Whether fostering rescue dogs or supporting RNR franchisees, Tracy Cintron’s servant spirit is helping others – and herself – succeed
Tracy Cintron has the heart of a servant – she spends her time and energy to help others, gives back to her community, guides and mentors others, and demonstrates deep loyalty. Call it a servant heart, servant approach, or servant leadership – whatever you call it, Tracy Cintron’s got it, and it’s clear she came into this world with it.
Growing up in Pontiac, Michigan, Cintron began working at 14, as a busser at a Mexican restaurant, riding her bike to work every day. Once she graduated from high school, she took on a second job, moving up from bussing to hostessing to waiting tables. When a colleague with Disney dreams invited Cintron to move along with her to Florida, Cintron at first declined, but eventually agreed – and then the other woman backed out.
“So – crazy – but I asked two other guy servers if they wanted to move to Florida, and they were like, ‘Sure,’” Cintron recalls. “It’s 1997, just the beginnings of the internet, and I rented an apartment online, hooked up our utilities, packed up a U-Haul, and drove to Clearwater, because people went to spring break there, and we thought it’d be fun. I literally had never been to Florida before, knew no one there, and had no job.”
Despite being initially broke and homesick, Cintron promptly got hired as a carwash cashier, eventually found a waitressing job in Tampa, made some Floridian friends (her original cohorts returned to Michigan after less than a year), and went back to school at Hillsborough Community College. Two years later, she transferred to the University of South Florida and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science, gaining some public-servant experience along the way.
“I spent about six months as an intern in Washington, D.C., in Congressman Jim Davis’ office,” remembers Cintron. “I greeted people, conducted tours of the Capitol Building, that type of thing. Then Jim Davis decided to run for Governor of Florida, so once I graduated, I moved over to his gubernatorial campaign and worked as his Statewide Volunteer Coordinator and Office Manager for about two years. I was extremely loyal to my candidate; I thought he was the world’s best candidate. Unfortunately, he didn’t win, and I was absolutely devastated. Other people, serial campaigners, just picked up and moved on to the next one, which was mind-boggling to me because I had put my whole heart into it.”
Cintron returned to the hospitality industry as the General Manager at a Tampa bar and grill for the next four years – which is where she met an affable patron named Jamie Slatton, who owned a rent-to-own company named Bi-Rite Company Inc. dba Buddy’s Home Furnishings.
Jamie had helped me with some furniture, and I was seeking something new to do professionally,” Tracy Cintron relates. “So I began at Buddy’s in 2011 as Jamie’s assistant. I knew nothing at all about RTO, I was completely green, and they had just launched their franchising program, so they kind of just tossed me into it. I paid attention, picked up on things, and started working with the stores and just helping them however I could – from background checks to documentation to fleet management.”
In 2012, Slatton sold Buddy’s to private equity but stayed with the company for a while; eventually, he and Joe Gazzo left corporate to form their own entity. Ever-devoted, Cintron went with them, but when the new business experienced changes within, Slatton connected her with his cousin, Larry Sutton, Founder of RNR Tire Express. Cintron – who meanwhile had earned her MBA at Nova Southeastern University – joined RNR in 2018 as Franchise Coordinator; she has since been promoted to Franchise Director, helping fulfill the corporate needs of the company’s 200+ franchise locations.
“My job is to assist the existing and new RNR franchisees with their store development,” Cintron explains. “New franchisees who are coming into the system for the first time, I’m ensuring their shop equipment is in on time, making sure they hit their dates for ordering furniture, communicating with the flooring contractor, ensuring their marketing is ready to go, and they’re following brand standards – really everything start to finish they need to successfully launch their store.
“For existing franchisees, I’m there for them with any new locations, and I’m here to guide them or give them contacts,” continues Cintron. “Additionally, I’m the main gatekeeper for all documents, the main point of contact for our annual Franchisee Conference, and I just help make sure the RNR franchise wheels keep turning and moving us forward.”
She’s clearly succeeding. In 2022, Cintron was honored with APRO’s Steve Kruse Award for her faithful service to the rent-to-own industry, and was named RNR’s MVP of Franchise Operations. And, while RNR’s first 100 franchises opened over the company’s first 15 years, its latest 100 locations have taken only seven years to develop – coincidentally(?) The same years Cintron has been aboard. While she naturally credits others – including RNR CEO Adam Sutton, Chief Operating Officer Matt Warren, Vice President of Franchising Vince Ficarrotta, and Franchise Development Director Trish Deschenes – for the escalating growth, Cintron surely has just as much credit to claim herself, along with the company’s overall culture.
“We’re more franchisee-friendly than many companies I see at franchising conferences,” Cintron attests. “At RNR, other than with our brand standards, we offer more flexibility with some things – like finding a location tailored to the franchisee and the demographic area, or letting them choose their same-as-cash program and which promotions they provide.”
Supportive, personable, and engaging, Cintron’s growth mindset extends to herself – she recently completed coursework with the International Franchise Association to become a Certified Franchise Executive – as well as to those around her.
“I enjoy helping people,” affirms Cintron. “I enjoy serving them, and seeing them grow and succeed. I like being able to say ‘Yeah, I was part of that’ or ‘Great, that person won, and I helped them get there.’ I’m a team player, and I love working with the team here. Working in a company where we all get along and talk with each other openly is rare, and something we all appreciate.”
Unsurprisingly, Tracy Cintron’s spirit of serving extends beyond her professional work and throughout her life. Cintron currently serves as Vice President of Tampa’s Second Chance Friends Rescue, a nonprofit dog rescue organization she has been volunteering with since 2015. She and her husband of 15 years, Travis, have three rescue dogs themselves – Bessie, Betty, and Frank – and over the years, have fostered 25 dogs on their way to forever homes. Cintron also serves as President of Friends of Hillsborough County Animal Services, a nonprofit for animals adopted from the county shelter who have medical conditions and whose adopters need help paying for treatment.
“Adopters can apply for financial assistance through our organization,” Cintron confirms. “It’s just five of us ladies who do a few events each year to keep it going.”
When not nurturing pups or championing franchisees, Cintron enjoys gardening, brunching with friends, and traveling with Travis. The couple especially appreciates destinations that are culinarily or historically rich – a few of their favorite trips have been to Boston, Massachusetts; London, England; and to Munich, Germany, for Oktoberfest.
Wherever she might roam, you can be sure Tracy Cintron is looking to help, because that’s who she is. And, fortunately for everyone involved, it seems her servant heart has found a career home in rent-to-own, where her favorite things are the people she works with and the service they collectively deliver.
“All the things I did in hospitality – the fast-paced environment, the perpetual motion, the constant adaptation, the serving mentality – are all very active in my job now,” she concludes. “And I like the fact that we provide a service to people who might not otherwise be able to afford what they need or want. The people who come into our stores are so happy, so grateful. We offer an important service, and I like that.”
Kristen Card has been a contributing writer for RTOHQ: The Magazine for more than 20 years.
