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Frye Named Premier Dealer of the Year at National Convention

The Premier Companies President and CEO Trooper Earle and Premier Dealer of the Year Sandi Frye

APRO board member and Hall of Honor recipient Sandi Frye was honored again by our industry last weekend, accepting The Premier Companies’ Dealer of the Year Award. Frye received the award at the company’s National Convention, held in Miami on January 12-13th.

“The initiative and drive that Sandi devotes to the development of her store is inspirational to the entire Premier Team,” shares The Premier Companies President and CEO Trooper Earle. “She tries everything, never gives up and takes any suggestions from other Top Performers as well as the Premier Support Team. She is a merited recipient of this esteemed award. Congratulations, Sandi!”

Benefit Marketing Solutions’ David Kaye receives Premier Vendor of the Year award

Sandi was not the only APRO member honored at the event. Also, honored at the welcome cocktail reception was longtime APRO member David Kaye of Benefit Marketing Solutions who received the Vendor of the Year award. Kaye was acknowledged for being one of the company’s original vendors.

During the convention, attendees received franchise and industry updates introducing goals for marketing strategies and franchise growth in 2019. Speakers included The Premier Companies’ Trooper Earle, Franchise Advisor and Board Chairman John Manzari, and Director of Marketing Nancy Price. Price reviewed the past years’ accomplishments which included the release of the company’s app featuring a robust Refer-A-Friend program and automated tracking system. The team also announced their partnership with marketing professionals as they collaborate on a new program expected to launch March 1st in Nashville, TN.

Trooper Earle, Jill McClure, Larkin Mott and Walt Ulbricht at the The Premier Companies National Convention welcome reception.

Additional speakers at the event included APRO Executive Director Jill McClure who encouraged attendance and participation in this year’s APRO Legislative Conference, scheduled for April 9-11th in Washington, D.C.; and Keynote Franchise Hub’s, Rick Grossmann, a consultant for Premier who will take the company to the next level.

The convention portion of the event concluded Sunday night with its awards banquet honoring members for community service, premier customer service, store anniversaries, sales volume and extraordinary contributions to the Premier organization. Everyone was invited to join their peers for the Premier Celebration immediately following the national convention, scheduled for January 14-17th in Cancun.

“Last year Premier changed up the agenda by having a one-day business convention followed by a three-day celebration acknowledging our accomplishments and to enjoy one another’s company.” comments The Premier Companies Events Coordinator Larkin Mott. “We all had a wonderful time in Jamaica last year and we are looking forward to our time together in Cancun.”

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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.