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RTO in Ink

By Jen Troke and Kristen Card

We asked – ‘Show us your ink!’ – & you answered! From mascots to memorials, RTO folks show & tell about their favorite tattoos

Cody Flippin

EZ Furniture Sales & Leasing Manager Vernal, Utah

“I’ve always LOVED our company mascot, Captain EZ – he’s the coolest ever! I got this tattoo as part of my 10-year anniversary with the company; our owners are some of the most amazing people. This tattoo is one of my favorites because it always gets a conversation started and it really shows how much I LOVE the company I’m part of. Maybe for my 20-year anniversary, I’ll expand it!”

Danny Lastra

CPL Group Inc., dba Rent King District Manager Tampa, Florida

“The wolf is my favorite animal. It represents a pack leader – cunning, fearless, fierce, intelligent, and strong; I try to apply all these qualities as the leader of my family and in my position with Rent King. The two wolves symbolize my wife and me. I’m the wolf howling at the moon as I pursue my dreams and goals, and my wife is the wolf recognized as my support, my strength, and my partner.”

Katie Marie Meyer

Central Rent 2 Own Human Resources Generalist & Trainer Caldwell, Idaho

“I have a close family member who struggles with several mental and emotional disabilities. Thankfully, this person is still with us and is very cherished. During one of their harder moments, we got matching tattoos of this heart. The semicolon says even though someone is going through a hard time, they are loved, and life continues. For me, it’s a reminder that relationships are important, and you can’t know what someone is struggling with unless you create the relationship. RTO is all about relationships; in rent-to-own and in HR, everything comes down to loving people.”

Michelle Montero

Full-O-Pep Appliances Inc., dba American Rental Store Manager Crawfordsville, Indiana

“In May 2021, my daughter Keyla was in a bad car wreck and was life-flighted to a trauma center. She had a bleeding spleen, fractured hip, broken wrist, and many lacerations. But following arm surgery and a brief hospital stay, she was released to do physical therapy at home.

“On June 11, 2021, I was at work when I got the call that she had had a seizure. I drove to the hospital, and they told me my daughter was gone … but then a nurse rushed in and said they had a pulse. So I went in and talked to her for 45 minutes while they continued to try to revive her, but nothing was working. They asked my permission for them to stop trying, and I agreed. My tattoo represents myself with her two sons – my grandsons – who I am now raising on my own.”

Tamika Wall

Countryside Rentals Inc., dba Rent-2-Own Store Manager London, Ohio

“I’ve been with Rent-2-Own for 20 years. I’m a bowler, and three of us at R2O have been on the same team for more than a decade, the R2O Divas. The three of us have this tattoo, and we’re very proud of it. We got them about three years ago; it was designed for us by Kate Addy in our marketing department. The three different lip colors on the pins are our favorite colors: red, pink, and purple.”

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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.