Larry Carrico, Mark Williams, Bill French and Kelly Martin at Rent One’s annual meeting and vendor showcase.Rent One hosted its annual meeting and vendor showcase March 20-21 in St. Louis, Missouri. More than 150 employees, 70 guests and 30 vendors from the company’s 86 stores in ten states attended the annual event in the city where the company is based. This year’s theme, “Ignite, Blaze the Trail in 2018” focused on igniting the company by inspiring employees to create their own successful career path in the way they conduct business each day. “Every single day you should be blazing your own trail by inspiring the people around you and setting the standard for the service you provide to our customers,” says Rent One Chief Executive Officer Larry Carrico. “Igniting Rent One is about pushing this company forward by putting people first—whether that be our customers or our fellow co-workers—when you put your people first you are successful.”
Trent Agin presents Angie Willfond of Hoxie, Arkansas with the Presidential Award of Excellence.
A few new Rent One employee programs were discussed during the event’s meetings to bolster employee performance with incentives and enhanced employee benefits. Rent One Store Managers who meet certain performance measures can earn up to two Saturdays off per month, and beginning June 1st, Rent One will provide United Concierge healthcare coverage for all employees currently under Rent One coverage. “Our ‘Saturdays Off’ drive is to encourage competition and sales among staff, but also to promote camaraderie from stores to strive to meet certain performance measures,” says Rent One President Trent Agin. “And beginning June 1st we’ll be providing United Concierge coverage, which means 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year access to healthcare for all of our employees.”
At the awards banquet, exemplary Rent One employees, managers, stores, regions and vendors were recognized for an outstanding year of service. Rent One’s 2018 Rookie of the Year Aubrey Ruiz of Searcy, Arkansas said receiving the award was an honor because of how much he enjoys working for the company. “Since I started, everyone here has taken me in and just been so good to me. Working here really does feel like being part of a big family,” says Ruiz, who has risen to become a Rent One store manager in the short time he has been with the company.
Larry Carrico and Trent Agin with Rookie of the Year Aubrey Ruiz and Regional Manager of the Year Donnie Wilkins of Batesville, Arkansas.Angie Wilfond of Hoxie, Arkansas was awarded the 2018 Presidential Award of Excellence and attributed her success to her coworkers and the company culture at Rent One. “I work for the best people and the best company,” said Wilfond. “I am just so blessed and honored to receive this award. I couldn’t have done it without all the support of our whole team.”
Rent One’s 2018 award winners are Regional Director Karen Martin, Employee of the Year; Donnie Wilkins, Region 5, Missouri, Regional of the Year; Damon Bachman, Derick Ferguson, Sierra Garrett, Josh Garvin, Macon, Missouri Store of the Year; Lisa Currie, Searcy, Arkansas, Manager of the Year; Aubrey Ruiz, Batesville, Arkansas, Rookie of the Year; Angie Willfond, Hoxie, Arkansas, Presidential Award of Excellence; Jimmy Taylor and Eric Moore, Symbol, Vendor of the Year.
Click here to view more photos of Rent One’s Annual Meeting and Vendor Showcase.
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.
