APRO Nominating Committee Announces Slate of Candidates for 2019-2020 Board of Directors

An email with access to an online proxy ballot for the 2019-2020 APRO Board of Directors and information on additional voting methods was sent Friday, July 5, from nominations@rtohq.org. If you have not received the email, be sure to check your junk mail to participate. Proxy ballots are due no later than Friday, July 26.

The APRO Nominating Committee is pleased to present the slate of candidates for the 2019-2020 APRO Board of Directors.

Dennis Adams, District Manager for Full-O-Pep Appliances Inc., dba American Rental, is seeking re-election to the APRO board of directors. Adams has worked for Full-O-Pep for 39 years and started before its inception at a local appliance store that was sold to Jim Hammond and David P. David in 1980. The three re-structured it into a rent-to-own business and it now has 48 stores in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. Adams has held the title of Store Manager, Regional Manager and his current title of District Manager during his tenure at Full-O-Pep.

As an APRO board member, Adams wants to further APRO’s commitment to educating members on the importance of marketing, which will improve the industry’s image at a store level. He also wants to continue serving as a voice for independent stores on the APRO board in order to support their operations. Adams has served on the APRO board since 2009 and currently serves as Chairman of the APRO State Coordination Committee. He has been affiliated with the Rental-Purchase Dealers Association of Indiana for the past 21 years and has served as President since 2008.

Giving back to his community is also very important to Adams. Since the 1990s, he has collected money for the Riley Hospital for Children. He provides leadership for the Habitat for Humanity builds that Full-O-Pep sponsored this year in Brown County, Indiana. 

David P. David, Owner of Full-O-Pep/American Rental, describes Adams as an enthusiastic, honest, loyal and hardworking businessman who isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty to make sure customers’ needs are met.

Michael Bennett brings 25 years of experience in the RTO industry encompassing both franchise and corporate operations. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Buddy’s Newco, LLC, dba Buddy’s Home Furnishings. Prior to joining Buddy’s, he held a number of titles for several rent-to-own companies and divisions such as Regional Director for Acceptance Now in Plano Texas, Vice President of Great Lakes Operations for Aaron’s Inc. while also serving on its National Advertising Advisory and Strategic Budgeting Committees, Director of Operations and minority equity partner of Rosey Rentals LP, dba Aaron’s Inc., Divisional Vice President and Regional Manager of RentWay Inc., and he began his career as Regional Manager of Rent-A-Center. Bennett has also served on the board of directors for the Illinois Rental Dealers Association and the Florida Rental Dealers Association. He graduated cum laude and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Webber International University.

Phillip Bumbry, Partner and President of Mid-Atlantic-WolfPack, dba Aaron’s Sales and Lease, brings 20 years of experience to the RTO industry. Bumbry entered the world of RTO by way of Rent-A-Center in 1999 after attending Morgan State University. In 2016 he became a franchisee of Aaron’s where he became Partner and President of The Mid Atlantic Wolfpack dba Aaron’s Sales and Lease. Bumbry shares that his biggest accomplishment was pulling 10 stores out of bankruptcy to become one of the top 5 franchisees for Aaron’s in 2017 and his company is currently bringing in $13 million gross revenue annually. He was also recently elected President of The Pennsylvania Association of Rental Dealers in May of this year.

After finding his calling in the RTO industry and working his way through the ranks from 2005 thru 2014, Chad Fosdick opened his first franchise Premier location in North Platte, NE. After a successful opening, Fosdick expanded locally with the opening of his second franchise business, Mr. Appliance. When not working to grow two new businesses, Fosdick enjoys spending time with his family and giving back to his community. He and his wife, Rhonda, have two children, Gage and Tehya.

