Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

TRIB Group Rolls Out Meeting of The Minds in Atlanta with Homecoming Theme

Premier dealers enjoy the College Hall of Fame.

February 28, 2020, Atlanta, Georgia – The Rental Industry Buying Group’s (TRIB Group’s) Homecoming at Meeting of the Minds in Atlanta, Georgia, was a huge success this year as members returned from February 23 through February 26 to the organization’s Spring Meeting/Buy Fair in the city where TRIB Group was initially founded.

TRIB Group’s headquarters remain in Atlanta. This year marks the first time the Group has been the sole sponsor of its Meeting of the Minds conference since 2007.

According to TRIB Group’s Dennis Shields, being able to plan exactly what members wanted without a strict schedule or venue constraints was ideal. “This Meeting of the Minds was like previous meetings, but on steroids,” he says.

Members of the crowd interact in the General Session

The event took place at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and Cobb Galleria Convention Center, near the new Battery at TRUIST Park, with a welcome reception the first evening at Atlanta’s College Football Hall of Fame.

General sessions were held Monday, including a veteran tribute, an awards ceremony and an update by APRO Executive Director Jill McClure. Eight breakout sessions followed that provided attendees with information about rent-to-own trends and updates.

Executive Director Jill McClure addresses attendees with an APRO update.

The live Hot Show & reception and the PTS After-party featuring a two-floor, wall-to-wall display of products, sponsors, and a constantly updated list of product sales in real time on a lifted stage concluded Monday’s lineup.  All proceeds from the event’s wild and woolly bull-riding activities were donated to support homeless veterans. The Emerging Professionals Happy Hour and Social in the Terrapin Taproom brought the day to an end.

Attendees get settled in for the Hot Show.

Tuesday was also filled with valuable breakout sessions for members, with topics including Winning at the Occupancy Game, Data Worth Action, FUN (Find, Unite, Nurture) Employees, Turning Online Leads into Ds, W.T.F. – What’s the Future?, Seek & Employ, Present & Emerging Products and How to Price for Maximum Profit and the Emerging Professionals Breakout.

The meeting concluded with a vendor show on Tuesday capping off with the Beer Bash Booth Crawl. Then the annual meeting closed Wednesday mid-day in the Exhibit Hall with the second half of the vendor show.

TRIB Group is an owner/member buying cooperative specifically for the RTO industry with over 150 member companies representing more than 2,800 store locations.

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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!

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.