Rent-to-own News - Buddy's, Bestway and Midwest Expo kickoff annual events

Annual rent to own events abound next week as the nation's two largest independent RTO companies host scenic company meetings and companies from multiple states convene for the country's largest regional rent to own training expo in Columbus, Ohio.

Buddy's:

Tampa-based Buddy’s Home Furnishings is bringing back an old tradition this week with Buddy's company vendor appreciation cruise which sets sail Friday for a three day adventure in the Bahamas.

The Royal Caribbean cruise departs Port Canaveral, Florida with around 360 Buddy's company employees and vendor guests and kicks off with a recognition/awards banquet and dinner where outstanding Buddy's associates and vendor partners will be recognized.

Saturday morning, Buddy's team members meet with vendors to discuss new products while en route for a day of surf side leisure at Nassau, Bahamas. Guests will spend Sunday at Coco Cay Island enjoying a variety of activities before heading back to Florida Monday.

"We haven't done this cruise in three years and that was before opening our licensee and franchise stores so we'll have many new Buddy's family members with us," said Buddy's President Joe Gazo. "It's a good time to prepare four our fourth quarter and huddle up with our vendor partners."

Bestway:

Bestway Rent to Own will host close to 100 store-level, district and regional managers from the company's 78 stores at the Hilton Oceanfront resort on the sugar sand beaches of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina Sept. 19-22.

Over a dozen vendors are here for specialized product trainings including Whirlpool, Benefit Marketing Solutions, Ashley Furniture, Welton U.S.A., New Age, PC Agent, Archbrook Laguna, Serta and O'Rourke Sales Company.

These vendors will perform specialized product trainings over the two day event. Bestway's fourth annual  "Knowledge Bowl" -- a game-show styled competition between districts takes place Monday night, with a full awards banquet set prior to departure Wednesday.

"We have two different themes coming from two outstanding speakers this year with one focused on leadership and development and the other focused on customer satisfaction," said Bestway CEO David Kraemer. "We position this event as a sort of celebration of the year so team members get a little extra RR and local flavor while catching up and on some training and networking with vendors. Once again Bestway has exceeded past years in profit and performance and this is as much an event of recognizing our people and the great job they do as it is a company meeting and training event."

One of the speakers, Scott Deming, is a highly sought-after consultant on topics such as "emotional brand building" and "creating the ultimate customer experience". He owned and operated a multi-million dollar national advertising and marketing firm for several decades and is the author of the book The Brand Who Cried Wolf. He specializes in Branding, Creativity and Customer Service.

The second speaker at the Bestway Annual Managers Meeting, David Cottrell, has created a legacy of leadership excellence through living  the obstacles, frustrations and issues of decades in corporate America. He is the best-selling business author of 25 highly acclaimed books, he has been a featured expert on public television and has shared his leadership philosophy and lessons with more than 250,000 managers and leaders worldwide. He is currently CEO and President of CornerStone Leadership Institute, one of the nation’s largest publishers of management and leadership resources.


Midwest RTO Expo:

The seventh annual Midwest RTO Training Expo -- hosted by the Ohio Rental Dealers Association (ORDA) -- kicks off Tuesday Sept. 21 at the Concourse Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio where rent to own dealers from multiple states will convene at the industry's largest regional training show.

As the cornerstone of the event, The Midwest Expo will feature expert product trainings from six industry vendors including LG, O'Rourke Sales Company, Coaster Furniture, Whirlpool, Archbrook Laguna and Brightlite. Employees from attending RTO companies will rotate through these trainings on Wed. Sept 22. APRO Legal Counsel Ed Winn III will also speak on legal and legislative issues.

The exhibit hall, which will also open Wed. features more exhibiting vendors this year than last.

"We're always looking to improve our business with training programs that matter to our employees at the store level," said ORDA President Scott Kinear. "That's what makes this show valuable. We've had a year without significant legislation in Ohio and that has allowed us to focus more on our businesses."

The RTO Expo kicks off Tuesday with a bowling party at Gahanna Lanes.

Late registrants can download the registration form here http://www.rtohq.org/pdfs/2010_Expo_reg.pdf and fax it to 512/794-0097 to the attention of Jeannie Hutchison.