Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

APRO Team Sees the Future at Aaron’s GenNext Store

Aaron’s Sales Manager Viveka Chavez, Director of Government Relations Michael Wall, Store Manager Keith Guerrero, and Store Manager Israel “Izzy” Vasquez are proud of their GenNext store in Universal City, Texas.

By APRO Vice President of Membership Jen Troke and Director of Events Lisa Krabbenhoft

It was all blue skies and Texas heat as we rolled up to the Aaron’s GenNext store in Universal City – a suburb of San Antonio, Texas. From the outside, the building is shaped like an enormous letter “A” in warm, sleek wood. Just inside the doors, we stepped into the store’s first hot zone, where a gorgeous Ashley Furniture Industries living room set invited us in for a closer look.

Store Manager Keith Guerrero and Aaron’s Director of Government Relations Michael Wall explained that Aaron’s GenNext stores are designed to offer a customer experience similar to that of a traditional retail furniture store, with larger, brighter showrooms that are easy to navigate.

A little under 30% of Aaron’s company-operated stores are GenNext concept; the Universal City store is one of two GenNext stores in the San Antonio area. At almost 40,000 square feet, the store is spacious, with six hot zones at the front of the store displaying a variety of featured styles that are changed quarterly. The remainder of the store is a static showroom updated seasonally or as needed.

Among the brands on the showroom floor is Woodhaven – Aaron’s fully-owned furniture manufacturing subsidiary, with the entire line made in America at six facilities in southern Georgia. Company Founder Charlie Loudermilk had the foresight in the 1980s to develop a supply chain for his stores to help keep prices down and support American workers.

The store is designed to simplify the user experience – from the large electronic display where customers can browse Aaron’s entire catalogue, to the in-store kiosk where they can get quickly qualified without reference checks, to automatic payment options so they don’t need to worry about reminder calls from the store. Guerrero said the auto-payments work so well that he misses talking to his customers more often!

Guerrero started working at Aaron’s in accounts, and has now been with the company for more than 10 years. He recently returned to being a store manager after helping launch GenNext stores throughout the country, including the nation’s largest GenNext store in Gallup, New Mexico.

“I love helping people fill their homes with beautiful, reliable products,” Guerrero said. “And if anything goes wrong, we’re always right there to fix it.”

The GenNext concept is Aaron’s vision for the future, and it’s looking good – especially for optimizing the customer experience.

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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.