The RTO Show "Let's talk Rent to Own"

Legend: John Blair former Director of TRIB

• Pete Shau • Season 7 • Episode 6

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A legend in rent-to-own doesn’t happen by accident. John Blair takes us from a teenage crossroads to the Marines to the front lines of building TRIB into a credible, member-led powerhouse. His story is packed with hard-won tactics and clear principles: keep it simple, reward commitment, and use unity as leverage. We dive into the early days—17 members, tiny shows, skeptical vendors—and how committees, transparent programs, and consistent follow-through built trust that lasted.

John breaks down the rebate era with unflinching clarity. When a vendor tried to withhold a rebate after the group barely missed a target, TRIB responded with quiet solidarity, walking past the booth as one—and the deal came back. He reveals how anticipating member volume unlocked better tiers with Ashley and why not every product belongs in RTO. The formula that worked then still works now: tight assortments, honest pricing, and customer-first bundles that move. From big CRTs and boomboxes to flat screens and laptops, he maps the technology shifts that changed demand and why laptops became the biggest catalyst for growth.

We also explore how TRIB and APRIL evolved from tension to alignment, giving dealers both purchasing power and a policy backbone in Washington. John’s journey after TRIB—jewelry at its peak, tax services built for RTO seasonality, then a harrowing health battle—adds perspective and gratitude. Through it all, the theme is steady: camaraderie isn’t just culture; it’s strategy. If you care about vendor relationships, rebates that truly pay, and building a stronger rent-to-own business, this conversation is a masterclass straight from someone who helped shape the playbook.

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APRO
Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

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SPEAKER_00:

