Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

Panelists for APRO Cybersecurity Webinar Announced

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and APRO is supporting it with a new webinar designed to help you steer clear of cybersecurity nightmares!

Register today for our Cybersecurity Webinar, Nightmare on RTO Street:

Cybersecurity Tales to Save Your Neck & Your Network, scheduled for October 6, 2022, at 1:00 PM CT. A panel of RTO experts will share their own cautionary tales of haunting cyber breaches, as well as actions you can put into practice to protect your business and safeguard your networks!

We’ll also be testing your cybersecurity IQ, with prizes for top scores!

Meet our panelists:

Dan Singh

Daniel Singh has 30-plus years of RTO experience, from store collections to company director and CEO of Dial Rent To Own. Singh currently owns and operates six store locations, including in Guam, Saipan, and Aruba. Singh is the 2019 recipient of the APRO Steve Kruse Award. He loves spending time with his family, and shares his infectious humor and zest for life with everyone he meets.

Matt Warren

As a senior vice president of RNR Tire Express Franchise, Matthew Warren helps cultivate company growth strategies, training initiatives, and company culture. Coming from the educational sector, Warren works to improve cross-departmental efficiencies and streamline policies, while helping each department foster an atmosphere of growth to advance RNR’s success serving all store locations.

Jammy Williams

Jammy Williams has almost three decades of RTO experience and is one of the industry’s leading experts on POS systems. Williams began her career with Ideal Software, where she advanced to become director of operations and support. Williams currently serves as director of IT Services for Buddy’s Newco LLC, dba Buddy’s Home Furnishings, supporting operations, security, and compliance of over 300 locations.

Aaron Windsor

Aaron Windsor, owner of National TV Sales & Rental, and was raised in rent-to-own and has almost 30 years’ experience in the business. Windsor sits at the helm of 19 busy stores located throughout Missouri, and is an active RTO advocate, serving as Vice President of the Missouri Rental Dealers Association. Windsor is married with four kids, a dog, a cat, and plenty of chickens, pigs, and cattle.

Don’t ghost us – register today by clicking here.

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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.