Meet APRO's Past Scholarship Winners

APRO's 2010 Educational Scholarship Winner ($3,000)
Cordilia Stewart of National T.V. Sales and Rentals

Cordilla Stewart is a junior at Drury University where she is pursuing a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology and Criminology. Stewart goes to school while working as an assistant manager of a National TV's Mountain Grove store. She was an excellent high school student with a bright future. Then, as Stewart puts it, "everything went wrong".
Pregnant with her son, she dropped out of high school, and as a single mother began working at fast food restaurants to just get by. She became pregnant again and realized her once bright future is now an example to her children of what "not" to do. Her pursuit of a degree never left her mind when she achieved her G.E.D. then enrolled at Drury University. She is now 104 credit hours on her way to a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology and Criminology. All while working full time at National TV Sales and Rentals and sustaining a 3.5 grade point average.

APRO's 2010 Educational Scholarship Winner ($2,000)
Kylie Pelow, sponsored by SEI/Aaron's franchise

Kylie Pelow has been accepted in the Spanish Program in the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University. She graduated 5th in her class with an honors diploma at Eastlake North High School. She was on the Principal's list, Volunteers Club and National Honor Society. Pelow volunteered with the Girl Scouts, "Breakfast with Santa and with the Bunny" and was a Spanish tutor for younger students at Eastlake.

Pelow was a member of the High School Varsity Soccer Team and was captain for her senior year. She volunteered and excelled in her studies while working part time at a local restaurant. Her father Chris is the general manager for SEI/Aaron's franchise store in Geneva, NY. As the winner of the foreigh Language student of the year with her studies in Spanish and French, Kylie plans to use her scholarship to "work even harder to accomplish [her] objectives and become the best [she] can be."

APRO's 2010 Educational Scholarship Winner ($1,500)
Michael Kessler of Rent-A-Center

Michael Kessler began his RTO career twelve years ago after he dropped our of college. He moved up to Assistant Manager quickly then store manager. After realizing he could make a much bigger impact at Rent-A-Center with a college education, he enrolled at Kent State to pursue a Business Management degree. Since then he has completed 89 hours and been on the Dean's List with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5.

APRO's 2010 Educational Scholarship Winner ($1,500)
Evan Carter Howell, sponsored by Rent-A-Center

Evan recently was accepted into Auburn University after two years at Faulkner State College. He passed his first two semesters on the Dean's List and the President's List with a cumulative grade point average of 3.9.

He graduated high school as a member of the National Honor Society. Evan works full time as an assistant manager at a local sports store while attending school full time. He wants to pursue a degree in languages to become a linguistic expert for the F.B.I. His mother, Patricia Enriquez, works at the corporate headquarters of Rent-A-Center in Plano, TX.

APRO's 2009 Educational Scholarship Winner ($2,000)
Robin Walker, sponsored by RTO Rentals

Gary "Bo" Walker with daughter Robin -- APRO's 2009 Educational Scholarship recipient. Play video.

Robin Walker, a University of Mississippi sophomore, is the Association of Progressive Rental Organization's 2009 Education Scholarship winner. Daughter of Gary "Bo" Walker, director of operations for RTO Rentals of Paris, Tennessee, Walker was selected from a competitive field of over 100 entries. A journalism major, Robin Walker hopes to pursue a career in broadcast journalism or public relations. but her interests are not limited to classroom and career as she is an active member in Habitat for Humanity and her sorority, Phi Mu, for which she serves as the philanthropy chair.

APRO's 2008 Educational Scholarship Winner ($2,000)
Penny Wyatt of Show-Me Rent-To-Own

Watch the video about APRO Scholarship Winner Penny Wyatt.

The 2008 scholarship award was an anonymous donation by a generous APRO member to help promote and raise awareness of the APRO Scholarship Foundation program.

Show-Me Rent-To-Own saleswoman Penny Wyatt is used to going the extra mile. She's a single mother raising a 14-year-old son, a full time award-winning employee and a full-time student on the Dean's List. She is currently enrolled a Mineral Area College where she holds a 3.9 college G.P.A. and is pursuing a pre-business administration associate degree. Wyatt takes night classes and online courses to accomodate her work schedule at Show-Me Rent-To-Own's Farmington location where she is a sales assistant. It's the first step on a path that will ultimately lead to an MBA and possible a rent-to-own store of her own.

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 2009 Convention and Buying Show: Hot Show Album
APRO 2009 Convention and Buying Show: "Hot Show" Auction
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