John Rogers, 65, a longtime rent-to-own champion and APRO associate member, passed away on June 27. Rogers, who worked for rent-to-own software companies High Touch Technologies and Ideal Software before his retirement, received APRO’s Norm Smith Vendor of the Year award in 2002. He was very active in APRO since joining in 1984 and served as vice chairman on the association’s vendor advisory committee for many years; he also served as the associate member on the APRO board of directors. Throughout his years as a highly regarded rent-to-own vendor, Rogers worked diligently to promote vendor membership in APRO and he championed many of the state rental-dealer associations, as well. As a result of his efforts, more vendors participated in APRO, including increased attendance at the association’s annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.
“In all the years I have been involved with the people of APRO and our industry in general, I can count on one hand the number of folks who were as kind and committed to us as John was,” remembers longtime APRO member Ernie Lewallen of UHR Rents in Cincinnati, Ohio. “He was tireless, whether working on behalf of his longtime employer High Touch, APRO, TRIB Group or with a number of state associations that he served. Long live the memory of John Rogers—such a special man.”
“John was a major contributor to APRO and the rent-to-own industry,” says Cindy Ferguson, APRO’s senior director of sales and marketing. “He served with fierce dedication on the vendor advisory committee for more than 15 years and his ideas and suggestions while on the committee were always so helpful in making the APRO show a better one. John always had a smile on his face and had such a way of making me feel like we were best friends.”
Rogers retired recently and was living in Wichita, Kansas. A visitation will be held there from 3 to 5 p.m. this Sunday, July 2, at the Downing & Lahey West Funeral Home. A service will be held at 10:30 a.m., July 3, at the Pathway Church in Wichita. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in his memory may do so through the memorial program at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, 313 S. Market, Wichita, KS 67202; or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 383 Main Ave., 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851.
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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!
