online Wellness and Safety Training Program, employees are incentivized to earn points which can be used to pay down medical deductibles or for a maximum five paid days off.

Participation in Rent One's Wellness program is mandatory for employees who enroll in the company's health plan.

In November Carrico was honored by the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD) for his work to implement a fitness program for Mt. Vernon District 80. Read more.

About APRO
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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July 24-26, Memphis, TN

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RTOHQ: The Magazine
RTOHQ: The Magazine is the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations' award-winning rent-to-own industry magazine, and it's available here.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR DIGITAL RTOHQ: THE MAGAZINE

RTOHQ: The Magazine’s upgraded digital format

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
1504 Robin Hood Trail
Austin, Texas 78703
800/204-2776, ext. 103
Fax 512/794-0097