Rent-to-own News - Midwest Expo moves to Wilmington, OH

ORDA Officers (L to R): Mike Tissot, president, Doug Higgins, secretary, Keith Ferriman, vice president. Not pictured, Joel Ehrlich, treasurer.

For the first time in its eight year history, the annual Midwest RTO Expo is moving.

Held in Columbus, Ohio since its inception in 2003, the Ohio Rental Dealers Association Board of Directors last week voted to move the 2011 regional training show south to Wilmington, Ohio. The move will better accommodate participating Kentucky rental dealers who traditionally are the second highest attending expo attendees.

"We've had it there (Columbus) for years and the board just decided it was time to move it south, change things up a little bit and provide us with more room to grow," said Mike Tissot, ORDA's newly re-elected president. "For the past several years we've had around six product training companies, this will allow us to grow and expand and hopefully encourage more participation from our Kentucky neighbors."

A location has not yet been secured for the Expo.

Tissot, who was ORDA's immediate past president, was re-elected last Thursday after current president Scott Kinnear declined to seek another term. Kinnear served the past two years as president of ORDA.

Around 13 rent to own companies turned out for the meeting in Columbus where they heard presentations on the state's legislative climate and held in-depth discussions about the recently completed Ohio "Potential Customer" focus group April 13. See full story.


"That study has given us a lot of things to talk about," Tissot said. "The way we appeal to buyers by emphasizing the fact we carry "new" products, how we appeal to those people paying the minimum balance on a credit card for merchandise and to those people who really "need" something and really "want" something. That is where our new customers are going to come from."

The Ohio study and other "Potential Customer" studies will be compiled into a first of its kind RTO Marketing Plan available only to those who attend APRO's Convention in July in Little Rock. Register for the convention here.

Other elected officers include: Keith Ferriman (Showplace), vice president; Doug Higgins (Premier), secretary; Joel Ehrlich, treasurer.