Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

Heartland Wraps 12th Annual Trade Show in Lake Ozark

The Missouri Rental Dealers Association wrapped their three-day annual regional trade show and seminar on Thursday, June 23rd. This year proved to be the most successful turnout in both rental dealers and vendors yet. Bass Winners Day two started bright and early on Wednesday morning as rental dealers split up into two groups to either play golf at the 4-Man Golf Scramble or catch some bass at the Bass Fishing Tournament – see results below. Participants grabbed some lunch and had a chance to freshen up before that evenings events. Attendees reconvened at the Vendor Showcase where they were greeted with a cocktail reception, raffle and any last bits of buying and networking with vendors. Dinner and the annual awards banquet shortly followed the Vendor Showcase. MRDA President, John Cleek Jr., welcomed all those in attendance while kicking off the awards presentations honoring both new and tenured vendors. Dan Cole of National Rent to Own provided a PAC Fund and APRO update followed by Senator Gary Romine who presented a legislative update for Missouri. Mark Connelly took the stage and shared his goals for the upcoming year as newly elected president of APRO. He pledged loyalty to the industry and believes there is much success in RTO. APRO’s Executive Director, Bill Keese, then went over his upcoming retirement and the board’s plans for an Executive Director search. He thanked all of those in the RTO industry and stands by his notion of unparalleled camaraderie. He closed with highlighting the importance to vote in this year’s presidential election. “Go vote! My job, your job, our jobs are dependent of it. This is a watershed year in politics and your vote makes a difference,” said Keese. Senator Gary Romine announced and handed out trophies to the winners of the 4-Man Scramble golf tournament followed by Tiger John Cleek who followed suit with the winners of the Bass Fishing Tournament. See results below. MRDA’s Executive Director, Ken Steiner closed the awards presentation celebrating his 20th year of managing the association and trade show. He shared his gratitude for the vast interest of vendors in showing at the exhibit hall, confessing it was more than they were able to accommodate this year and thus left a handful [of vendors] on a waiting list. MRDA now has a fast growing list of vendors set for next year’s show and encouraged interested parties to secure their spot for 2017’s trade show as soon as possible. “It’s been such a great journey of working with dealers and vendors. I’ve never had so many friends. When talking with vendors, I always say, I’m not a dealer, I’m a friend.” Click here to see more photos of Heartland of America 2016.

Bass Fishing Tournament Winners

1st Place: Tiger Cleek and John Cleek, Jr. (Cleek’s/Aaron’s) 2 keepers; 4.01lb big bass; 5.97lb total weight 2nd place: John Nissen and Joe McArtor (Cleek’s/Aaron’s) 2 keepers; 3.39lb big bass; 4.36 total weight 3rd place: Steve Braning and Cheryl Braning (National RTO) 1 keeper; 3.54lb big bass and total weight 4th place: Dan Kopsas and Rick Windsor (National TV Sales & Rentals) 1 keeper; 3.17lb big bass and total weight

4-Man Scramble Golf Tournament Winners

1st place, Score: 63 – J. McCabe, B. VanderWerf, S. Murpyhy, D. St. Peter 2nd place, Score: 64 – J. Pinkley, J. Seleby, A. Drambraukas, R. Rineberg 3rd place, Score: 66 – L. Beshore, J. Roth, R. Haney, M. Adams 4th place, Score: 68 – M. Williams, A. Rinbone, M. Smith, S. Wilmsmeier Closest to Pin: Gary Jones and Scott Young Women’s Long Drive: Karen Bunch Men’s Long Drive: Aaron Windsor Click here to see more photos of Heartland of America 2016.

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Mike Lewis

Mike Lewis is a Premier Rental Purchase franchisee with multiple stores and currently serves as Vice President of Operations. With 33 years of experience in the rent-to-own industry, he has spent the past 20 years working closely with franchisee owners and previously spent 12 years in Corporate RTO, gaining a strong foundation in the business.

For the past five years, Mike has been sharing his knowledge by teaching managers and franchisees at the company’s Training Center.

Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, kids, and grandkids, and appreciates the simple things in life – especially riding his Harley Davidson with the sun on his face. If you know, you know!

Lauren Talicska

Arona Corporation dba Arona Home Essentials

Lauren Talicska is an experienced multi-channel marketing specialist and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Arona Home Essentials. She has found her home in the RTO community, supporting stores in branding, growth, and increasing traffic.

You may recognize Lauren as a former RTO vendor, including her time as a partner for Nationwide RentDirect, or her previous participation in the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee. Lauren calls Columbus, Ohio, home and spends her workday crafting and executing marketing promotions from inception to realization, all while supporting the branding and social media needs of all the Arona stores in 12 states (plus Puerto Rico!).

Charles Smitherman

APRO

Charles Smitherman, JD, PhD, CAE, became CEO of APRO in 2023, bringing years of legal and executive experience in the rent-to-own industry. 

Prior to joining the association, Charles served as COO, General Counsel, and Vice President of PTS Financial Services, where he played an active role in the rent-to-own industry by representing his company through PTS’s club program offering with APRO member dealers. Charles is an attorney with two decades of experience across a wide variety of areas, including RTO, consumer financial services, antitrust, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, franchise law, and privacy law. Following law school at the University of Georgia, Charles earned a Master of Legal Studies and PhD in Law from the University of Oxford in England.

Charles is credentialed as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with the American Society of Association Executives, a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with the International Franchise Association, and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals. As APRO’s sixth CEO in its 45-year history, he brings a collaborative, member-focused approach to association leadership, emphasizing transparency, advocacy, and value creation. Outside of work, Charles is an active ultra runner and open water swimmer.

Mike Kays

Ashley Furniture Industries

As VP of Rental Sales for Ashley Furniture Industries, Mike thrives on building relationships with our RTO industry veterans, and helping businesses grow through new product, new marketing, and new supply chain options.

Mike works to leverage a wide breadth of relationships and influence, intimate knowledge of market trends, and unique knowledge of what RTO dealers need from a supplier to be successful.

The saying goes that a high tide raises all boats, and our goal is to leverage the world’s largest furniture manufacturer to drive the continued growth of the RTO industry and all the suppliers.

Mike Tissot

Countryside Rentals Inc., dba Rent-2-Own

Mike grew up in the rent-to-own industry under the guidance of his father, former APRO President and RTO legend Darrell Tissot. For nearly 25 years, Mike’s innovative leadership has helped expand the family business to more than 40 stores across Ohio and Kentucky while also shaping the industry as a whole.

He has served as President of the Ohio Rental Dealers Association, an APRO board member and Treasurer, and President and Treasurer of the TRIB Group. His contributions have earned him the APRO President’s Award of Excellence and the title of APRO Rental Dealer of the Year.

Outside of RTO, Mike enjoys time at the lake house or in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his girlfriend, Angela Strong McCool. A passionate Cincinnati Reds fan, he rarely misses a game, whether watching or listening alongside his parents. He also takes every opportunity to visit Arizona, where his daughter is currently attending Arizona State University.