From rent-to-own rockstars to illuminating instruction to exceptional excursions, RTO World 2022 – in Indianapolis! – had it all
It seems like a long time in-between them and they’re over much too quickly, but the handful of high-powered days known as RTO World are well worth the wait and dependably deliver a remarkable ROI.
This year marked the event’s fifth anniversary, and the high points are too many to enumerate (you had to be there!), but here are some highlights of the industry’s biggest happening of the year, this past summer in the inimitable Indianapolis, Indiana.
State Association Awards
Local relationships play a key role in protecting the rent-to-own industry from damaging legislation – and what happens at the state level influences what happens at the federal level. There is definitely strength in numbers, and strong state associations do essential work not only for their own members, but also for the RTO industry as a whole.
APRO RTO Tiger Award
for exceptional work at the state level
Sandi Frye
White Rose Enterprises, dba Premier Rental-Purchase
APRO’s RTO Tiger Award was created to recognize exceptional work at the state level – someone who has championed rent-to-own legislative efforts at the grassroots level and strengthened our state-level industry outreach. The award was named to honor rent-to-own legend “Tiger” John Cleek of Missouri-based Cleek’s Home Furnishings/Rentals & Sales; Cleek was a former APRO President and Board Member, Co-Founder of APRO’s State Association Coordination Committee, and a 48-year RTO veteran. He died from ALS this past spring.
Sandi Frye was working as a substitute grade-school teacher when she accepted a part-time position with Rainbow Rentals 30 years ago. Frye eventually went full-time, and became manager of the company’s Altoona, Pennsylvania store. When Rainbow was acquired, she opted to go out on her own and, in 2005, opened up a Premier Rental-Purchase franchise in Altoona.
The Pennsylvania Association of Rental Dealers (PARD) was headed for dissolution when Frye stepped up to lead it; she served as the organization’s president for more than a dozen years. Under her leadership, PARD received APRO’s Most Improved State Association Award, two State Association Emerging Excellence Awards, four State Association Continued Excellence Awards, and the State Legislative Achievement Award, and was named State Association of the Year. Frye also served on the APRO Board of Directors for eight years, including as Chair of the State Association Coordination Committee.
Today, Frye is once again helping to reinvigorate PARD as the group’s new Vice President, and earlier this year, was named Premier’s Franchisee of the Year.
APRO Continued Excellence Awards
for state rental-dealer associations with sustained high performance in outreach and advocacy
• Florida Rental Dealers Association
• Georgia Rental Dealers Association
• Iowa/Nebraska Rental Dealers Association
• Missouri Rental Dealers Association
• Wisconsin Rental Dealers Association
APRO President’s Circle Awards
for outstanding state rental-dealer associations in the past year; all are contenders for State Association of the Year
• Arkansas Rental Dealers Association
• Rental-Purchase Dealers Association of Indiana
• Kansas Rental Dealers Association
• Kentucky Rental Dealers Association
• Tennessee Rental Dealers Association
APRO State Association of the Year
Arkansas Rental Dealers Association
This is the Arkansas Rental Dealers Association (ARDA)’s third time since 1995 to be named State Association of the Year. The ARDA has stayed committed and active throughout the pandemic, meeting virtually to work through a potentially damaging state bill. The association also continues to contribute generously to the APRO Charitable Foundation Scholarship Fund, helping ensure RTO-related students have the support they need to pursue their dreams. And ARDA President Candice Hill of Rental Concepts West LLC, dba RNR Tire Express is a present leader, deeply involved in both ARDA and APRO, and ever-ready to share issues, ideas, and help with her rentto- own colleagues.
Individual APRO Awards
Rental dealers opt into a lifestyle where the benefits are abundant, but require ample amounts of time, energy, and commitment. So each year, APRO leadership hand-picks an elite selection of rent-to-own leaders to honor for all they put into their businesses and the industry – working above and beyond for the success of us all.
Chuck Sims Rental Dealer of the Year
for activity to improve the RTO industry over the past year, as well as involvement in state or regional associations
Adam Sutton
RNR Tire Express
Adam Sutton was raised on rent-to-own, with an RTO family tree that includes great-uncle Norman “Slats” Slatton, who founded Buddy’s Home Furnishings, and father Larry Sutton, who is in his second RTO lifetime – he first founded, grew, ran, and sold Tampa-based Champion Rent-to-Own, then founded and now is growing and running RNR Tire Express.
Adam’s career began in graphic design, printing, advertising, and video production, for a while serving as RNR’s first Marketing Director, creating its original branding, print, and video marketing elements. In 2004, he and his new wife launched Red Letter Studios, which eventually became a national award-winning advertising agency serving hundreds of clients and top brands.
Eight years later, Adam partnered RLS with Thuzi, an international digital ad firm, and became its Chief Experience Officer. He helped develop the company’s Digital and Live division, as well as a live-event technology platform that became the industry standard.
In 2017, Adam joined his dad at RNR as Executive Vice President, bringing in some executive-level talent, along with a fresh perspective, straight-up accountability, and tightened-up operations. Today, he still works side-by-side with his father as RNR President, and serves on the APRO Board of Directors.
