Association of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO)
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APRO Members Give So Neighbors Can Gobble 

The teams at Cleek’s Home Furnishings’ five Missouri stores provided full Thanksgiving meals to a half-dozen families at each location. 

APRO members were shaking tailfeathers nationwide over this year’s Thanksgiving week, busily volunteering and hosting turkey (and fixings!) giveaways to make sure their customers and communities had plenty for the feast-filled holiday. 

Turkey giveaways took flight at many stores, from Tennessee-based Bolin Rental Purchase, where butterballs abounded, to Your Hometown Rent To Own Inc. dba Hometown Rent To Own in Salamanca, New York, where customer Mia Neubert took home a turkey of her own. 

At the Hillsboro, Ohio, location of Countryside Rentals Inc. dba Rent-2-Own, Megan Rose and Travis Stanton got twin gobblers, while the Rent-A-Center store in Alice, Texas, awarded customers Linda and Mercedes with their own free turkeys to be thankful for. 

And in Largo, Florida, CPL Group Inc. dba Rent King provided their share of poultry, just as Showplace Rent-To-Own’s flagship store in Marion, Ohio, gave away more than 40 turkeys! 

Bolin Rental Purchase in Tennessee offered many a Thanksgiving butterball.
Hometown Rent To Own’s Salamanca, New York, store gave Mia Neubert (C) a free turkey for her holiday feast.
Bolin Rental Purchase in Tennessee offered many a Thanksgiving butterball.
Megan Rose won a gobbler at Rent-2-Own’s Hillsboro, Ohio, location. 
Marilyn received a gratis gobbler courtesy of Rent King’s Largo, Florida, location.  
Jammay received a gratis gobbler courtesy of Rent King’s Largo, Florida, location. 

Cleek’s Home Furnishings/Rentals & Sales provided a full Thanksgiving meal to six customers at every one of its locations – for a total of 30 full meals. President John Cleek, Jr., delivered some of the meals personally in Columbia, Missouri, with his local General Manager Darryl Darling. 

At another Missouri-based business, National TV Sales & Rental, team members led by Owner Aaron Windsor and District Manager Jim Webb volunteered with nonprofit organization Convoy of Hope as it carried out its mission of feeding the hungry, empowering women, and providing disaster relief. 

Missouri-based National TV’s team volunteered with nonprofit Convoy for Hope to help feed the hungry over the holiday. 
The teams at Cleek’s Home Furnishings five Missouri stores provided full Thanksgiving meals to a half-dozen families at each location. 
Missouri-based National TV’s team volunteered with nonprofit Convoy for Hope to help feed the hungry over the holiday. 
Linda was one of two lucky turkey winners at Rent-A-Center’s Alice, Texas, store. 
In Marion, Ohio, Showplace Rent-To-Own gave away over 40 turkeys to happy individuals & families. 
In Marion, Ohio, Showplace Rent-To-Own gave away over 40 turkeys to happy individuals & families. 

And, in Virginia, RNR Tire Express team members joined the Mayflower Marathon Holiday Food Drive, a tradition that brings together community volunteers at five locations for 57 nonstop hours to provide 227 partner agencies with Thanksgiving meals they can give to folks in need. 

This is just a sampling of the kindheartedness demonstrated by the rent-to-own industry over the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday; we’re grateful for an industry that gives with such incredible generosity to its customers and communities! 

RNR Virginia team members joined the Mayflower Marathon Holiday Food Drive, providing Thanksgiving meals to thousands of needy community members. 
RNR Virginia team members joined the Mayflower Marathon Holiday Food Drive, providing Thanksgiving meals to thousands of needy community members. 

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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.