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Raising Up Our Industry’s Stars

APRO Hall of Honor awardees soared high & shined through at RTO World 2024

The seventh annual RTO World Convention & Tradeshow was held in early August in magical Orlando, Florida – and, as ever, the brightest spot of the three-day conference was the APRO Awards Luncheon, where eight rent-to-own professionals and nine state associations were welcomed into the APRO Hall of Honor for shining through most brilliantly.

The luncheon ceremony featured many heartfelt moments of appreciation for and from the honorees, including surprise guest Ann Cleek presenting the APRO RTO Tiger Award – named for her late husband, industry icon “Tiger” John Cleek – to their son.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

APRO 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

JOE FISCHER & RANDY LEWIS
Eagle Rental Purchase

Joe Fischer and Randy Lewis are the Co-Owners of Eagle Rental Purchase, a regional rent-to-own company comprised of 15 stores throughout northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, employing 85 people. With 55 years of combined RTO experience, Fischer and Lewis pride themselves on providing a broad spectrum of superior products and service at the best rates, and doing so with transparency and a commitment to community.

APRO RTO TIGER AWARD

for exceptional work at the state level, championing rent-toown legislative efforts at the grassroots level and strengthening state-level industry outreach

JOHN CLEEK, JR.
Cleek’s Home Furnishings/Rentals & Sales

John Cleek, Jr., President of Missouri-based Cleek’s Home Furnishings, has made his own important mark on his family’s deeply rooted rent-to-own legacy, his state association, and the industry as a whole. Following in the giant footsteps of his father, RTO legend and this award’s namesake “Tiger” John Cleek, John Jr. has played a pivotal role with the Missouri Rental Dealers Association, leading it for many years in a way his late dad was and would still be extremely proud of.

APRO PRESIDENT’S AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

for special efforts performed by an individual on behalf of everyone involved in the RTO industry

BILL FRENCH
O’Rourke Sales Company

Bill French has served as the Vice President of Sales for the rent-to-own division of O’Rourke Sales Company for 23 years. He is the Vice Chair of APRO’s Vendor Advisory Committee, and a vendor liaison on the APRO Board of Directors. With over a half-century of winning distribution sales behind him, French has a caring-over-cutthroat approach to competition that has served him – and those around him – well

APRO HERITAGE AWARD

for consistent and continual support of the rent-to-own industry by an “unsung hero”

MICHAEL STRONG
Mike Strong Inc. dba Mike’s Rent-To-Own

Michael Strong is Co-Owner and Principal of Florida-based Mike’s Rent-To-Own, running the longtime family business with his father, Mike Strong, and his sister, Angela Strong-McCool. Strong has performed just about every position at the company at one time or another, and loves working daily with his dad and sis. He’s also a newly elected member of the APRO Board of Directors.

APRO EMERGING LEADER AWARD

for rising among us into the ranks of rent-to-own leadership

KELLY MARTIN
SKC Enterprises Inc. dba Rent One

Kelly Martin is Chief Operating Officer at Missouri-based Rent One, bringing a literal lifetime of experience in rent-to-own as the daughter of company owners and industry leaders Larry and Sharon Carrico. With expertise in organizational culture, corporate development, and policy creation, Martin has previously served as Rent One’s Vice President of Culture and Strategy, Director of Training and Development, Regional Director, and Employee Development Manager.

APRO NORM SMITH VENDOR OF THE YEAR

for demonstrating support and involvement with APRO through sponsoring events, advertising, exhibiting, and building up the association

MIKE KAYS
Ashley Furniture Industries

Mike Kays is the Vice President of Rental Sales with Ashley Furniture Industries. Kays has had a vast and varied career – from men’s sportswear to women’s couture to ultimate toys to furniture to rent-to-own, where he has worked for the past dozen years. Kays’ belief in partnerships that benefit both sides has helped Ashley’s rental business grow to about 175 individual dealers nationwide. He also serves as a member of the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee.

APRO 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

SHANNON STRUNK
Baber Strunk Enterprises

Shannon Strunk, President of Baber Strunk Enterprises, first came into the rent-to-own industry 37 years ago as an account manager for Baber’s Inc. in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He quickly ascended through the company, serving as a Store Manager, Regional Manager, and Operations Manager. Along the way, he also met and, in 1993, married the company’s Co-President at the time, Cynthia Baber.

Throughout the next three decades, under the couple’s leadership, the company evolved into Baber Strunk Enterprises, spreading across Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the Gulf Coast, including the Strunks’ hometown of Pascagoula.

The family, determined to rebuild their homes and businesses, survived, and Baber’s slowly regained its strength and success. Today, Baber Strunk Enterprises oversees 43 Baber’s stores, 14 RNR Tire Express locations, Dairy Queen franchises, Check Now locales, and other various business interests and investments

Strunk served on the APRO Board of Directors from 2003 to 2006, and as association President from 2004 to 2006; he rejoined the Board this year, and currently also serves as President of the Alabama-Mississippi Rental Dealers Association. Among this and other honors, Shannon and Cynthia shared the 2003 APRO Rental Dealers of the Year Award, and Strunk received the APRO President’s Award in 2013.

“I want to positively influence the direction of APRO and raise other members’ awareness of the value of the association,” said Strunk about his return to an official industry leadership role. “My strongest interests are legislative advocacy and public relations, but I’m willing to work wherever I can help make a positive difference.”

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, and all across America. 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 CONTINUED EXCELLENCE AWARDS

for state rental-dealer associations with sustained high performance in outreach and advocacy

  • Rental Purchase Dealers Association of Indiana
  • Iowa-Nebraska Rental Dealers Association
  • Kansas Rental Dealers Association
  • Ohio Rental Dealers Association
  • Southwest Rental Dealers Association
  • Tennessee 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
  • Kentucky Rental Dealers Association
  • Missouri Rental Dealers Association

APRO STATE ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

Missouri Rental Dealers Association

Since “Tiger” John Cleek founded the Missouri Rental Dealers Association (MRDA) more than three decades ago, the organization has been known for providing exceptional, economical events for its membership – including an annual meeting each spring and the Heartland of America Regional Trade Show every summer. The MRDA has been awarded the APRO Continuing Excellence Award 13 times, and this is its ninth time receiving APRO State Association of the Year.

APRO ED WINN LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY AWARD

Florida Rental Dealers Association

The recipient of the Ed Winn Legislative Advocacy Award – the Florida Rental Dealers Association (FRDA), led by President Paul Metivier, who is also Vice President of Business Operations at Impact RTO Holdings dba Rent-A-Center – earned the honor this year by reviving and coordinating Florida’s first rent-to-own State Legislative Day in Tallahassee since the pandemic hit four years ago. The FRDA has been awarded the APRO Continuing Excellence Award 11 times, and named APRO State Association of the Year five times.

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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.