Rent-to-own News

Rent-to-own News - Louise Brown is APRO's 2010 Customer of the Year

June 28, 2010

APRO's 2010 Customer of the Year Louise Brown.

Louise Brown, a pillar of community service in her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia, is the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations' 2010 Customer of the Year.

Brown has been a customer of Virginia-based BestWay Rent To Own for 20 years.

"I am choking up right now," Brown said from her home Monday. "I've always believed if you take care of others, they'll take care of you. God is good."

As part of the honor, Brown will receive a $1,000 check and will be the subject of a special video that will be show during the upcoming APRO Convention in Louisville.

A retired cook, Brown and her husband, Arthur, have provided foster care services for the City of Portsmouth for 29 years dealing primarily with hardship cases and emergency situations.

Louise has provided foster care services for over 500 children and was honored five times as "Foster Parent of the Year". She is currently attending Tidewater Community College to further her education in child development.

In addition, six months ago, the Browns started an organization called 'The Veteran's Lodge' which provides services to U.S. Veterans who are unaware of the benefits available to them. They visit churches and prisons to help those veterans receive their benefits.

"The facts of what she's doing in the community is why she won," said BestWay COO Jonathan Rose. "We are just lucky enough to have her for a customer."

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

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Thank you APRO 2012 Sponsors

Watch RTOHQ Rent to Own videos on YouTube!

Featured APRO Photo:
From the APRO 2009 Convention and Buying Show: Buying Show Album

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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