Meet James MacAlpine, Senior Vice President of Business Development with APRO associate member Benefit Marketing Solutions. A native Texan, MacAlpine is a career rent-to-own guy who has lived and worked in a vast array of locations and RTO capacities.
RTOHQ: The Magazine caught up with MacAlpine (no easy feat, as his travel calendar is jam-packed) as he prepares to celebrate 40 years of success – both in rent-to-own and in marriage – and he told us all about his storied career, his passion for golf, and his wonderful wife (whom he met at the age of four!).
APRO: Where did you grow up, and what was your growing-up experience like?
JM: I was the youngest of four, with three older sisters. My father was a career Army man, so we moved around a lot. I was lucky enough to be born in Texas while my dad was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, then we went to Germany for three years, then California for a year – which is when I met my wife.
APRO: Wait, what? You met your wife when you were four years old?
JM: Her father was also a career Army man, and years later, when we met and began dating in high school back in Texas, our parents were talking and realized her family had lived just behind ours in California, and we had played together at the little playground between our houses.
APRO: Wow, talk about a meet-cute! So where did your family go to from California?
JM: We returned to Texas – which is where my mom’s family is from – while my dad did two tours in Vietnam, and then we stayed there. So I completed high school in Killeen at former Fort Hood, now Fort Cavazos. I played football – because football is king in Texas – but broke my leg in tenth grade. So I joined the golf team, and – as many, many of my RTO colleagues know – golf has become a lifelong passion for me.
I also loved playing the drums, from sixth grade all the way through high school. I played with a few bands, including a very early version of the band that eventually became (Austin-based hard-rock band) Dangerous Toys.
APRO: Tell me about your RTO journey.
JM: Well, Judy and I got married in August 1984, and I went to work for Rent-A-Center in April 1985, so I’m coming up on 40 years of marriage and 40 years of rent-toown! I spent 13 years with Rent-A-Center, working my way up in the company and around the country to different markets; we went from Texas to Louisiana to Texas to New York and back to Texas. I left RAC around 1998; I had an opportunity to partner with a guy who had three stores in Houston, and our family was ready to stay put. So over the next seven years, I was a partner and Chief Operating Officer for Kentco Inc. dba Rent 2 Own, and we grew from three to 27 stores, then sold to Aaron’s in 2005.
We had been active members of Nationwide Marketing Group, and when we sold, Nationwide made me an offer to create its rent-to-own buying group, which I accepted and launched RentDirect. I stayed in North Carolina a dozen years, growing the rental division and also doing business development. I helped grow RentDirect from about 25 to about 200 members, and the whole organization from about 1,500 to about 2,800 members. In 2017, Judy and I decided we wanted to get back to Texas to be closer to our kids, who were starting families of their own.
As soon as I left Nationwide, Susan Matthews at Benefit Marketing Solutions called and told me she thought I’d be a valuable asset to BMS, so I’ve been the Senior Vice President of Business Development here in Dallas for about six years now.
APRO: Tell me a little about your personal relationships – your family.
JM: Being blessed to be married to Judy has been key to my professional success. She has always taken care of our family and been so wholly supportive of my career – there’s no way I could have accomplished any of the things I have without her help and encouragement by my side.
When we were in Houston with Rent 2 Own, Judy went back to school and completed her master’s degree in public health, then worked as an American Dietetic Association dietitian for about five years. She stopped to take care of her mother, who lived with us for 12 years before passing during the pandemic. My wife cared for her the whole time. She’s absolutely incredible.
Our two kids and five grandkids are all still in Texas. Our son James has three little girls; they live in San Antonio, where he works as the Executive Director of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. Our daughter Jasmin has two little boys; they live in Houston, where she’s a respiratory therapist.
APRO: How do spend your free time?
JM: When I’m not traveling – which is about half the time – Judy and I have regular Tuesday date nights, lunch on Fridays, and Sunday Mass together. Of course, I golf a lot, I garden a little, and we enjoy hiking and camping – especially at Big Bend National Park in West Texas. I’ve gone there since I was a kid with my family.
APRO: Finally, when you think about almost four decades working in RTO, what are your lasting impressions?
JM: Being recognized by my industry and my peers has meant so much to me. I won APRO Vendor of the Year in 2012, and was elected to and am currently serving on the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee. I just can’t tell you how that feels.
I’m so happy I decided to work in the rentto- own industry back in 1985, because I have so many rewarding relationships with people I’ve worked with over the years – it has really defined my life. Who am I? I’m a wildly blessed career rent-toown guy who has made many, many valuable friendships along the way.