APRO Steve Kruse Award
for extraordinary lifelong service and commitment to the RTO industry
Tracy Cintron
RNR Tire Express
Tracy Cintron has spent the past four years as Franchise Director for Tampa-based RNR Tire Express, and spent the prior seven years as Director of Corporate Support and Franchise Coordinator at Bi-Rite Company Inc., dba Buddy’s Home Furnishings. Simply put, she loves helping franchisees with every facet of their rent-to-own business.
Cintron earned her bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of South Florida, and her MBA at Nova Southeastern University, and began her career working for U.S. Congressional Representative and Florida gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis.
Following a few years working as a General Manager for a Tampa restaurant, Cintron discovered RTO and the wonderful world of franchisees, and today, serves as a centerpiece for franchisee integration, growth, and continuing success.
APRO Heritage Award
for consistent and continual support of the rent-to-own industry by an “unsung hero”
Dennis Adams
Full-O-Pep Appliances Inc., dba American Rental
Dennis Adams began his RTO career 44 years ago in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana, when he began working straight out of high school, fixing TVs in a local appliance store. Within a few years, the store was sold to Jim Hammond, who – along with David P. David and Adams – decided to give the rental business a try.
Adams managed the company’s first rental department and, by 1981, that department had grown to become Full-O-Pep Appliances Inc., dba American Rental. Adams has been District Manager there for more than three decades.
Adams has served on the APRO Board of Directors for the past 13 years, and has been involved in the Rental-Purchase Dealers Association of Indiana for almost a quarter-century, serving as its President for the past dozen years.
Ernie Talley Lifetime Achievement Award
for active participation in the association for several years, with high visibility and respect among many in the rent-to-own industry
Chris Kale, Sr.
CPL Group Inc., dba Rent King
Since Chris Kale Sr. began his rent-to-own journey almost 40 years ago, our industry has benefitted greatly from his long-standing, deep-seated work ethic. Kale worked from a very young age, mowing grass, shoveling snow, bicycling a 4 a.m. paper route, and selling mangoes from his family’s backyard to his neighbors.
Kale’s career began in his hometown of Tampa, Florida, when he was hired as an account manager for Buddy Bi-Rite, now Buddy’s Home Furnishings. Over the next 13 years, Kale learned the business from the best, advancing to Director of Operations.
In 1996, Kale, with a pair of partners, created his own RTO company: CPL Group Inc., dba Rent King. In 2010, Kale, his eldest two sons, and his brother launched Happy’s Home Centers, and the next year, Kale and his original partners opened up yet another business, Great Rooms, as a way to share equity with their best employees.
Kale is a fixture at rent-to-own events hosted by APRO or the Florida Rental Dealers Association, where he served as President for five years. He was also a member of the APRO Board of Directors for six years, serving as APRO President through the COVID crisis.
APRO President’s Award
for special efforts performed by an individual on behalf of everyone involved in the RTO industry
Daniel Fisher
Majik Enterprises International Inc., dba Majik Rent-To-Own
A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Dan Fisher was 15 when his parents bought a small video-rental store and came up with their own RTO plan: $10/week to lease a VCR – half the price of a weekend rental – and every payment reduced the purchase price of the VCR.
Fisher worked at the store through high school, went to Franklin & Marshall College to earn his business administration degree, then returned to the family business, which was expanding into renting TVs, stereos, appliances, and furniture – and turning into Majik Rent-To-Own.
Today, Fisher is the Owner and President of 38-year-old Majik Enterprises International Inc., dba Majik Rent-To-Own. He’s active within several industry organizations, and has served as a board member for both APRO and for the Pennsylvania Association of Rental Dealers.
APRO Emerging Leader Award
for rising among us into the ranks of rent-to-own leadership
Jessica Mahon
Countryside Rentals Inc., dba Rent-2-Own
Jess Mahon came to rent-to-own six years ago from her prior position as an Assistant Branch Manager for a bank. She is now the Marketing Communications Manager for Countryside Rentals Inc., dba Rent-2-Own, which today has almost 40 locations throughout Ohio and Kentucky.
Since arriving in RTO, Mahon has developed a digital marketing expertise, including certifications from both Google and Facebook, and she has become a popular presenter on digital strategies, executions, and new ideas, at rent-to-own events just like this one. She feels she has found her professional home at Rent-2-Own, and loves the business almost as much as she loves her Gram, her dog Apollo, and Dolly Parton.
APRO Vendor of the Year
for demonstrating support and involvement with APRO through sponsoring events, advertising, exhibiting, and building up the association
Jeanette Beardsley
Relation Insurance Services
Jeanette Beardsley has spent the past 44 years in the insurance industry, specializing in property, casualty, and workers’ compensation programs for rent-to-own businesses nationwide, as well as for trucking and agricultural firms and nonprofits. For 31 of those years, she has worked for California-based Relation Insurance Services – formerly Ascension Insurance and Walter L. Clark & Associates Inc.
Working together with former APRO President and RTO Rents founder Barry Gambini, Beardsley created an insurance program custom-tailored for rent-to-own companies. That unique offering helped her to become a Preferred Vendor for Premier Rental-Purchase franchisees, and an Endorsed Insurance Agent for APRO and its members.
