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National TV Celebrates Thriving Success

APRO member National TV Sales & Rental recently held its annual Awards Banquet, celebrating the company’s successful past year, its many hardworking employees, and the naming of the new National TV President.

About 150 employees, guests, and vendors gathered at The Exchange at Wall Street event center in Lebanon, Missouri, for a thrilling SURVIVOR-themed competition, followed by dinner and an awards ceremony. Outback Teambuilding facilitated “Corporate Castaways” teamwork and strategy challenges among 13 eight-person mixed teams, with Windsor fully costumed as SURVIVOR TV host Jeff Probst. The November Tribe, led by Store Manager Channie Jager from Springfield, Missouri, ultimately won the competition.

(L to R) April Reid, Shawnelle Hughes, and Jeremy Hurt collaborate during a team-building exercise
The November Tribe won the event’s SURVIVOR-themed “Corporate Castaways” competition through excellent teamwork and strategy.
The competition heats up as Survivor players fight to stay in the game.

The banquet and awards ceremony were also a highlight, with the Mark Windsor Founder’s Award being awarded to Buyer & Warehouse Manager Tammy Timmerwilke. This is not a yearly award – it is only the second time it has been conferred – in recognition of an employee who has a true passion for the RTO transaction. According to President Aaron Windsor, “Tammy is one of those employees who you wish you had a hundred of.” Other employees honored for their hard work and successes included:

  • Store of the Year – Mountain View, Missouri
  • Employee of the Year – Randy Blackburn, Camdenton, Missouri
  • Corporate Employee of the Year – Beth Smith
  • Store Manager of the Year – Zach Hayes, Mountain View, Missouri
  • Assistant Manager of the Year – Gerald Rylott, Marshall, Missouri
  • Salesman of the Year – Fedel Delagarza, Carthage, Missouri
  • Account Manager of the Year – Jonathan Martin, Mountain View, Missouri
  • Customer Service Representative of the Year – Jayden Williams, Lebanon, Missouri
  • Rookie of the Year – William “Scotty” Chitwood, Lebanon, Missouri
Buyer and Warehouse Manager Tammy Timmerwilke (R) received the Mark Windsor Founder’s Award for her dedication to the RTO transaction from President Aaron Windsor (L).
National TV’s Mountain View, Missouri, team proudly took home the Store of the Year award.
Randy Blackburn (R) of National TV’s Camdenton, Missouri, location was jubilant but speechless – an apparent rarity – when he won the company’s Employee of the Year award.
President Aaron Windsor and his CEO mom, Kathy, are a dynamic duo leading National TV to continuing success.

To close out the night, National TV Owner Kathy Windsor made a surprise announcement and named her son Aaron as company President.

“Not everyone gets a second generation who can actually do the work and take over the business successfully,” said Kathy. “I’ve been very lucky to have Aaron to take the reins – he’s extremely generous with his employees and his customers. I’m very proud of him.”

“I love what we do and how we do it,” said Aaron. “What we do is provide a way for our customers to get things everyone wants with a reasonable way for them to afford it. We don’t do what we do to make money; that’s a side effect. The success comes from taking care of your employees and customers.”

While Kathy remains National TV’s CEO and Chairperson, she is focusing more on the Windsor’s family farm business. Windsor Farms is a farm-to-table company raising commercial meat cattle, all of which are non-GMO, and raised on homegrown grain and no antibiotics. Kathy is especially excited for the farm’s next step: shipping their meat nationwide.

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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.