Hello and welcome to the RTO show. I'm your host, Pete Chow, and today I am talking to the man John Blair. He is one of the legends in our Legends series. And I think, you know, I think when I say this, he's one of the top dogs on the Legends series. He's been there, done that, and he's done it for quite a while. With a history like that, John, I'm gonna let you explain it. What a time to talk about. John Blair, how are you doing today? How's everything going? I'm doing great, man. Doing really good.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, first of all, like Pete, I I really want to say, you know, uh to all the people out there in the rent-owned industry, I really miss you guys. But yeah, I tell you what, I've been blessed to be part of the rent-owned industry, and and my family's doing good, and my four grandkids are doing good. So I'm doing good, everything's going well. I really miss it. But then again, I've got a lot going on right now, too. But uh, but I appreciate uh, you know, I want to shout out to the TRIB group members and say how much I appreciated them for the last 14 years and especially Dennis Shields for being such a great friend and the majority of the people on on the board of TRIB and the TRIB members alone that are still there and still doing well. I really appreciate it, and I just want to say thank you so much for all that you've done for me and my family.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I know that they appreciate all the work that you've done and your years that you were around, a lot of guidance that you gave. But uh let's go back a little bit. You and guy, you and I have had some talks on the in the green room about uh your early years and you know you had a crazy upbringing up, you kind of did a couple things, and then you know what, you went to the military, you had a solid career there, and you decided, you know what, I know where I'm going, I know what I'm doing, and then you land in the RTO industry arena. So let's go back just a little bit. How did you start and and what what happened? How'd you get into the military?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you know, my father died when I was 16. He was a retired officer in the army. They both buried out at Fort Bain, Georgia, and my parents are. And uh he died when I was 16. I was a junior in high school, and uh really just had no guidance and and my my life wasn't going anywhere. I tried a couple of years of college part-time and working. I had to work, you know, my that was the only way I'd get by. But but you know, when you're out there and single, and and uh to make a long story short, I got in a little bit of trouble, and uh, and I just it caused my mother a lot of burden, and I just said, you know, I was I left work one afternoon and and drove by the recruiting depot, and I and I just stopped there in front and said, you know, and I had a really pretty good job, and you know, uh, you know, and I said, I just walked in and said, you know, I I'm gonna I like to join the Marine Corps, and uh that was history, you know. In 66, I knew I was gonna go to Vietnam. I was a grunt, a rifleman, and everything. And so I spent uh my first 10 months in Jacksonville, Florida at a Naval Air Station there, and then they shipped me off to Vietnam in in late October 67, they're all 68. And I came back and was a D.I. at Parasil, and then I became uh worked as a platoon sergeant up in Washington, D.C., which I love. So if it had been for the Vietnam War, I know I'd have still stayed in. But it it gave me purpose in life, loyalty, dedication, and it turned my life around. I think every young man, if they're not having anything to do right now, and they they don't know what decision they're gonna make, and they don't want to live with their parents, they just should go into service. It's it's it's a great eye-opener. You get to meet a lot of different people, see a lot of different things. So I'm very pleased that I joined the Marine Corps. You know, have no doubt in my mind about that.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I'd say uh I want to say first and foremost, thank you for your service. I know that you know we hadn't talked about that too much in the previous conversations, but let me say that. Thank you for your service and what you've done for the country.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I'm uh I was asked, uh, you know, we got through uh all the service for celebrating 250 years, and uh I've been I do a lot of speak engagements, and so I'm I'm the keynote speaker for the Marine Corps ball this year here here in Atlanta area, so I'm really pleased about that.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, well, congratulations.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's quite an honor. I've been working on the speech for a long time. Yeah, I keep it kind of light, you know, I got to keep it 20 minutes too. So but but I do that and certain things like that. I do it in memorial centers and uh national cemeteries and stuff like that. So I enjoy doing stuff like that, working with veterans and and talking about my career and and and so on. But uh after I got back from the Marine Corps, I had to rent furniture. So I went to Royale Furnace Rental, rented some furniture, and I didn't know anything about furniture rentals, and and uh they just opened up in Atlanta, and I moved to Atlanta to live with a buddy of mine. And uh, you know, uh when I was in Atlanta, I was right there, and uh some was there the owner of the one of the vice presidents came into town and he says, you know, I'm looking for somebody to manage a store in Atlanta. It was downtown Atlanta, bucket area. And I said, Well, I got a good friend of mine that would like to manage it, might come up here and live with me. And and when he came up, you know, he says, you know, I can't leave down where I'm at. And so I just went in and said, you know, I don't know a damn thing about furniture, lamps, whatever, but I'll give you 110% if that's what you want. And that's where I got started in the in the career. And, you know, uh down the road, uh Kim Butler and I became good friends because he was work with Aaron's at the time, Aaron's furniture at the time. And so we kind of got to know each other and and uh, you know, both stayed in the industry a long time. And then when I when Broy Hill sold, I was up in Nashville, Tennessee, and Lowry Schrader, who was uh one of the chairmen of the Trib Group at the time, they'd been in business a year maybe a year and a half, asked me if I would come down and interview for the for the job. And I said, Well, what's the rent talking to industry, you know, like that? And he told me, Well, we rent furniture to come by, and I they had about 1,500 square feet, and and I said, you know what you rent furniture for? Uh, you rent a bedroom suit for what I rent a one bedroom apartment for. I said, Man, y'all are charging some great prices, you know. And so anyway, to make a long story short, I think Troop Group hired me as their their first executive director as uh because of my furniture rental background. I told them you need to get at least 4,000 square feet of showroom space so you can have the furniture. And that's kind of the way it all started, you know. And I so I was really impressed with the board of directors in. I think we only had like 17 members, and they handed me a box of accounts and said, go find an office and everything else, and they said they'd guarantee you my salary. I was hesitant on taking a job because they really didn't have any income coming in. So I had my first convention in Marriott, and I charged like$425 a booth space or something like that. And I had like 30 vendors come, and we only had 17 members after that. And I had them in different rooms downstairs. I didn't have a big, it was at Marriott, different rooms. They walk around, they said, Don't you have any more people here? And I said, Well, this is this is it. You know, I uh we probably two or three of them only bought merchandise, so vendors were very upset and and uh put out a lot of fires, but we started growing and getting a little bit little by little, and then when uh slats came on board, Norman Slatt and the buddies came on board, he was really one that really started everything going really well. He uh he would uh he was one of our largest uh you know franchises. And uh when he went around with me to the furniture market to plug, and he would actually buy merchandise from the vendors. So it gave us a lot of trustworthy among the vendors and and the trib group. And slats would go to the conventions and grab people in and say, you know, you need to join Trib and stuff like that. So he really helped grow the growth of Tribb. And then uh Daryl Tissett came along after Slats, and of course somebody else said, but Daryl Tissett and and Lowry and uh and uh Norman Slatt were probably the the ones that really kind of got Trib together. Daryl was more professional, got us involved with the this and the counting and stuff, you know. Cynthia Baber was one, the Babers, you know, she was there, just the name of members of you that are still still around that helped a lot. And uh so we started growing then, you know, we started getting bigger and bigger and bigger, you know, and our conventions got bigger and uh and we trib became a name to be dealt with out there, you know. So that was that was part of the industry that I loved. Plus the the camaradie against the with the guys was just amazing. I I think some of the biggest success of TRIB would we'd have our what we call our meetings of the minds at the time we started. We would basically go, we'd basically go to a little resort area and we'd actually take an easel and throw up a pad and say, okay, what do you all want to talk about? And they talk about salaries. They want to talk about what are you charging this for? Do I have to do this legally? Where so we all the gathering information really built the trib group because people would gladly they would call me and say, John, do you know any of the members that have done this or done that? And I say, Yes, yes, I do, you know, and I'd say, well, here's one. They'd say, and then save them money legal-wise. So you don't have to do that, you have to do this. So the crime router is there, and it just really grew. When Slats came on board, I call it Slatz, Newman Slats uh of buddies, he said, uh, what can I do for you when I was executive director? And I the main thing I wanted to do was have committees for furniture, appliance, electronics, and service, because I was making the decisions at the time on who we would be a vendor and who would not be a vendor. And a lot of vendors would, some of the vendors, not a lot, would say, you know, uh, why aren't you taking a mine or whatever? So once we made one of the boardmen's chairmen of one of the furniture committees or one of the appliance committees, and maybe had two members uh to serve on the committee, which is like four of us, the decisions were made as a group. So if a vendor got turned down, it wasn't because John Blair turned it down, it's because the committee turned down because the program was not good enough. And then we decided to, you know, Darren, who was who was on those committees?

SPEAKER_00:

Like when you when you created these committees at first, who was on these committees and what we're doing.

