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2025 Highpoint Furniture Market – Spring

High Point Market Authority 164 South Main Street, Suite 700, High Point, NC, United States

High Point Market is the ultimate destination for all things design, offering endless product options and unexpected moments of joy. It’s not just about products, but also about the experience, […]

2025 TRIB Retreat

Royalton Saint Lucia Resort Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

The next TRIB Retreat will be an amazing, all-inclusive Royalton Resort in amazing St. Lucia from May 3-8, 2025. With its breathtaking beauty, mountainous terrain, and small luxurious resorts, St. […]

LEAP Session 4: Good to Great in RTO

LEAP Program

Welcome to LEAP, an exciting new leadership development program brought to you by APRO and TRIB Group. LEAP is designed to cultivate leadership skills within the RTO industry. Each month, we’ll explore a […]

2025 VersiRent User Conference

Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport North International Parkway, Dallas, Texas, United States

The VersiRent User Conference enables attendees to gain firsthand knowledge and experience working with the many features VersiRent currently offers. They also will learn about new features that will soon […]

2025 Heartland of America Regional Tradeshow & Seminar

Lake Ozark, Missouri Lake Ozark, MO, United States

The annual Heartland of America Tradeshow and Seminar, hosted by the Missouri Rental Dealers Association (MRDA), brings together rent-to-own professionals from across the region for a day of networking, educational […]

LEAP Session 5

LEAP Program

Welcome to LEAP, an exciting new leadership development program brought to you by APRO and TRIB Group. LEAP is designed to cultivate leadership skills within the RTO industry. Each month, we’ll explore a […]

2025 Legal Town Hall: Your Legal Questions Answered Webinar

APRO Webinar

Speaker: Justin Hosie, Hudson Cook LLP Don’t miss this live, interactive town hall where our legal experts will address your pressing questions about the rent-to-own (RTO) industry. From compliance with […]

LEAP Session 6

LEAP Program

Welcome to LEAP, an exciting new leadership development program brought to you by APRO and TRIB Group. LEAP is designed to cultivate leadership skills within the RTO industry. Each month, we’ll explore a […]

2025 Full-O-Pep Expo & Company Picnic

Nashville, Indiana Nashville, IN, United States

The Full-O-Pep Annual Expo brings together store managers, vendors, and employees for a weekend of networking, team-building, and celebration. Held in Nashville, Indiana, the event features an expo, as well […]

2025 Tennessee Rental Dealers Association (TRDA) Annual Meeting

Courtyard Marriott Nashville Downtown 170 4th Avenue North, Nashville, TN, United States

TRDA would like to invite you to attend our 2025 annual Membership Meeting, July 23-24, 2025, at the Courtyard Marriot Nashville Downtown. This meeting should be fun, informative, and well […]

2025 Las Vegas Summer Market

Las Vegas Furniture Market 475 S. Grand Central Pkwy, Suite 1615, Las Vegas, NV, United States

Las Vegas Market is the premier furniture, home decor, and gift trade show on the West Coast, hosted at the World Market Center in Las Vegas. The event offers an […]

2025 AVB BrandSource Convention

The Venetian 3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, United States

The AVB BrandSource Annual Convention is a premier event for appliance, electronics, and home furnishings retailers. It offers valuable networking, educational sessions, product showcases, and innovative retail solutions to help […]

2025 RTO World

Omaha CHI Health Center - Convention Center North 10th Street, Omaha, NE, United States

Get ready for the ultimate rent-to-own experience at RTO World 2025, co-hosted by APRO and TRIB Group! From August 11-14, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska, this is your chance to join […]

2025 Nationwide PrimeTime – Fall

Music City Center 201 Rep. John Lewis Way South, Nashville, TN, United States

Hosted for over 30 years and more than 60 events, PrimeTime, Nationwide Marketing Group's biannual Member conference and tradeshow, is an event for Independent retailers looking to improve their results […]

2025 Buddy’s Leadership Conference

Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando Resort 6300 Hollywood Way, Orlando, FL, United States

The annual Buddy’s Leadership Conference is a premier gathering where leaders from across the Buddy’s Home Furnishings network come together to share insights, collaborate, and explore new ways to make […]

2025 Midwest Expo

Cherry Valley Resort 2299 Cherry Valley Rd SE, Newark, OH, United States

The 2025 Midwest RTO Training Expo, hosted by the Ohio Rental Dealers Association, is a long-standing RTO event where employees receive top-shelf training on cutting-edge products directly from the vendors […]

3rd Annual Best of RTO World 2025 Webinar

APRO Webinar

Back by popular demand, here’s your chance to catch all the hottest sessions from RTO World 2025! You’ll get knowledge drops from all the most popular sessions and experience a […]

2025 Highpoint Furniture Market – Fall

High Point Market Authority 164 South Main Street, Suite 700, High Point, NC, United States

High Point Market is the ultimate destination for all things design, offering endless product options and unexpected moments of joy. It’s not just about products, but also about the experience, […]

2026 RNR Franchise Conference

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort 1001 W Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL, United States

The 2026 RNR Franchise Conference will be held in Orlando, FL at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort. Owners, Operators, Executive Team Members, and Managers will gather to share ideas, participate […]

2026 TRIB Group Meeting of the Minds

Paris Las Vegas 3655 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, United States

Meeting of the Minds brings together nearly 100 of the largest Rent to Own Industry manufacturers & distributors along with hundreds of independent and franchisee store owners and operators for […]

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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.