Erica StCharles, Regional Manager for the Michigan region of APRO member Arona Corporation dba Arona Home Essentials, has been in rent-to-own and with Arona for 11 years, beginning as a Sales Manager, promoted to Assistant Manager, then Regional Manager. StCharles was the first person in the company to skip over the General Manager position and advance directly to Regional Manager – and her region won Region of the Year last year, her first year on the job!
“My purpose in this position is to help my team be the best they can be and provide service to our customers, so that they want to keep coming back,” StCharles says. “Whether that means I’m rolling up my sleeves to clean furniture, knocking on doors to assist with collections, or making sales calls alongside our sales teams, I’ll do what I can to help them succeed.”
Prior to joining Arona, StCharles spent seven years in the hotel industry, where she started as a third-shift night auditor and worked her way up to Assistant General Manager. She says the hospitality business showed her how much she loves building relationships with her customers, as well as the value of holding different levels of jobs within an organization.
StCharles’ passion for people made rent-to-own a natural next step for her career. “I think I was always built to work with people,” she shares. “I enjoy building relationships with our customers, watching their kids grow up, and helping them be able to purchase the things they want or need that they may not have been able to get if it weren’t for the RTO industry.”
This customer-first mindset, combined with her own journey through different roles, has shaped her leadership approach. “Beginning at the bottom and working my way up has helped me relate to all levels of employees,” says StCharles. “It’s helped me stay humble and remember how vital all employees are to our success.”
“My very first sale was to a couple, Todd and Terry,” she continues. “They were new customers, and following an hour of price comparison, measuring, and debating, I landed the deal. Once it was done, I told them they were my first sale, and they gave me a hug and told me they never would have known I was new – what a confidence-booster! And they became lifelong customers.”
In addition to her extremely busy work schedule – she tries to visit every one of her stores weekly – StCharles is a wife, and mother to three active children and one handsome Goldendoodle. While she can’t be with her husband and kids all the time, she says she does her best to make sure her family knows they’re a priority for her.
“My husband and I bowl with a league every other Saturday night, though we’re not all that good,” chuckles StCharles. “I try to get to as many of my kids’ events as possible, and when I’m working at the store closest to home, I try to do school drop-offs. When I’m working out of town, we call every morning and evening; we’ve even booked camping trips close to my farther-out stores, so I can join my family for fun camping stuff at the end of a busy workday.”
Beyond her own work-life balance, StCharles is passionate about encouraging others – especially other women – to push themselves and grow in their careers.
She’s dedicated to supporting and uplifting fellow women in the RTO industry, and as a panelist at this year’s Women’s Forum during RTO World 2025, she will share her insights on communications in the workplace. StCharles will discuss strategies for working effectively with different types of people, active listening, and navigating cross-generational dynamics.
StCharles clearly thrives on being part of – and helping lead – a team, citing her 2024 Region of the Year award as not only her proudest professional moment to date, but also the culmination of some extraordinary teamwork.
“When I took over as Regional Manager, I knew I had a great team to work with,” StCharles concludes. “All I wanted to do was to work with them, learn from them, and teach them what I knew to help take their stores to the next level. Winning that title was a team effort – and one we’re working to replicate this year!”
