The Premier Companies held its 21st annual National Convention earlier this month in Miami, Florida, at the convenient and chic Marriott Miami Airport – a chance to celebrate Premier franchisees’ successes and express gratitude to the company’s dedicated vendors.
The event began with a cocktail reception at the palm-covered poolside courtyard, where Premier’s Director of Marketing, Nancy Price, honored Samantha Claussen of O’Rourke Sales Company as Vendor of the Year.
The main session began the next morning with President & CEO Trooper Earle’s State of the Company address. Earle expressed great optimism about Premier’s future, especially following a comprehensive system restructure over the past year.
“We took advantage of the opportunity to reevaluate legacy platform decisions and transition to more innovative solutions,” Earle said. “By restructuring our entire system with today’s technology, we’ve significantly enhanced security and efficiency. I’m incredibly proud of the strength of our IT Team, whose diverse talents are simply the best.”
John Manzari, who served as Chair of the Owner’s Advisory Committee (OAC) for a decade, stepped down and passed the baton to incoming Chair Bill Scripa. The OAC fosters collaboration between corporate leadership and franchisees. Presenters followed, including Chief Operating Officer Ashley Emerson, Chief Information Technologist Roberto Galvez, Vice President of Operations Mike Lewis, and Price. APRO CEO Charles Smitherman then provided an industry update and plans for the year’s events, including APRO’s Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., in April, and RTO World 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska, in August.
Smitherman also presented Industry Service Awards, recognizing Premier franchisees for their dedication to serving and giving back to the RTO industry. Honorees included those who actively serve with APRO and their state rental dealers associations, as well as those who generously contribute to the APRO Charitable Foundation’s Scholarship Fund and RTO Employee Disaster Relief Fund.
The convention culminated with the company’s annual Awards Banquet, where franchisees were lauded and applauded for their accomplishments in sales milestones, store anniversaries, community service, and organizational contributions. Angelo Gughiocello of Texas City, Texas, was honored as Premier’s Franchisee of the Year; he shared the glory with his son and Store Manager, Michael Gughiocello, their team, customers, and community.
Post-convention, the company fun continued in the Dominican Republic, where Premier’s Events Coordinator Larkin Mott gathered corporate leaders and franchisees alike for reflection and relaxation.