SPEAKER_01:

You're talking about in the 80s, so you're talking about David Blevins, uh, you know, Lowry wasn't on it, uh, Slats, uh, Daryl Tissett, even uh, you know, uh, you know, most of them uh most of them, you know, you know, they go back so long. Some probably Cynthia Baber was on the committee, you know, and uh Dennis Shields was one of the vice presidents of TRIB at the time, you know, and and he was on the committee, and Paul Beruby, and they would just chair it, and then members, members that were members, the franchise, we'd ask them if they want to be on the committees. And we we had no problem with volunteers. We pick up two members where you can be on the appliance, furniture, or electronic committee, and three of us would get together, you know. Well, four was including myself, and we started setting up meetings in Atlanta area where they would come in and they'd we'd set up time and dates like they do now. We'd present their program to us, and then we'd we'd go back and and after they're gone, inform them whether we voted to have them in or have not to have them in, you know. And even some, every year they're required to do that, and we have to vote whether they should stay as a vendor if they're if they're not doing 30% of the trib member's business, then maybe that product's really not the best best for the member. That's the way I don't know how it is now because I've been away from it so long, but but that's kind of the way I we started. I kind of instigated the idea of like, why don't we all wear the same colored shirts when we go to April? So and we find out, well, we're a huge part of April. You know, the TRIB members are when you walk around and see all red shirts or all blue shirts or whatever on the day, you realize he was a TRIB member. So it it really brought a lot of, you know, to the to the TRIB group, you know. And so we just grew and grew and grew. And then we kind of partnered up with April to grow the industry alone, you know, and and to make it all in one. And so everybody works closely together, April and and TRIB and even nationwide at the time. And so the industry's been very sharp and very growing. I'm very pleased the way the direction of the industry went. And and they still have that industry. They still have the camaraderie. You know, the people are still friends. I get calls all the time from uh different, you know, TRIB members saying, How you doing, you know, and and things like that. So it really means a lot to me, you know. So it was a great industry, you know. So and I'm still proud of them. I think the rent-only industry will be here forever, you know. It's there's just no doubt. I think it's one of the strongest industries around. Because not only did they do that, they do a lot of charity work, you know. And and when we started the rebates years ago, that was that was really great. It just shows how solid we were. I remember one interest, I don't know, it was in uh the early 80s or mid-80s, uh, Slats president, well, his president, uh Phillips Corporation at the time, I wouldn't negotiate the rebates. I'd go up and say, uh, you know, uh we if we do$2 million, we get a two members get a 2% rebate, you know. And we came up and we were we did like 1,988,000 or something like that, you know, 100, 1,900,000, or pretty close to only like 50,000 short. So when they came to the meeting, we're at the Marriott downtown Atlanta, and uh and uh and uh I forgot the gentleman's name who was uh in charge of Phillips at the time, came in and said we weren't gonna get the rebate because we missed it by about$50,000. So Slat said, well, that's BS and we should we should get it. You know, we we we were loyal to you. And so he said uh we got together and we said, we're just gonna bypass that booth when when we all the members would not order from Phillips. And so we walked around the show and Phillips the salesman standing there at a big booth, and they said, they finally called me and said, Why aren't you uh why aren't anybody stopping by and and buying from Phillips? Well, we felt we did a hell of a job. We did a lot to switch to a lot of members switched to you, and we thought, you know, that we deserve that 2% rebate, and we just felt that if you weren't willing to, for less than$50,000 to meet the quota and give us a 2% rebate, we just didn't feel it's worth buying your product anymore. You know, like that. And all of a sudden they came back and said, we'll go ahead and give it to you, give us a really a good deal, had some specials and everything. So that just shows you the solidarity of the Trip Group and the members at the time. That really, really meant a lot. And I think that really made an impression on the other vendors that were at the show when they found out what they're just bypassing Phillips. We're buying from Zenith, we're buying from RCA, but we're not buying from Phillips, you know, at the time. So that was a proud moment to me at with Trip Group.

SPEAKER_00:

Whose idea was it to come up with the I where did the idea come from to get rebates from the vendors in order to entice some of the dealers to buy from them?

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know. We we did it as a board. The TRIB board members came up with. I don't know who came up with slats or one of the board members brought it up. I can't remember, but it was brought up at a board meeting that if we could do this volume of of business that we should be get it. Of course, we knew at the time, you could tell at the time that if we did something like that, we knew we'd have to really work hard on the pricing because they were going to increase the pricing 2% when they had us a new pricing to cover the rebates that we possibly would get to them. You know what I'm saying? I mean, the funny story was um we had uh, I forgot what company it was at the time. There's a company out in in, I think it was Bestway at the time. And it and Gary Jones was the buyer for Best Way. That's what it was when Gary Jones was the buyer. And uh Gary Jones says, I'm gonna join Tribb, but I'm not joining until the first of the year. And I said, Well, who do you how what do you how much who do you do a lot of business with? And they said, we do a lot of business with Ashley. We really do a couple million dollars with Ashley. I said, Well, okay, good. So I put that in my book. So when we went out to visit Ashley and talked about the program, they said, Well, if you do$4 million, we'll give you a 3% rebate or something like that. I can't remember what was. So I kept minding, well, okay, what if we can do$5 million? Will you give us a 4% rebate? They said, Yeah, we'll do that if you can do$5 million, because we mummy might only be doing$2 billion that year, you know, the year before. But I knew from when Gary Jones came off that I was going to actually get another$2 billion, so we were going to get a 4% rebate. So I remember uh going to High Point, and uh Ron Waldick said, uh, I need the things out, John, you need to come see Ron Wallinick at the Ashley, as the Ashley building, you know, at the Ashley's office in High Point. So I went down to sitting there with with Ron Wald, and I'm sitting there and and he says, and he's got his president there, and he says, you know, he pulls his chair around his desk, he sits in front of us, he said, we don't give rebates, you know, like that. You know, and I said, uh, what do you mean you don't give rebates? He says, you're gonna do five million this year, and and we're gonna have to give 4% rebate. That's a lot of money for, and we just don't do that, you know. And I said, I said, Well, you signed the contract to do this. What do you mean I signed a contract? This president signed. I had the contract, I pulled it out and said, You signed the contract here. I'm gonna have to show this to the board of directors because we're gonna read, you're gonna you won't know it's 4% rebate. And he says, Can I make a copy? They said, Absolutely. And I gave him the copy and I put mine back in there and I went back to the board, and first thing you know, we got a call. We'll honor it. You know, that's the way Ashley is. They they will honor that. But it kind of got us something that we used at I used at the time when I was uh director of trip. You know, I just knew Gary was coming in with two million. Well, we we're gonna make four percent, you know, so I'll work out a better deal. But we negotiated as a, you know, there'd always be when I'd go to High Point or go to Tupelo, Mississippi, there was always like slats, or one of the president would always go with me and and a couple other other board of directors would always go there. We'd go to CES and they'd all go together and we'd go around together and work as a team, which really brought a lot to Trib Group then. Just terrific, terrific industry. So that's kind of when we got started.

