Association of Progressive Rental Organizations
JOIN APRO
JOIN APRO

Premier Companies Wraps Up National Convention

The group strikes a pose at the 15th annual national convention in Miami, Florida.

The Premier Companies hosted its 15th annual national convention last week in Miami, Florida, where they welcomed dealers, vendors and guests to share industry news, ideas and innovations.

The event kicked off with President & CEO of The Premier Companies Trooper Earle presenting his State of the Company address. He recapped important events of 2019 and shared goals for the year to come, including the opening of their National Training Center in Texas City, Texas. Earle also demonstrated the newly released Premier Connect app which houses all Premier systems.

Trooper Earle presents Vendor of the Year to APRO Member David Kaye.

During the convention, attendees received franchise and industry updates introducing goals for marketing strategies and franchise growth in 2020. Speakers included The Premier Companies’ Director of Marketing Nancy Price, who shared highlights of 2019 and goals for 2020 with a focus on reporting and enhancements to the websites; Social Media Director Ed Garrison, who expressed the importance of Facebook for businesses; and Laura Emerson of Peak State Performance who is releasing a new video training platform.

The majority of Premier Dealers have been contributors to the industry throughout 2019. APRO Executive Director Jill McClure presented those dealers with an Industry Service Award. McClure also provided an industry update, and encouraged participation at the APRO Legislative Conference, scheduled for April 28 to 30.

APRO Executive Director Jill McClure presented the Industry Service Awards and gave an industry update.

The Awards Banquet is the most anticipated event of the convention and ended with Premier Dealer’s accepting awards and receiving recognition for their community service, Premier service, store anniversaries, sales volume, and extraordinary contributions to the Premier organization.  The President’s Award is given to an individual or organization that has forever changed Premier. Earle presented this award to Angelo Gughiocello.

“His secret to success is a man of high integrity, ” Earle shared. “He cares more about his family than he does himself. He cares about his people more than he cares about himself. He cares about his customers. Angelo is a person that’s committed to the organization.”

The Dealer of the Year was celebrated as the highlight of the evening. A huge congratulations was extended and goes out to the Nebraska team of Mike Shuler, Heath Peters and Craig Shafer who own three stores.

“We were among a very elite group of Top Performers and know that any of us were very qualified for this prestigious honor,” Shuler added. “We are very humbled to be accepting this award tonight.”

Upcoming Events

View Calendar



Popular Resources

Sign up for APRO Today

Copyright © · All Rights Reserved · APRO Privacy Policy · APRO Antitrust Policy

Facebook Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Copyright © · All Rights Reserved · APRO Privacy Policy
Facebook Twitter Youtube Flickr

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.