Louis Garcia graduated from Texas State University in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in Management. He brings 36 years of experience to the RTO industry working with a range of companies including Best Rentals, Rent-A-Center, Thorn International Rental [TIR], Advantage Quality Cars, and RentWay before becoming a co-owner to a ColorTyme, now Rent-A-Center, franchise. In 2004, Garcia moved to Baltimore and opened his first store and bought three more stores in 2005. Earlier this year, Garcia acquired 41 Rent-A-Center stores across Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia and West Virginia and most recently acquired another 14 in May.

Garcia is the serving his second term as President of the APRO Board of Directors and has been a member of the board since 2015. He has also attended the APRO legislative conference every year for the last 10 years and serves as President of the Maryland Rental Dealers Association. He views the APRO Board as an avenue to give back to the industry that has given so much to him and his family.

David Harrison began his career in the RTO industry in 2005 when he formed Rental Concepts LLC, dba RNR Tire Express, alongside Geron Vail and Don Parker. His background includes wholesale distribution where he serviced many traditional RTO businesses and where he met his partner, Geron Vail. Over the past 12 years, Rental Concepts has enjoyed steady consistent growth currently operating 22 locations with additional markets opening this year. Harrison credits the company’s success to his mentors Geron Vail and Larry Sutton, Founder and President of the RNR Tire Express franchise; Vail provided the structure and systems the company needed for the expansion, while Sutton provided a solid business base and motivation. 

Harrison is quick to acknowledge the support of APRO members that are RNR Franchisees that have facilitated the growth of the brand. He currently serves as 2^nd Vice President of the APRO Board of Directors and has been a member since 2015. He also serves as chairman of the APRO Communications & PR Committee and was the recipient of the 2016 APRO President’s Award of Excellence. Harrison and his wife Sheila have two daughters, Candice Rene Hill and Ashley Brooke Lindsey, as well as five grandchildren.

Robbie Kamerschen serves as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary at Aaron’s, Inc. while also serving as President of the Aaron’s Foundation. Kamerschen is responsible for legal, compliance, corporate governance, risk management, government relations, associate resources, data security, external affairs, privacy and physical security for the company.  As President of the Aaron’s Foundation, he directs the giving strategy and guides the Foundation’s mission to improve the life prospects of at-risk youth.

Prior to joining Aaron’s, Kamerschen was U.S. General Counsel, Senior Vice President of Government Relations & Chief Compliance Officer at Equifax. Earlier in his career, he served in executive positions with ChoicePoint and EzGov and was an attorney in the Atlanta office of Troutman Sanders LLP. 

Prior to law school, he worked for U.S. Senator Richard Shelby in Washington, D.C., and played professional baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.  He holds a B.A. from Stanford University and is an honors graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law. Kamerschen currently serves on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta Board of Directors, the Atlanta Area Council Boy Scouts of America, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Metro Atlanta Chamber Board of Advisors. He has served on the APRO Board of Directors since 2015 and is chairman of the APRO Government Relations Committee and the APRO Political Action Committee. Kamerschen and his wife Becca have three teenage children: Mary-Eliza, an ambitious high-school junior preparing for college; Wells, a sophomore focused on football and wrestling; and Ella, a super-social seventh-grader.

Gopal Reddy, President and CEO of Action Development Corp., dba Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership, came to the United States from Kurugonda, India, in 1968. After his arrival, he received his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California and an MBA in finance from Bryant University in Rhode Island.  Reddy opened his first Aaron’s store in Springfield, Illinois, 19 years ago.  Reddy has continued to expand his business over the years and now has 10 stores across central Illinois.

Reddy is an active participant in both the Illinois Rental Dealer Association’s Illinois Legislative Conference and the APRO Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., to his community outreach which includes donating to the local American Lung Association, Boy’s and Girl’s Club, donating backpacks and school supplies to local schools, sponsoring little league teams, as well as other donations and sponsorships. He has been tirelessly involved with the Aaron’s Franchise Association over the years by being an officer and serving on the AFA board. He has served on the APRO Board of Directors since 2011 and has previously served as 1st Vice President and Treasurer on the board. Reddy and his wife Tulasi have to two daughters and three grandchildren.