Association of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO)
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2024 Winter Magazine: Welcome Letter

Dear APRO members,

A wonderful benefit of RTOHQ: The Magazine is the opportunity to reflect upon and preserve the events and stories of the past months, while simultaneously looking forward to what is coming up. As these pages attest, we have much to be proud of and celebrate for 2024, and much to look forward to as we turn the pages to a new year and the road ahead in 2025.

The resilience and dedication of our industry took center stage in Orlando, Florida, at this year’s RTO World. Despite Mother Nature’s fury, the party went on – we played golf in the wind and rain, launched new ideas like the inaugural Protecting the Transaction Legal Summit and the Women’s Forum, as well as a live RTO Show Podcast, witnessed an incredible opening keynote from Disney-service guru Louis Gravance, participated in an extraordinary day of education and knowledge-sharing, saw and touched great deals at the Hot Show Preview, and overall, hosted an incredible convention with a record number of vendors. Our Orlando Experience Party allowed us to celebrate an outstanding conference and time together, reveling in the song-styling talents of some of our members (and suffering through some others – such as yours truly) in service to raising almost $28,000 for the APRO Scholarship Fund. As the following pages attest, RTO World 2024 will hold the crown as our best yet – until we meet again in 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska.

2024 also marked the conclusion of APRO’s old three-year strategic plan and the launch of our new 2025-28 version. Thanks to the deep commitment of APRO’s Board of Directors and especially the dedication of our project Strategic Plan Task Force, our APRO leadership initiated an evidence-based development plan assessing and listening to the needs of our members. The result is a forward-looking, future vision for our association to create a rising tide for rent-to-own, lifting up our members and the industry as a whole through our continued and enhanced service as your national trade association. We’ll be creating new opportunities and methods for member development and engagement on our journey to becoming the best possible association to fulfill our members’ and industry’s needs now and into the future.

As we begin to implement the strategies of this new plan, you can expect more chances to interact with your fellow members and industry experts. Our strategic work seeks to capitalize on the momentum of our in-person events like RTO World and Legislative Conference, and to leverage the vast expertise and shared experiences of our membership – all to offer year-round opportunities for connection through a new community platform, subject-specific resource hubs, professional development offerings, webinars, and other ways for you to get involved in your association and contribute to your industry.

The coming year will also usher in many bigger-picture changes requiring our attention. We’ll convene again in Washington, D.C., on April 8-10th for the APRO Legislative Conference, ready to meet a new Congress, new committees of jurisdiction, and a new administration. We’ll need your voice and your stories to share the importance and value of RTO with our old friends on Capitol Hill and to build new relationships with incoming members and staff – because if we’re not telling our story, someone else will be defining it for us.

It continues to be my great pleasure to serve this industry through APRO, and I can hardly contain my excitement for what 2025 and beyond hold for all of us!

Charles Smitherman, PhD, JD, MSt, CAE
APRO CEO

Upcoming Events

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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.