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Illinois Rental Dealers: A Case Study in Legislative Action

Larry Carrico, Jill McClure, Casey Pristou and Matt Grynwald
The Illinois Rental Dealers Association (IRDA) hosted its 2017 Annual Meeting last Thursday in O’Fallon, Illinois. Members gathered to discuss the current state of the industry and hear presentations from several guest speakers. APRO Executive Director, Jill McClure, recapped some of the association’s latest news and briefed members on the upcoming 2018 Dave Egan Legislative Conference and the 2018 RTO World convention. APRO General Counsel Ed Winn III gave IRDA members a rent-to-own legal update. Brandon Bullard of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Executive Board closed the meeting with a presentation about working with local chambers of commerce members to grow businesses. APRO board members in attendance were Larry Carrico, Gopal Reddy, Mark Connelly and Matt Grynwald, along with APRO’s new Director of Business Development, Tony Pintarelli. “The 2017 IRDA Annual Meeting was a big success,” comments Casey Pristou, president of IRDA. “The theme was a case study in legislative success and our state association accomplished that with the marquee achievement of the passage of the Rental Purchase Agreement Occupation and Use Tax Act.” “The level at which the IRDA members are engaged in industry advocacy is admirable and it’s the reason why they’ve had legislative success,” says McClure, “It takes dedicated individuals building relationships over time and educating legislators firsthand about how legislation affects our industry to make this happen.” After the meeting, Michael Eckert and Brock Reynolds of the Illinois Department of Revenue gave a presentation about the implementation of the new law which takes effect on January 1, 2018. The new tax law brings Illinois in line with how RTO transactions are taxed in all other states, with dealers collecting and remitting sales tax on rental payments as they are made. Previously, the state required RTO dealers to pay a use tax on their wholesale purchases instead of a sales tax on rental payments. Click here to read more about the Rental Purchase Agreement Occupation and Use Tax Act. Click here to see more photos of IRDA’s 2017 Annual Business Meeting.

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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.