Rent-to-own News

Rent-to-own News - Rent King employees donate $2,500 to local charity

January 3, 2011

L to R: Kristina Smallwood - Rent King's Director of Marketing, Katelyn Smallwood,Tim Marks - President of Metropolitan Ministries and Rent King Controller Sharon Tomaszewski.

For the sixth year in a row, Rent King employees provided a generous donation to Tampa-based Metropolitan Ministries.

For over 38 years, Metropolitan Ministries has served poor and homeless men, women, and children - growing from a single room food pantry, to one of America's most effective and innovative caregivers.

Serving as many as 150 families daily through Outreach and Prevention Services, the Ministries remain committed to breaking the cycle of poverty.

“Through voluntary payroll deductions taken from every paycheck, our employees contribute throughout the year towards this charity, as well as several others,” says Rent King’s Controller, Sharon Tomaszewski. “We are proud that our team makes this a priority and comes together every year in a huge way. Not every one can take time to serve or volunteer, but they know that this enables them to make a difference in the lives of many others who are less fortunate.”

Rent King’s donation will help support the 85,000 people who were served by Metropolitan Ministries in November and December, the 43,000 meals they provided during the holidays, and the 97,000 presents given to children who would otherwise have no gifts for Christmas. For more information, visit www.metromin.org.

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 Bestway Rent-To-Own 2009 "Afterburner" Missions Album
Bestway Rent-To-Own 2009 "Afterburner" Missions
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