James MacAlpine, Senior Vice President of Business Development with APRO associate member Benefit Marketing Solutions (BMS), serves as a member of the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee (VAC) and has joined the APRO Board of Directors as a Vendor Liaison, alongside colleague Bill French of O’Rourke Sales Company.
“I played a key role in establishing an industry buying group,” MacAlpine says. “Serving as a member of the APRO Board and VAC offers an opportunity to further improve our industry and the success of my fellow vendors. I want to leverage my relationships to grow APRO membership, and explore the beneficial uses of artificial intelligence in our business.”
This year, MacAlpine has been in the rent-to-own industry for 40 years, having begun with Rent-A-Center in 1985. Around 1998, MacAlpine left RAC to become a partner and Chief Operating Officer for Kentco Inc. dba Rent 2 Own; the company grew from three to 27 stores before selling to Aaron’s, LLC in 2005.
“When we sold, Nationwide Marketing Group made me an offer to create its rent-to-own buying group, which I accepted and launched RentDirect,” says MacAlpine. I helped grow RentDirect from about 25 to 200 or so members, but after a dozen years, my wife Judy and I decided to return to our home state of Texas to be closer to our kids and their families.”
Benefit Marketing Solutions immediately contacted MacAlpine with a job offer, and he has been working with the company for the past several years in Dallas, Texas.
“Over the years, my proudest professional accomplishment has been successfully growing small businesses into larger enterprises,” MacAlpine says. “I did it at Kentco, RentDirect, and now I’m helping expand new business channels at BMS.”
Personally, MacAlpine has been married for 41 years to his high-school sweetheart; when James and Judy began dating as teens in Texas, they realized they had actually played together as toddlers in California! The couple has two grown children, James and Jasmin, and five beautiful grandchildren who all live in the Lone Star State.
Along with spending time with family, MacAlpine has a lifelong passion for golf, enjoys gardening, hiking, and camping, and is an avid reader. He recommends Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order by Ray Dalio, “a fascinating exploration of the history behind the rise and fall of nations.” Additionally, MacAlpine was recently inspired by a podcast episode featuring Shaka Senghor.
“Shaka spent much of his life in prison,” says MacAlpine. “But through learning to control his emotions and channel his energies, he became a successful author and public speaker; his story is a powerful example of personal transformation.”