SPEAKER_00:

As you're going through Trib and you're you're growing TRIB, how how well did TRIB grow in those 14 years that you were executive director?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, when I left them, see, when I started, we only had 17 members and maybe 115 stores or something like that. So you can imagine, and those are it and and we and the majority of the stores had slats at it, and then we had another company that came on board that was a big franchise dealer. I can't remember the name of it, but no longer in business. They had 50, and that really brought it to us. But uh it's I don't even know what it is right now. I have no idea what what TRIB is right now. You know, it's uh it's just a a great industry, and and you know, I th uh to me I think I don't I can't see why one dealer would not be a member of the TRIB group. I really can't. I can't see why they wouldn't be. I mean, it's not that much to join, you know, and you get your money back immediately on one vendor, one one program or one product. You you can get you if you purchase it and majority purchase, you get your money back. But I think the real value of TRIB is that the comrade being able to say, you know, negotiate with other members on certain things or talk about with other be feel freely, like I could feel you feel freely to call Pete, Pete, you know, you've been doing this for years. I've got this problem. What what do you think could do it? Are are you what are you paying for this or what are you paying for that? I remember when the pricing really got tough. I went around to Walmart and to Walmart and Kmart and all those stores, you know, and the furniture stores, and I would go around with the yellow pad and I'd write down some of the numbers that we'd done and see what they're offering retail, and I'd put it up on a big board, and so when the board members come in uh for a vendor meeting, I could see what the pricing is compared. Then we kind of had an idea what we're what we're gonna do then. But uh it's a it's just a great organization, you know. There's just so many positives about the TRIB group. And plus, with the way April has come together with TRIB, even makes it much more nicer. You know, at the time when I was going through it was this little ill feelings between TRIB and April. At one time, April was actually flew into Atlanta to think about purchasing TRIB, you know, and this was in the the early slats was president then. I remember that because he was president at the time and Daryl was on the board and they had a lot to say so about it, you know, and uh and it was at the airport and and uh we of course the members voted it down because April wanted to see about knew that we were getting these rebates and it could help finance them, but but uh you know, we support they support everybody, you know, so it's It's just uh things have really changed in the long run. You know, with uh especially with technology, you know, that was I remember we had a guy from uh SLATS or or Daryl recommended come in and and set up our computers in the office and redo everything and put all these uh ways we could we could asset whatever we were doing, what each member was paying, it meant a lot to us at that time. So technology really helped the growth of TRIB also.

SPEAKER_00:

When you go when you're talking about those time frames, because you're talking about the 14 years and and the and the changeover. What do you think as as it is now, how do you feel the relationship is between TRIB and April now that it's kind of progressed from that point on to now?

SPEAKER_01:

