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Premier Celebrates Successes Miami-Style

Premier’s Vendor of the Year, Michael Kays of Ashley Furniture Industries (L), celebrates his win with TRIB Group Executive Director Dennis Shields (C) , and W. Silver Products‘ Brent Polunsky (R).

APRO member The Premier Companies hosted its annual convention in the heart of Miami Beach, Florida, in mid-January. Franchisees from across the country found reprieve from winter weather on the white sands of South Beach as they networked with other dealers and vendors during a diverse mix of discussions, receptions, awards, a vendor show, and a competitive scavenger hunt. 

Guests gathered poolside on the rooftop patio for the Welcome Reception, where Michael Kays, Ashley Furniture Industries’ Vice President of Rental Sales, was honored as Vendor of the Year.  

The General Session opened with Premier President and CEO Trooper Earle’s presentation on the state of the company and a detailed analysis on the strength of rent-to-own – detailing both its survival and thriving throughout the political and economic changes of the past forty years, as well as how it’s poised to flourish for the next forty.

“Premier continues to grow, invest in, and support our franchises,” said Earle. “We continue to be the gold standard in rent-to-own. Thank you for coming to Miami to celebrate with the Premier family our successes and to further unify our family.” 

Premier franchisee Michael Gughiocello (L) and Trooper Earle enjoy networking during the Welcome Reception.

Following Earle’s presentation, VP of Operations and Premier franchisee Mike Lewis delivered a motivational talk on the importance of a healthy lifestyle as a core part of personal and business success. John Manzari, franchisee and Chairman of the Owners Advisory Committee, provided an update on the committee’s meeting of the previous day and the outlook for 2024. Following the session, attendees were split up into teams to compete in a scavenger hunt that also let them explore and enjoy the architecture and other sights of Miami Beach. 

The Vendor Show, spotlighting 23 companies, happened that afternoon, followed by the Awards Banquet. A highlight of the banquet happened when Premier’s Event Director Larkin Mott took a special moment to honor the memory of Pat Earle, Trooper’s mother and pillar of support for the company for decades, who died last year.

The following APRO members were recognized as Premier Top Performers:

  • Matt Chamberlain – Easy Rentals Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Brian Duke & Ruben Flores – R&B Dreammakers dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Coe Ecker & David Quinn – D.H. Rentals Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Chad & Rhonda Fosdick – CR Fosdick Ent. Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Sandi Frye – White Rose Enterprises dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Angelo Gughiocello – MAKA Rental Purchase Inc. dba Partner’s Sales & Leasing / Premier
  • Scott Kinnear – SR Kinnear Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Wally Landmesser & Rob Rice – Nicole Rental Purchase LLC dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Mike Lewis – Central Properties dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • John Manzari – WoodyKat Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Heath Peters, Craig Shafer, & Mike Shuler – S&P Rentals Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Bill Scripa – Orange Rock Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Jamie & Rick Sieverding – Sieverding Group dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • John Sprayberry – Candie-Johns Rentals Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Tim Strachan – GTS Management LLC dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Felipe Sauceda, Joe Felan, Vanessa Gomez, Frank Gonzales, Stevie Ray Jimenez, & Gabriel Zapata – Texas RTO Investments Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Drew Summa – Extreme Rentals Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase
  • Sean Young – Forever Young Rental Enterprises Inc. dba Premier Rental-Purchase

From that elite group, Texas RTO Investments was selected Premier’s 2023 Franchisee of the Year in recognition of its representation of the values of Premier and exceptional example for others to follow. “Every Texas RTO employee played a big part in us receiving this prestigious award,” said General Manager Joe Felan. “We’re all honored and grateful.”

Mike Lewis (second from L) and Trooper Earle (third from R) congratulate (L to R) Frank Gonzales, Joe Felan, Stevie Ray Jimenez, Vanessa Gomez, Gabriel Zapata, and Felipe Sauceda of Texas RTO Investments on their 2023 Franchisee of the Year Award.

APRO CEO Charles Smitherman and Vice President of Membership Jen Troke presented the 2023 Premier Industry Service Awards to a long list of individuals who generously give their time and energy to work with APRO and state rental dealer associations, and contribute to the APRO Charitable Foundation for educational scholarships and disaster relief.

“Premier continues to be a leader in serving and supporting the rent-to-own industry and APRO – which is apparent from the long list of Service Award winners this year,” said Smitherman. “It is always a privilege to spend time with this special group and to witness the many positive things they’re doing to help our industry thrive.” 

Click here to view Premier’s national convention highlights video.

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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.