Rent-to-own News

Rent-to-own News - MRDA fall training kicks off in St. Louis Wednesday

September 27, 2010

MRDA's annual "free-to-members" fall training event kicks off this Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza hotel at the St. Louis Airport.

The one-day training event this year will feature training seminars led by top industry vendors including Hewlett Packard, Mitsubishi, Simmons and Whirlpool.

Last year 150 area rent-to-own professionals took advantage of MRDA's fall trainings which are free for MRDA members and a $50 fee for non-members -- are a prime example of one of the benefits of membership, said MRDA President "Tiger" John Cleek Jr.

"Our member dealers can send as many employees to this thing as they wish for free and that's a huge value," Cleek said. "The seminars are geared mainly toward assistant managers, account managers and sales people who can really benefit from this kind of in-depth product knowledge. Plus they get the opportunity to network with their peers in the industry."

MRDA Administrative Manager Ken Steiner said the training fall training -- which first began in 2001 -- was shaping up to be one of the association's highly anticipated events.

"We've had a great deal of response again this year," Steiner said. "Like the tradeshow (Heartland) we do in the summer, anytime you give dealers product information it gives them more information to do their job. More information to talk about the features of one product over another."

The show runs from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29.

Rent to own buying groups Rent Direct and TRIB Group are sponsoring the event.

To register call 573/442-2963 or email Ken Steiner for more information at steineraa@aol.com

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 ColorTyme 2010 Convention Album
ColorTyme 2010 Convention
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