I think it's nothing but positive. You know, April has April keeps the industry together because somebody goes up to Washington and and takes a Charles Smithman, very smart, very intelligent. I've known Charles for years, so happy he became April CEO. But but I think that we need uh uh trib members need April, the industry needs April. There's no doubt about it. April is there to make sure that we stay in business. And and they keep us pretty much informed of what was going on. And we've always supported April. I mean, that was one of the big I remember us giving money to April when we when we when we were managing our funds, we'd give$2,500 to April or whatever. April's always been solid with with with the TRIB members. I I think it's a great terrific organization. Got great people running it. You know, a lot of people that are on the board were also were on the trib board at one time.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it's a great organization. I think they work well together. Talking about going back a little bit earlier on, you know, you were talking about some of the different vendors, whether it be RCA, Zenith, Ashley, whatever the case is. As you started, you said there was only a select few vendors that were there. How did you go about getting those vendors to come on to TRIB to be available with the rebates and what they do to the dealers?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I I think I think the way that all came on. Now that didn't come on at once. It took time. You know, it took the period of time. I think the first, I'd say the first seven, eight, ten years of TRIB was really a growing, building the confidence of the vendors to build confidence that TRIB is a strong organization that's not going to wear. And that took time, you know. When we when we do our annual shows and everything, we would really honor the vendors and uh and they'd see the honor of the vendors. And these things take time. And what Dennis has done is really just taking it to the next level, you know, because Dennis was to me is a very smart individual, and he takes it to the next level. And and I think it just, you know, I I went as far as I could. I think I went with them, and and uh then Dennis took over and and and just took it another step further. But it just it took time. I can't say it's it's it's when you go in and and you and you show loyalty to the vendors, and then the word got around that Tribb is loyal to the vendors. When they pick up somebody, they support the group. They they buy the product from the group, and that's what really it was all about is that if we picked up a vendor, we're gonna buy their product. And even though when you're at the shows, I'm sure Dennis has been through this, some vendors that you have come up and they say, Well, you know, they're not, I'm not getting that much business. And I would always say in a very nice way, well, you know, maybe your product is not for the rent-owned industry. Maybe that's not what we need in the industry, you know, because some vendors would have certain things and we might have thought it was good and try it, and and we don't most likely tell them, well, we'll give you a shot. But if it doesn't work out, and we feel if you if you're not gonna do that amount of business with TRIB, then maybe the product is not there, you know, for you, you know, like that. And then I think the industry, the vendors got where they had so much confidence in the TRIB members that that just carried on. And the word got out, well, you need to you need to be a TRIB vendor if you're gonna grow this industry. You need to go see Dennis and you need to see if it's worthwhile and see if you can't get an appointment to see if your product's worthwhile having it. But you have to have a product that's gonna appeal to the to the trib uh customers and everything else, and that's what the key is. And it's to me, I've always said keep it simple. If you keep it, just got to keep it simple. You know, the pricing, the product, and everything, and and offer only so many SKUs of it, you know. I mean, whoever thought purses would be a product that we would have. Whoever thought we'd sell lawnmowers, whoever thought we'd sell this or thought we would do that, or I mean rent this or rent that. But you know, those are what your customer needs. They need they need a grill, they need a lawnmower, you know. And uh I remember going and I visited a lot of trade members during my time. I remember going to Colorado and it was American Furniture. I walked into their showroom one time and they had everything. It was like a retail store. And in the middle of the store, they had gifts for for the customer to purchase. And they were basically giving these small gifts away, but they were for the kids, and they had it right in the middle. And the parents would come in, they look, and they had it right in the middle. Just they were little cars, trucks, little radios, headphones, and they were selling them for whatever their cost is, and they're afraid about it. They didn't raise up the price, and the customers are just in there constantly. And then I remember going down to Louisiana and uh during the season down there, and this one one company had air conditioners just fouled up, window air conditioners, and I'm saying, gosh, those are a lot of window air conditioners. He says, We can't keep them in, you know, during during the summertime. They would come in and they would and then they'd wrap them up in plastic and store them for the next time over. Instead of just saying when they come back, they would clean them up and wrap them and and and store them, you know. And even when cell phones started, who wouldn't believe you'd want to rent cell phones? They were so expensive. But but it's just a way for these the customer cannot afford, they don't have the credit, in my opinion, to afford to go out and buy something retail and put it. They'd much rather rent it, plus it gives them the advantage, as you know, in the industry to return it without having any bad credit or anything else. And I think the families, like when somebody would rent it, they say, well, go here and rent it. You know, I remember when my granddaughter went down to college and she's a senior this year and she's at Gainesville, she had an apartment and she says, you know, I don't know. I said, go to Buddies right there. And of course, you know, me knowing the people at Buddies, you know, they they gave her a good package and she was able to furnish her place. And so that was those things are plus to a lot of people. The way I got started in the industry, in the furniture rental industry, when I after I got out of the Marine Corps and moved up to Atlanta, I needed a bedroom suit, you know. So I wouldn't buy errands and getting me a bedroom suit, you know, for like 15 bucks, you know, until I worked for Broyle and then I'd get for free. But it's uh it's a great industry, you know. So and you meet a lot of great people. That's the most important thing is the people in the industry are just so nice, so giving. You know, was it and you meet a lot of great vendor friends, you know. I got a lot of good uh vendor friends, and and uh that's why I just thoroughly enjoyed the industry so much. You know, I'm really blessed.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, you did you did 14 years as Tribb's executive director, but then you got out, and that wasn't the end of your RTO career. No. So what made you what what came to the idea that maybe it's time to leave Tribb and move on? And then where did you go from there?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you know, I went to work for Jerry Bogo, a jewelry company. That's where I met Robbie, okay? Robbie and I have been friends, we talked to each other just about every day.

