Rent-to-own News

Rent-to-own News - APRO Scholarship winner to graduate, application deadline May 17

April 28, 2011

Cordillia Stewart

Cordillia Stewart, one of APRO's 2010 Scholarship winners, has always been pretty good at keeping her plate full.

But she's also not one to crumble at the first sign of adversity.

It was sheer perseverance that landed this diploma-less single mother of two her first job at National TV Sales and Rental. That same perseverance propelled her to earn her G.E.D., enroll in Drury University and win APRO's top scholarship prize of $3,000 last year.

She was promoted to store manager of National TV Sales' Mountain Grove store on March 1 and next month, she graduates with a BS in criminology and psychology.

"That scholarship really helped out a lot," Stewart said. "It shows that industry as a whole cares about bettering itself and its employees. Kathy and Mark make sure they allow their people to do what they need to do to further their education. I have no intention of going anywhere for a while. I love my job and my customers."

Along the way Stewart earned her company's "assistant manager of the year" award and last year took home its "rising star" award before being promoted to manager last month.

She completed a whopping 33 hours this school year, taking 18 hours this spring. With book fees alone totally over $1,200, she said the APRO scholarship made graduation possible.

Though graduate school appeals to her, she's not interested in a drastic career move just yet.

"The people I work for are good to me," she said. "Mark and Kathy are the best. I may look into teaching night courses at some point, but not any time soon. For now, I'm happy right where I am."

This year APRO is upping the ante by awarding five scholarships worth $11,000 to members of the rent to own industry this spring as part of the organization's fourth annual contest.

The scholarships are available to APRO member employees and their children. An anonymous donation of $3,000 made in the name of the late Azile Whittmore Winn, mother of APRO founder and General Counsel Ed Winn III, has made this possible.

Deadline for the 2011 scholarship contest is Friday, May 27.

The 2011 APRO Scholarships are as follows:

1) $3,000 scholarship
(2) $2,500 scholarships
(2) $1,500 scholarships

See APRO Education Scholarship Fund Page for full details and to download the application.

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.

2012 APRO Convention and Trade Show

July 24-26, Memphis, TN

Attendee Information

Exhibitor Information

Thank you APRO 2012 Sponsors

Watch RTOHQ Rent to Own videos on YouTube!

Featured APRO Photo:
From the APRO 2010 Dave Egan Legislative Conference Album
APRO 2010 Dave Egan Legislative Conference
View All RTO Photos
in the RTOHQ.org gallery

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