Welcome to our APRO-FESSIONAL series, where we spotlight the dedicated individuals shaping the rent-to-own industry. Each interview delves into the lives and careers of our members, offering insights into their journeys, daily roles, and passions. Join us as we explore and celebrate their contributions to the rent-to-own community.
Joe Luczak, Sales Director for Blue Ocean Brands, LLC, has been in rent-to-own for nine years, all of them with Pennsylvania-based Majik Rent-to-Own (now part of Blue Ocean). Previously, Luczak worked for 18 years in retail – 14 years with Walmart, and four years with Pilot Travel Centers – in a broad spectrum of positions, from overnight stocker to Store Manager. While he believes his retail experience taught him a lot about how to deal with high-stress situations, Luczak left because he felt something was missing.
“I wanted to be able to engage with customers in a more meaningful way,” Luczak says. “And I wanted to be able to help employees feel like they matter and aren’t just a number in a corporate cog.”
Luczak began with Majik as a District Manager, moving into his Sale Director job two years ago. He especially enjoys his current role because it plays to his strengths as a natural teacher.
“I train our new sales team members and managers with a sales focus,” says Luczak. “I also developed and lead our Sales 201 class, an advanced sales class for employees pursuing more responsibility as management or seeking to gain additional training for an advanced sales position with the company. I love seeing how teaching our people communications skills translates into more effective sales conversations and better sales results. And I just love watching people develop into the best version of themselves.”
Luczak feels he has found his professional home in RTO because of the way the industry positively impacts peoples’ lives.
“We don’t know what has happened in a customer’s life six days, six months, or six years before meeting us,” he says. “But once we meet them, we can absolutely change their situation for the better. We can help bring customers who have suffered setbacks back to a sense of normalcy. And it’s extremely fulfilling to create a work environment where people don’t fear leadership, but rather use us as resources to remove obstacles to their success.”
Luczak was a featured guest on The RTO Show Podcast during RTO World 2024 in Orlando, Florida. The program host, Pete Shau – Regional Director with Buddy Mac Holdings LLC dba Buddy’s Home Furnishings – says Luczak is definitely achieving his professional goal of ‘helping people and having fun doing it.’ “Joe has a special way of engrossing us all in his passion for rent-to-own, and his sales knowledge and application,” says Shau. “When you talk with Joe, it’s always a great conversation with a pillar in the RTO community.”