SPEAKER_00:

You're talking about Robbie Tyson.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, Robbie Tyson been friends for years, you know, Kevin Silvers and all those guys, you know. So at that time, believe it or not, at that time, we were doing a tremendous amount of business in jewelry. And so I just knew at this time it was my time to I felt that I could make more money in sales, and which I did. You know, nothing wrong with what TRIB was paying me. They're paying me a good salary, but I I needed to, it's more of it's it's a financial reason. That's the reason I left it uh strictly financial. And that that's the only reason I really missed it. And I but I was loyal and I left TRIP on a very high note, and and uh, you know, and and so proud I did, you know. And at one time when they had to hire the first dector, they're talking about me coming back, and I I just said I was just happy with what I was doing and the amount of money I was making at the time, you know. So that's the reason I I left him and and and stayed with Robbie for several years and selling and and doing, you know, really just an independent salesman, you know, with them. And I handled a few other other lines of products too when I when I was with uh when I was in the after I left TRIB. So I I was happy at that time. But I stayed, what was the joy about it? I stayed with the with close camaraderie with all the the TRIB members. So it was just really it was easier for me to sell because I had my established my relationship with the trib members, and a lot of them came on board and and purchased for me and helped me in increase the business, and that's the way I made money. Did you see a lot of changes with TRIB after you left? I think the main thing that I think was, and I probably Dennis came up with that idea is a hot show. The hot show had to be it's probably one of the key things that we ever did. When we were with Trib, when I was at Trib, we approached doing taking one product and do a quantity buy and buy all of them out. But at the time, you just couldn't get all the members to commit to buy that amount of product. Like, say if Ashley came up and said, Look, I got these bedroom suits, or or you know, RCA or Zenith, or somebody came up and said, you know, I've got, you know, our Rourke would come up and say, uh Rourke wasn't with me at the time, but Rourke came up and say, you know, I've got, you know, 500 stereos or 2,000 stereos, I need to move at this price. Could you buy them? I don't think we were at the time where we could actually do that at the time, you know, because the industry was starting to change. Uh when Borg Warner, I mean a lot of people know who Borg Warner is, when they started offering more money to the trib dealers, you know, because of their their finances, and and they started, like for instance, um some of some of the members that I knew, you know, they would uh say, you know, they just I only need$100,000, but Borg Warner's going to give me$500,000. It was tough trying to pay that revenue back if you're in the store instead of taking that money, should have just took$100,000. And really, it really was a it it really damaged some of the the trib members that had been there for for a long time. But very few, not too many, that that did that. But it was I think it's put a reality on what was going on and the way that what Bob Warner did, and then they had their own stores and stuff. So they finally went away. But there was just a lot of crazy things going on through that time of the industry, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

So I mean, talking about changes and talking about things new, what were some of the advancements that you saw happen in the rent-to-owned industry and your tenureship over the last few decades of rent to own? What were some of the things that you you know you saw came in, changed the industry for the better? But what are some of the other things? And I wouldn't say just product, but as it was coming up, were there any things, any huge changes that happened along with it at the wow?

SPEAKER_01:

Furniture, furniture really grew when I was there. Uh furniture started being uh 30, 35 percent of their business, you know. If furniture really grew, appliances are always going to be there. You know, everybody needs appliances, you know. And electronics, when the electronics really started changing, I remember the big boom boxes you put on your shoulder and walk around, and all the the bells and whistles and all that came to light, and then all that sudden that disappeared, and we started getting in, you know, more of a more of a I don't know, contemporary look at in the uh in electronics. But you know, when you when you get to betting, and but I think the the biggest thing, and I don't know if Ashley did this or not, but when they started saying we can drop off a sofa, a chair, two lamps, and two end tables, instead of just taking in 20 bedroom suits, they were were able to order in groupings that they can put on their showroom or where they know that would really go. And I think that that was a big success story on that. And in other words, instead of trying to bring in several different items in one truckload, the the groupings really made a lot of difference. And and Bill French could probably tell you that. He's been there for years now. I'm I can't. I'm so proud that he's he's still there and and and working well.

SPEAKER_00:

Great Bill French, he's been doing it for years and years.

SPEAKER_01:

Of course, you know the big screen TVs and all that stuff that just came on, that's TV for flatter still, the big heavy TVs that you had. I remember those big tank TVs that we used to rent, and I I just said I'm I don't know who carried them out, but they better have a strong back to carry those those TVs out. So I think that the industry has grown and technology has really made the difference in the industry. You know, the people on computers, laptops, okay. If you want to talk about laptops, that's probably one of the biggest things that that hit the industry more than anything else was laptop because you have to have the internet and and all the everything else that was involved with technology, you know. That to me that was the biggest I technology technology had to be the biggest part of the growth of everything, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

And so you said you were the first director of the trip group? Special director.

SPEAKER_01:

