APRO Legislative Conference Helps Educate Legislators About RTO

Since it began 31 years ago, APRO’s Legislative Conference has been one of the rent-to-own industry’s main events each year. This year’s conference was held in early April in Washington, D.C., at the beautiful boutique Kimpton George Hotel.

Prior to the official launch of the conference, an exclusive event was hosted for attendees who had also contributed to the APRO PAC (Political Action Committee). Participants who gave received a meet-and-greet opportunity with U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY), followed by a welcome reception for all 84 registrants.

APRO Legislative Conference attendees met with Congressman Darin LaHood (R-IL) to discuss the benefits of the rent-to-own industry. Pictured (L to R): APRO CEO Charles Smitherman, SKC Enterprises Inc. dba Rent One CEO Larry Carrico, Congressman Darin LaHood, Action Development Corporation, dba Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership CEO Gopal Reddy, Aaron’s LLC Senior Director of Corporate Affairs Michael Wall, and Slumba, LLC Managing Director Howard Topping.

The next day began with breakfast and keynotes from Curtis Beaulieu, Senior Policy Advisor for Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA), and David French, Executive Vice President of Government Relations for the National Retail Federation. Both speakers covered the current state of affairs in the nation’s capital, as well as what attendees might expect during their legislative visits.

APRO members – including 15 new legislative fellows and five returning fellows – spent the rest of the day roaming all over Capitol Hill to meet with U.S. senators, representatives, and their legislative staffers. Seventeen teams worked – and walked – hard to fulfill 110 scheduled appointments within about six hours’ time. The day concluded with a group photo at the Capitol Building, followed by a Debrief Dinner.

The Debrief Dinner was held at Top of the Town, against a dramatic backdrop of stunning views of the National Mall and Potomac River. Aaron’s, LLC Senior Director of Corporate Affairs Michael Wall, Buddy’s Newco LLC dba Buddy’s Home Furnishings CEO and APRO President Michael Bennett, and APRO CEO Charles Smitherman each addressed the crowd, before turning the evening over to attendees who shared wholly positive stories of their day in D.C.

*Alexandra Traficante* *shares her reflections from her day on the hill.*

“Today was incredible,” said Impact RTO Holdings, dba Rent-A-Center Regional Manager and Legislative Fellow Alexandra Traficante. “Being in the field, we don’t always see the behind-the-scenes work that keeps us in business. It was really meaningful to be part of this.”

“A lot of us are competitors,” said SKC Enterprises Inc., dba Rent One President and APRO Board Treasurer Trent Agin. “But it’s so important what we do here. Whether you’re an independent, franchisee, or virtual RTO, we’re all here because we’re all in this together – and we’re telling the story of how we touch people’s lives through this industry.”

“It’s very important that we remember who we’re really serving – which is our customer,” noted Mike Strong Inc., dba Mike’s Rent-To-Own Owner Michael Strong. “If we’re not here to tell Congress what we do, there’s a risk we won’t be able to continue doing it.”

Among the event’s “record-setters” were Charlie Cooley, a Store Manager with RNR Kentucky, LLC dba RNR Tire Express, who logged a whopping 16,806 steps, and Gopal Reddy, CEO of Action Development Corporation dba Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership, and Howard Topping, Managing Director of Slumba, LLC, who both met with five different Congressional representatives during the day.

“It’s exciting to see continuing growth in attendance and legislative engagement each year at this important event,” Smitherman noted, “not only through our Legislative Fellows, who are paving the way for future advocacy, but also in industry veterans, who appreciate the crucial role the Legislative Conference plays in protecting and securing the future of our industry.”