Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

Rent One Honors Its Best, Reveals New Values Statements

VP Kelly Martin leads a breakout session about the company’s new culture statements.

APRO member SKC Enterprises Inc. dba Rent One hosted almost 300 people at its 2023 Annual Meeting, held in St. Louis, Missouri, in early March. The event, themed “No Limits,” featured guest speakers, leadership courses, awards presentations, and the unveiling of the company’s new mission, vision, and core values statements.

Rent One Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Culture Kelly Martin presented the reveal, saying, “This event is a culmination of a lot of years of hard work to cement our culture and our values – ultimately making us more impactful as a company and more impactful within our communities.”

Rent One’s new culture statements are:

  • Mission: To empower our coworkers to enthusiastically increase the quality of life in their community through compassion and solutions.
  • Vision: To inspire happiness in our communities through a higher quality of life.
  • (CARE) Core Values: Compassionate, Adaptable, Resourceful, Enthusiastic.

The Annual Awards Banquet honored Rent One’s top performers, including the first-ever Rent One Hall of Honor inductee, Elvis Riley of Harrisburg, Illinois.

Elvis Riley (inset) accepts the first-ever Hall of Honor Award via FaceTime from (L to R) Mark Williams, RNR President Richard Bergman, Larry Carrico, Kelly Martin and SKC Enterprises President and APRO Treasurer Trent Agin.

“Elvis has brought tremendous value to Rent One over his 35-year career, always putting loyalty and service above self-attitude,” said Vice President of Sales & Marketing Mark Williams. “Elvis’ eagerness to learn helped him develop a broad spectrum of talent, which he happily put to use with his always-ready willingness to jump into the next spot where Rent One needed him.”

Other Rent One award recipients included:

  • Employee of the Year: Aubrey Ruiz, Searcy, Arkansas
  • Rookie of the Year: Natalie Johnson, Lexington, Tennessee
  • Store Manager of the Year: Mataya Jeffords, Benton, Illinois
  • Regional Manager of the Year: Dave Stephens, Region 16
  • Presidential Award of Excellence: Joel “Joey” Hall, Huntingdon, Tennessee
  • Rent One Store of the Year: Flora, Illinois, managed by Nora Daughtery


The following RNR Tire Express employees were also honored:

  • Sales Manager of the Year: Gary Johnson, Fairview Heights, Illinois
  • Store Manager of the Year: Candace Johnson, Poplar Bluff, Missouri
  • RNR Store of the Year: Fairview Heights, Illinois, managed by Kevin Tourville


In addition to leadership courses led by educators from Dale Carnegie Training, meeting attendees were inspired by two guest speakers: former pro athlete and “Big Coach” Spencer Conley, and Olympic legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

CEO Larry Carrico (R) honors Rent One Employee of the Year Aubrey Ruiz (L).

Rent One CEO Larry Carrico wrapped up the three-day event by presenting a $5,000 check to the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which provides individuals and families in need with athletic and academic lessons and resources to improve their quality of life.

Upcoming Events




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.