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Fuse 2017, Day 2: General Session, Fuse Trade Show and APRO’s Awards Reception & Banquet

IRDA President Casey Pristou auctioned the cutting of his hair for APRO’s Education Foundation Scholarship Fund. They raised $7,000.
The second day of Fuse 2017: APRO’s National RTO Convention & Trade Show’s ignited with General Session and Business meeting held in the Galveston Island Convention Center’s ballroom bright and early and Wednesday, May 10th. APRO’s President Mark Connelly welcomed attendees and went over the schedule of events for the day. Richard May went over APRO’s 2017 statistical survey results that will be fully explained during RTO Education Day’s session with Industry Insights Greg Manns on Thursday, May 11th. Dennis Shields and Sandi Frye honored the 2017 Continued Excellence for sustained high performance among State Rental Dealer Associations and awarded the 2017 Legislative Achievement Award to the Missouri Rental Dealers Association. MRDA President John Cleek Jr. accepted the award on behalf of the state association. Larry Carrico went over APRO’s Education Foundation Scholarship Fund and Society for Tomorrow. Texas A&M’s Liz Lytton spoke on behalf of scholarship recipients and extended her gratitude to the membership and to all of those that contributed and continue to do so in efforts of building a better future. Larry then called Casey Pristou to the stage and auctioned the opportunity to cut Casey’s hair on stage. Casey grew his hair out for two years to specifically have the cut at Fuse auctioned to raise money for the scholarship fund. The de-mane-ing raised $7,000. APRO’s Executive Director Bill Keese, President Mark Connelly and Upcoming Executive Director Jill McClure cut the ribbon to open the Fuse Trade Show. Attendees spent the afternoon meeting with vendors and rental professionals that were exhibiting at this year’s convention. Click here to see more photos of Fuse 2017 General Session. Click here to see more photos of Fuse 2017 Trade Show.
APRO President Mark Connelly introduces Sally Sims to recognize Chuck Sims and new APRO’s Chuck Sims Rental Dealer of the Year Award.
Day two of Fuse 2017 wrapped with honoring some of the rent-to-own industry’s finest at APRO’s Awards Banquet. Attendees waltzed into the cocktail reception and caught up with colleagues and friends before enjoying an elegant dinner as trophies were bestowed for State Association of the Year, Norm Smith Vendor of the Year, Heritage Award, President’s Award of Excellence and the Chuck Sims Rental Dealer of the Year Award. APRO’s President Mark Connelly paid tribute to Bill Keese and wished him a fond farewell and then introduced APRO’s upcoming Executive Director Jill McClure to the membership. Jill spoke to the membership and shared her sentiments about coming in as APRO’s Executive Director, “I feel as though I just married into a big extended family and I’m so thrilled to be here.” Another very special moment of the evening was when Sally Sims took the stage and shared memories of her late husband, Chuck Sims, and their close relationship with the RTO industry. The Rental Dealer of the Year award has been renamed to honor him and is now called The Chuck Sims Rental Dealer of the Year award. Click here to see more photos of Fuse 2017 Awards Banquet. Stay tuned for the last day of convention tomorrow, RTO Education Day. We are looking forward to opening session with Jay Baer and our closing session with Matthew Dowd. 2017 Hall of Honor Inductees
  • State Association of the Year – Illinois Rental Deals Association, accepted by IRDA President Casey Pristou
  • Norm Smith Vendor of the Year – Marty Smith
  • Heritage Award – Dan Fisher
  • President’s Award of Excellence – Chris Kale
  •  Chuck Sims Rental Dealer of the Year Award – Gary Ferriman
2017-2018 APRO Executive Committee
  • David Kraemer, APRO President
  • Louis Garcia, First Vice President
  • David Harrison, Second Vice President
  • Trent Agin, Treasurer
  • Jonathan Rose, Secretary
  • Mark Connelly, Immediate Past President

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Mike Lewis

Central Properties dba Premier Rental-Purchase

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.