They had uh, I can't even think of his name, but they they really the the one of the co-founders, I can't remember his name, uh Larry Schrader was one of them, but this other gentleman was one of them. I you know, the name just uh passes my mind. He was involved with it. And uh, but he was more or less one of the co-founders and the director, but they needed somebody to come in and and management and and uh and set up these shows and and you know, somebody to professionally management and and my management skills brought that into the industry and talking and doing the programs and setting them up. You know, it was a challenge. It really was a challenge at the time, you know, but it was it was well worth it because you know and what could and I really had no idea about even being a they had me come down to Atlanta and interview with along with some other people to interview for the job at the time. And and but when I sat there and was listening to these guys, and there must have been nine of them there, you know, that were on the board or whatever. Uh we used to have 11 board members or whatever, or 13, but at the time, just listening and listening to their success stories and listen with that, I was so intrigued about it, you know. And I'd to be honest with you, in the beginning, I'm thinking, you know, if uh there's some way financially I can get my own rent owned store, this is what I need to do is listen to these guys and then then go find where I can get my own rent owned store. And I had that opportunity with Borg Warner, and I'm glad I didn't take it, but they offered, they came in there one time and offered me like five stores out of Macon, Georgia. And I lived up here in Atlanta area, and that was a drive, you know, a two-hour drive with the traffic to go down there. And uh they said because of my my background, basically with Broy Hill, I was uh vice president of sales and management. Uh I was a manager. I managed at like 27 locations, you know, and had uh five states, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, you know, before Broy Hill sold the furniture rental business. And I basically would have was interviewing with court and some other uh industries and decided to take a chop take an opportunity with the rent to own, which I'm glad I did. But uh, you know, that's been my background, the furniture rental background. I even even at one time uh Kim Butler offered me a job, and I just said I was good. I said, no, I I didn't really want to work in that area, you know. But uh it was just when I when I sitting there listening to talk to them, and I'm thinking, boy, I need to get in this business because at that time, you know, and I a lot of members that they just mortgaged their house and it cost them maybe$100,000 to get in rent own business and and and with the mortgage of the house and payments, and boy Gwarner's learning money, and and they were going to give me like 98% financing, but I just my kids were in school and I just couldn't drive all the way down there and back every day, you know, and I didn't want to move to Macon at that time, so I was uh comfortable where I live. You know, you make decisions that you you know at that time you think it's best for the family, and that's what you do, and that's what I did. I have no regrets there at all, you know. Matter of fact, I'm probably glad I didn't go with them. I'd probably be bankrupt and all everybody's money right now, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

So when you left Tribb and you went to the jewelry sector, how long did you stay there?

SPEAKER_01:

Only about three years and three or four years, you know, and then jewelry went out. You know, it only lasted, it's going, you know, everything's up and down, but it went in and people are doing jewelry. Now Robbie's Tyson's still into it, but it was huge at the time. You know, you it was just huge uh putting it uh people wanted it that bad. But then the prices of gold, I think, caused the price of gold went up. That's what really I think caused it now for the rent-on jewelry business because we were doing a lot of changes, different things there, and I was mainly making good money on commissions and stuff there. And uh so I then I I was sitting at, you know, uh the business has going under. What happened was was it in 2000? No, see, when I start with them, it was in 1998 or 2000 when when everything dropped, you know, the market dropped, people weren't buying for it. So we had a we had a big contract with one one deal over a half a million dollars, which ra Robbie Tyson and I at the time were kind of independent and we were gonna do well, but everybody just said we're canceled, they'd rather have furniture appliance. They canceled all the jewelry orders. You know, they just everybody just canceled. I it was a time when the market hit or whatever, I can't remember exactly when it was, but that was at the time it did it. It was in the in the it was probably, we'll see, I was I don't can't remember when I left Tribe in 99, I believe. So it was in the early 2000s when all that happened. And uh so I basically didn't didn't have a job. You know, I mean, not I'd had a job, but yeah, I wasn't making any money, and and I got a call from uh uh PTS Benefit and Financial Services and from uh Tony Farrell about taxes. And he lived in uh Cal this company was in Calhoun, Georgia, and he called me up one day and I didn't know who he was, and he says, you know, this is Tony Farrell. I said, uh I said, I got your name from somebody, and I said, I think your client is what we're doing in the rent-town business, you know. And I said, Doing taxes. And I said, Well, you know, I don't know anything about taxes. I said, I'll come up there and talk to you, not just to help him out. And I went up there and he said, you know, he had a tax, he was doing a lot of tax at the finance offices. He said, Your customer is perfect for my business. And the rent-to-owned business was doing taxes, said, you know, uh, there's several members were doing taxes big time. And uh and I and I said, Well, let me give you some people to call and talk to, you know, like that, you know, and uh he called Dennis and he called uh you know uh Bill at the time of April, and uh he called him and and they and they just said, you know, if you're gonna if you want to know a lot about the business, you need to hire a job, you know, like that. So I went up there and I started talking to him, and I said, All right, I'll take a chance. And we worked out a contract and a deal, and I stayed with him. We did really well in the business, you know, did did very very well with the taxman's first two years, and I ended up staying with him, you know, until he sold sold his uh company, his division that I was running at the time, you know. He sold the benefit marketing group, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

So what role did you play in PTS?

SPEAKER_01:

I was their vice president of sales, PCS, you know, of operations sales. I I had a law of the sales for his benefit program. Same thing that benefit marketing does. That's that's what I did, you know. We were in competition with benefit marketing.

SPEAKER_00:

How long did you do that?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I was with Tony uh almost 14 years, I think. Yeah, I was with him pretty well, pretty good bit, you know. With him from 2000. I left him in 20. 22, so I was with him, you know, 200, you know, four or something like that. 2008 or something like that. Something like I can't remember, you know, at that time. You know, and then I got then I had a health problem. A health problem hit me, and that's what I'd probably still be with him, even though he sold it, I'd probably still be in the industry. Uh I I was worked for benefit market for about six months, but I was really not in very good shape at the time. I had, you know, everything went to crap all of a sudden one year, and I had five back surgeries and then hospital for 37 days, had a had a heart attack due to the back surgeries because I was under for nine hours. They they re really reconstructed my whole back. I'm really blessed, you know. And and I just I was, you know, on being in recovery for a long time. I had to go to PT for a long time therapy. I was in therapy and hospital in therapy for three weeks. And so just but you know, I'm in great health now. I'm probably in the best health I've been in in years, you know. That was and then he sold it. So that's that's what happened after he sold, you know. And I decided to, you know, uh Brad Dennison and and Susan and all those people are just uh terrific. You know, they've all been very good and and uh and I wish I'd have stayed stayed with them, but at the time my health wasn't that good, and I didn't even know, but to be totally honest, I didn't know if I was gonna be here this year or next year because I had some serious problems, you know. But all that's in the past, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

