APRO member and SmartWay/SmartWheels owner Ben Bost passed away on October 17th at the age of 43. Bost supported the rent-to-own industry by participating in APRO conventions, and serving on the TRIB Group board of directors. In November 2017, he suffered two strokes that left him a quadriplegic, but lived the past eleven months with resilience, courage, and good humor.
In March, TRIB Group hosted a special tribute to Bost at the buying group’s 2018 Meeting of the Minds Hot Show, raising more than $56,000 to help fund a specialty van for Bost. In August, Ben and his daughter, MariMac, drove the van to St. Louis to attend RTO World; he gave a speech at the event’s Hot Show expressing his gratitude to the RTO industry for all its support.
A service celebrating Bost’s life will be held today at 2 p.m. at his home in Charlotte, NC. Parking will be available at the Myers Park Country Club Tennis Center, located at 2600 Sharon Road in Charlotte.
Friends of the Bosts have established a GoFundMe campaign to help support Ben’s family during this difficult time. To contribute, click here.
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!
