Association of Professional Rental Organizations (APRO)
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PrimeTime Debuts in Fort Lauderdale with Surf, Sun, & RTO Fun 

Nationwide Director of Appliances and RentDirect John Laing opens the member meeting, welcoming attendees to Fort Lauderdale. 

Nationwide Marketing Group – parent organization to APRO Member Nationwide RentDirect – brought rent-to-own dealers and vendors together in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in mid-March for the company’s spring PrimeTime member conference and tradeshow. 

Nationwide Director of Appliances and RentDirect John Laing launched the RTO member meeting, describing its informal theme as “changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes,” as this was the first time Fort Lauderdale hosted PrimeTime, and the overall levels of excitement and engagement seemed as high as ever. 

APRO Goes All-In on AI 

APRO CEO Charles Smitherman next provided an industry update, spotlighting the association’s current concentration on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to promote a positive narrative about rent-to-own. 

“Seventy percent of all Google searches are resulting in no click, as a growing majority of users are coming to Google and getting the answer they seek from the AI summary at the top of the page, not clicking on links to websites,” Smitherman said. “As your trade association, we’re making significant efforts through content creation and public relations to be the authoritative source of material for these answers – so consumers understand what RTO is and how it will benefit them as a flexible, professional option for accessing essential products.” 

Smitherman also discussed his recently released book – co-written with WOW Brands CEO Ryan Krass –The Rent-to-Own Revolution, as a key component of this AI-influencing strategy. Additionally, he highlighted several new APRO member benefits, including the popular Legal Hub, and the 50 State Lease Library. 

“If you haven’t reviewed your lease agreement within the past two years, you have compliance risks that we can help with,” said Smitherman. “This up-to-date library of state-specific lease agreements is one of the most impactful and important member benefits APRO has ever offered.” 

APRO CEO Charles Smitherman highlights the growing impact of AI on search during his industry update.
Taylor Ansley introduces OneShop, highlighting features designed specifically for rent-to-own dealers. 
Dave Scarafiotti shares insights on the capabilities of the VersiRent RTO point-of-sale system. 

RTO Gets Industry-Specific Software, Website, & Great Deals 

Then Nationwide’s Vice President of Product Management Taylor Ansley and Ashley Furniture Industries’ Vice President of Marketing Erica Sparrow teamed up to introduce a collaborative effort they’ve been working toward for the past year – OneShop, a rent-to-own-focused website solution. 

Finally, Nationwide RentDirect’s newest Vendor Partner, Versirent/Ideal Software Systems Inc., was introduced and their Vice President of Operations Dave Scarafiotti shared updates on the RTO point-of-sale platform and its capabilities. 

The RentDirect member meeting was followed by the Palooza and Hot Show event, featuring more than 45 vendor partners presenting great deals on hundreds of products, and a 1.5-day expo with 125 vendors showing off their best and brightest. 

“As always, it was fantastic to spend some quality time with our RentDirect members and help them capitalize on everything PrimeTime,” said Laing. “We were really pleased with the location and support from our team in making it an excellent experience.” 

Buddy’s Home Furnishings team members Mark Kelly and Nina Shively (blue shirts) meet with Ashley Furniture representatives during the PrimeTime Expo.
Charles Smitherman (L) meets with Jake O’Rourke (C) and Jay Nardone (R) of O’Rourke Sales Company during the Palooza and RentDirect Hot Show.
APRO’s Charles Smitherman (L) and Amberlee Maya (front) with the WOW Brands team. 

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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.