Ben Leach has taken the reins of Ace Furniture & TV Inc. dba Ace Rent-To-Own, following the retirement of his father, Lyn Leach, this past spring. Lyn founded and led the company for 44 years, and Ben is certainly no newcomer to the business.
“I’ve been involved in Ace Rent-To-Own since I was born,” Leach declares. “At a very young age, I helped clean furniture and vacuum stores while tagging along with my parents. As I grew, I helped unpack and build merchandise, and I officially joined the payroll at 16, working as a rental clerk. In college, I joined the Manager-in-Training program, working and going to school full-time. I did collections, sales, and was a Senior Assistant Manager when I left the company following my graduation.”
Leach went to work for an international technical recruiting agency, helping hire workers for software development businesses. He then joined a project management software startup in the construction industry, where he worked his way up to being a key accounts manager.
But the familial nature of the construction business reminded Leach of his rent-to-own (RTO) roots, so after a decade away, he decided to help further the legacy his family had created.
“I’m so glad I chose to come back,” effuses Leach. “I want to not only protect what was built by my father and grandfather, but also grow the business and build upon their legacy.”
Lessons from a Legend
Leach learned many lessons from his dad – an RTO leader and legend – over the years, including a “friends and family” approach to relationship-building.
“At Ace, we treat our employees like family,” Leach affirms. “At the end of the day, folks work to support their families, so it’s important they get the time to spend with the people who matter most to them. And our longstanding motto is ‘We make friends,’ meaning if you treat clients with respect, kindness, and fairness, they’ll stay true to you, and probably send some more friends your way. The bottom line is, if you treat folks right, everything else will work itself out.”
He also notes the importance of integrity (“People can take your time, your money, your possessions, but not your integrity; you have to give them that.”), perseverance (“When you begin to feel like it’s time to give up, it’s time to buckle down.”), and patience (“If you’re wondering how many times you have to tell a team member something for them to get it, the answer is ‘one more time.’ Sometimes, you need to show someone you believe in them for them to believe in themselves.”).
“There are so many other things I’ve learned from my dad, and so many I’m still learning,” notes Leach. “I’m exceptionally lucky to have someone like him just a phone call away.”
Writing the Next Chapter
For now, Leach is focused on modernizing Ace’s operations, adding data transparency and real-time reporting, as well as updating the look and feel of store showrooms. Once all that is complete, he wants to turn his attention to continuing company growth, while helping deliver RTO into the digital age.
“We must meet our shoppers where they are,” Leach asserts, “and that’s online.”
Like his father, Leach comes at life from a place of deep gratitude, expressing appreciation for the dedication of his team members, the trust of his clients, and the sharing nature of his RTO colleagues, as well as their spirit of continuous improvement.
“My goal isn’t to rewrite the story,” concludes Leach. “It’s to build upon the strong foundation already established by my dad and the other folks who built the RTO industry alongside him. I believe the future of our company and our industry depends on developing great people, embracing new ideas, and never losing sight of why we exist: to better the lives of our clients and create opportunities for our team members.”
