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Strunk Named RNR Woman of the Year at Franchisee Conference

Cynthia Strunk Named RNR Woman of the Year at Franchisee Conference

Longtime APRO member and Hall of Honor recipient Cynthia Strunk was honored again by her industry this week, accepting RNR Tire Express’ Faye Sutton Award, acknowledging Strunk as RNR’s Woman of the Year. Strunk received the award – named for RNR founder Larry Sutton’s late mother – at the company’s 16th annual Franchisee Conference, held in Tampa January 7-9th. All of RNR’s 26 franchise groups attended the conference, including 180 owners, managers, operators and staff representing the company’s 116 stores in 22 states nationwide.

“The number of franchisees and managers that attended speaks volumes in terms of the importance and validity of the content being discussed,” shared RNR Franchise Development Coordinator Tracy Cintron. “Attendees clearly wanted to be there; they truly felt the great value of the event.”

RNR’s Franchisee Conference included a welcome reception, open forums, a vendor show featuring more than 15 wheel-and-tire vendors and the awards dinner, where Strunk was honored among her esteemed peers: Chris Wisniewski and Robert Roller, Friend Tire, Vendor of the Year; Larry Carrico, RNR Missouri, Mike Kent Pioneer Award; Dustin Wright, Wright Leasing, Leadership Award; Rusty Adkinson, Rental Concepts, Multi-unit Operator of the Year; and Keith Ferriman, Buckeye Wheel and Tires LLC, Best New Franchisee of the Year; and Larry Carrico and Rich Bergman, RNR Missouri, Franchise of the Year.

Executive Vice President Adam Sutton presents RNR branding

Additionally, attendees enjoyed two days of general sessions designed to bring participants up to speed on RNR’s 2019 goals. Speakers included RNR Tire Express Founder and President Larry Sutton, Executive Vice President Adam Sutton and Director of Corporate Development Matthew Warren, who addressed business development and personal growth for RNR success. Keynote speaker Bryan Dodge empowered the group with an inspiring, educational and actionable presentation intended to help franchisees awaken the potential within themselves.

“It’s always great to have all of our franchisees and vendors together, this year we had record attendance and celebrated our best year ever with record breaking revenue and customer growth,” concludes Sutton. “In 2018 we had over 110 thousand installations, over $160 million in revenue and over $1 million dollars in charitable donations! We are looking forward to even greater success in 2019!”

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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.