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Get to Know Your Board Members | Jeff Smith

Name: Jeff Smith

What is your current title/role?

I am the Owner of Your Hometown Rent To Own Inc. dba Hometown Rent To Own.

How many years have you been working in rent-to-own?

I’ve been in and out of RTO for more than 20 years. I began as an account manager for House of Television Rentals in 2000, and worked my way up to store manager. I left the industry for a few years to manage a Blockbuster Video store and earn my degree in Technology Management. I returned to House of Television as IT Manager for about ten years, then worked as a systems administrator for a pharmaceutical company for a couple of years. In 2021, a former colleague approached me about buying Hometown and helping them expand. We’ve grown from one store to four since then.

What did you do before you began working in RTO?

I worked at a Holiday Inn as a Front Desk/Rooms Division Manager.

What is your favorite thing about rent-to-own?

Relationships – all of them, from the customers to the employees to my outstanding peers.

What has been your proudest professional moment?

My proudest professional moment has been working my way up from account manager to owning and operating my own company, and now hiring for that same position.

Why did you want to be a member of APRO’s Board of Directors (BOD)?

I want to give back to, help support, and grow our industry however I can.

What issues do you hope to work on, and what sort of difference do you hope to make, during your time on the BOD?

I want to spread the word about how great rent-to-own is as an industry, and help bring more people to the APRO Legislative Conference next spring. I just want to continue to advocate for our business as much as possible.

What’s your favorite non-work-related way to spend your time?

I love spending time with my wife, Naomi, and our Bichon-Poo, Daisy. We enjoy travel, riding around in our convertible, hiking, and our church life. Whenever time permits, I love playing golf, and I also produce a newsletter and create content for the Dynasty League (fantasy) Football website.

What’s your “happy place,” and why?

Tradeshows and my new office. While in my office, I’m in the zone and feel like I’m making things happen. And I love networking and learning how the RTO greats do what they do.

Please share a favorite quotation, lyric, or saying, and what it means to you.

If it costs you your peace, walk away. Life is too short to let negative people or things influence us. If it upsets you, get it out of your life.

You can connect with Jeff on Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn.

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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.