Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

D&H Adds VR Gaming Focus To Summer Tech Show

Nearly 900 attendees and some 90 vendors are expected to be on hand for this year’s D&H Mid-Atlantic Summer Technology Trade Show, which returns to the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, Pa.
D&H Distributing will return to the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in where else but Hershey, Pa., for its annual Mid-Atlantic Summer Technology Trade Show on June 29. This year’s event will feature an enhanced floorplan with premier booths from Cisco, Lenovo, HP, HPE/Aruba, Brother, Intel, and Microsoft, along with first-time exhibitors Monster Digital (sports and action video cameras), Mophie (wireless power solutions) and SureCall (cellular signal boosters). Other participating manufacturers will include Acer, Asus, Casio, Creative, D-Link, Linksys, Logitech, Netgear, Plantronics, Seagate, Samsung, Ricoh, and TrendNet, among other vendors. In addition, a redesigned Gaming Experience Zone will feature the latest video gaming gear from Sony, HTC, Acer, 3dRudder, HP, Patriot Memory, Kingston, Corsair, BenQ, Cooler Master, Gigabyte Technology, Mobile Edge, PNY Technologies, Seagate, Dell, Nintendo, and Western Digitall with special focus on virtual reality (VR) solutions in the gaming space. Six seminars will be held by Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, HP, Brother, and CompTIA, and a $100 American Express gift card will be raffled-off to one lucky attendee in each session. In addition, a Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 American Express gift card, courtesy of Dell, that will be announced at the end of the show. A D&H Services aisle will also be available to give resellers information on the company’s K-12 offering, plus programs like pre-sales support and partner and credit services. Nearly 900 attendees and some 90 vendors in total are expected to be on hand this year, D&H said. “As our trade show offerings continue to evolve, we’re excited to focus more thoroughly than ever on market opportunities, education, and customer engagement,” said D&H marketing VP Mary Campbell. “We’ll continue to deliver the tools and solutions that will help our retail and e-tail customers break through the competition in a challenging market, and differentiate their offerings.” Headquartered in nearby Harrisburg, 99-year-old D&H is a leading IT and CE distributor serving retailers, e-tailers, dealers, integrators and resellers out of five distribution centers in Atlanta, Chicago, Fresno, Calif., Harrisburg and Brampton, Ontario, Canada. D&H customers can register for the show by contacting their representatives at (800) 340-1007 or visiting DandH.com/midatlantic. Source: Furniture Today

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Mike Lewis

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.