Beardsley has been certified by the Insurance Institute of America as an Associate in Insurance Services, and is a Certified Insurance Professionals Woman. She also presents nationally on cyber exposure, and is RTO’s go-to expert on cyber liability and employment-practice liability.
Tom Ripley, Chairman & CEO of Lids Sports Group, is a no-nonsense dude. Ripley began his career as an infantry and special operations officer for the United States Marine Corps – and it shows.
“The foundation for my success was the Marines,” he confirms. “The three main takeaways I got from the Marine Corps were 1) if you want to succeed, then you’ve got to take risks; 2) you can’t do everything – you’ve got to triage and prioritize; and 3) you’re going to make mistakes – fail fast so you can move on.”
Bing bang boom, done. Ripley sure makes his foundational formula for winning sound straightforward and simple – and it has clearly worked for Lids. Since Ripley acquired the company four years ago, Lids has doubled its revenue and increased its profitability ten-fold, with almost the same number of stores and about 100 fewer corporate employees. Lids dominates the retail licensed sports space and is ten times bigger than its closest competitor.
So, not surprisingly, Ripley – who also has an MBA and spent some apparently miserable time on Wall Street – has plenty of business wisdom to offer, and he did so compellingly and concisely in his RTO World keynote speech, The Future Lies Beneath Your Hat: Leadership Perspectives from a Retail CEO. Here’s a sampling of some of Ripley’s lessons learned that rent-to-own folks can hang their proverbial hats on:
Beat Amazon with Human Engagement. “Amazon.com has trained every single person in America to expect anything they want at their doorstep overnight for free,” Ripley laments. “For those of us with brick-and-mortar stores, that’s a problem, and it’s not going away. The solution is creating experiences in our stores that are high-touch and super-engaging.
“At Lids, we hyper-engage our customers,” he continues. “Be present, be fun, be engaging. All of our associates check out using an iPad, because it makes them go talk to customers, they can’t just stand behind a counter. Go engage with the customer; say, ‘Hey, what’s your favorite team?’ Is there any easier conversation starter than that?”
Be Selfless, Physical, & Disciplined. “Selfless means I care more about my teammates than I do about myself – mission over me,” explains Ripley. “Physical means leadership is a contact sport; you must be in the room to be an effective leader – show up. And disciplined means I do what I say I’m going to do. Period.”
Go for Great Over Good. “Effort is the weakest word in the English language, and the second-weakest word is good,” attests Ripley. “Good by definition is average. Great is the standard; to be great, you have to strive, you need to take the strain. It’s a lot easier if you just find great people and get them on your team. They’ll hold you to a higher standard, and you’ll hold yourself to a higher standard.”
Be Teammates for the Win. “Teammate is the ultimate compliment I can give someone, because it means I care more about you than I do anything else,” Ripley concludes. “I want to make sure your needs are fulfilled, I want to work hard for you. As a team, we share common objectives, and I’ll do anything for my team-mates. They’re special, special people.”
RTO World 2022 registrants who wanted to extend their stay to get the full Indy experience could opt to come a little early for the convention and tradeshow, or stay a little longer than the official event, to engage in a couple of rare encounters for extra fun!
Championship Course Suits RTO Golfers to a Tee
Early birds – 38 of them – arrived a day early to participate in the RTO World Golf Outing. Hosted at Indianapolis’ Eagle Creek Golf Club, attendees enjoyed a continental breakfast, then play began with an 18-hole shotgun start on the Pete Dye-designed Sycamore course.
Despite damp weather, the mixture of hilly terrain, treelined fairways, and waterholes – with a traditional links-style flavor – proved both beautiful and challenging.
“Helping support and manage this year’s RTO World Golf Outing was our pleasure,” said James MacAlpine, Senior Vice President of golf outing sponsor Benefit Marketing Solutions. “Regardless of the less-than-perfect weather, almost 40 golfers enjoyed a great round at Eagle Creek – big thanks to [APRO President] David David for locating such an excellent facility!”
RTO World players appreciated unlimited drinks and box lunches, as well as the four $100 pro shop gift cards awarded for best scores on contest holes, and a Club Glove Travel Bag + $50 gift card for the course’s hardest hole.
Motor Speedway Museum a Win for RTO Tourists
On the last afternoon of RTO World, rather than catching a fast flight, 25 participants boarded a bus to go for a very special tour at the oval that made Indy famous.
The Indy Motor Speedway Museum Tour included a one-hour professionally narrated presentation with behind- the-scenes access to the Pagoda Plaza, Victory Podium, Media Center, and a corporate suite, as well as a drive through Gasoline Alley and the Garage Area.
Attendees could also do a self-guided tour of the Motor Speedway Museum, a 37,500-sq-ft exhibit space featuring a collection that includes automobiles and artifacts from over a century of Indy 500 competition and culture. The museum, which serves as the caretaker of American open-wheel racing history, consists of a flabbergasting total of 55,000+ objects – including more than 300 super-cool vehicles.