So I want to say you look pretty good today. I know that uh you've been going, you've been working out, you've been you're getting healthier, you look way better than I what you make it sound. I don't I don't think I've seen you back then, but I've seen you now. You look in really good shape.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh, you know, well you gotta work at it, you know. You just you just gotta work at it. You know, God gives you a gift to work at it, and that's what I did. You know, I I came pretty uh uh Robbie Tyson really knows more about it than a lot of people, but but I came pretty close to, you know, at the time when I was in the hospital uh in 2022, it was it was so serious that uh they actually called my daughter and my my grandkids up to Atlanta, and uh you know they gave me a 50-50 chance to to really make it and stuff. Had my brother come in, my sister come in, but I made it through it, you know, and but uh turned out to be very blessed and humbled by it, you know. There's no doubt about it. It just kind of puts a, you know, when you're you're in that situation, I've always been very positive and very positive about what I do. I I try to treat people like they would treat me. I try to be honest and upfront with everybody. I don't like to to embellish a lot of things, you know. I I do talk a lot and embellish a lot, but but uh, you know, I I think that's the the main thing. You know, and and God was with me all the time. And and so it's you know, it's you know, when you I matter of fact, I I even flatline in in recovery and they brought me back, you know. So that was one of the things. Yeah, it was it was something else, but but I'm very blessed to be here, you know, and like I said, uh the industry is is treating me well and and I'm happy with what I'm doing. And I did so I've done some consulting work and some things like that, which I enjoy, you know, and and been offered a few things, but you know, I don't know if I can do all this traveling in more like I did before, you know. It's just a lot of traveling, especially here in Atlanta. Nobody likes going to the Atlanta Airport because you never know what you're gonna see when you get there.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's a it's a it's one of the airports in the country that I think I'd I'd rather uh I'd rather avoid if I can, but it's a big hub. It's a big hub, and you gotta you gotta go through it sometimes.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, when you gotta leave three and a half hours from my house to get to the airport because you don't know what the traffic's gonna be like because I'm on the uh on the north side of town and the airport's on the south side, it it's it's different, you know. Because I you just I'd rather get there and sit there and and uh in the crown room or someplace and and read the paper than sit there and be rushed. Because you just don't know when security is just a nightmare there, you know, and uh and and you never know when they're gonna cancel flights or whatever. I've I've sat in there one time for 14 hours when I should have just I could have been better off going home and coming back. But they just kept saying that, you know, we're gonna get a plane, we're gonna do this, we're gonna do that. That's part of traveling now. I think a lot of people go through that a lot, you know. So but I've been pretty lucky in my travels, you know, and everything else. It's been it's been a it's been a great life. I'm really pleased, you know, where I'm at right now in my life. So I'm I'm really happy, you know. And like I said, I you know, if the if the dealers, the trim members and dentists and all the board, uh I'm very proud uh to have served being a trim executive director. Such a it's just a great life for me, and and I appreciate everything they have done. And and and April the same way, you know. I was so glad when Charles and I worked together at PTS for probably six or seven years, you know. So he's a great super guy, great asset to the April industry. And uh there's a lot of great guys on the board. I just go on and on to name all of them, you know. There's just so many of them, you know, and they're also caring and giving, you know, and that's what I like. I like the idea they do a lot for the customer, do a lot for charity. And I made a point to go to every state show there was if I it if I could. And I had so much fun at those state shows. They're just so much fun, and people appreciate your loyalty and and everything else, you know. Uh uh, it was it's just been a great joy.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I got to tell you, John, I'm glad that you were in the industry. I'm glad that you did the service for the country, and I'm glad that you can celebrate that on the 250th anniversary of a lot of what's going on with the military and that they want you to speak. Uh, it's nice to be able to talk to any of the first executive director of of TRIB who lasted in the industry for 14 years, PTS 14 years. You sold a jury, you're pretty much done over just about anything in the business that we can talk about.

SPEAKER_01:

I think I started with them in I can't remember I started 84, 85, and I've been in the industry since then. So that's what, 40 years almost? That's 40 years, just about.

SPEAKER_00:

That's it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, about 38 years in the industry, which which is good. I still get all the emails from April and everybody else and and all this stuff. You know, there's there's so many things that we went through. Uh there was uh just when you think back, there was a company that tried to compete with uh with the industry. April's called Rental Dealer News. I never forget them. You know, they tried to compete, they didn't go anywhere. And you know, everybody's trying to compete. But you know, we have such loyal and strong people in the industry that are just the RTO to me is the best industry, I think, working environment you could be in. It's so it's so good to people. They they treat their customers well, they treat their employees well, and they look after them, and I think that's just terrific what they do. You know, I I can think of so many people that's just off of my mind that who's who's you know, Mike Tiss is the group, you know. I I visit his area, you know, and he has such a great group up there, and they're just so many, you know. Cleek out when I go out to love to go to Missouri. You know, we there's a just a lot of stories out there, you know, and uh there are a lot of great guys out there, yeah. Oh yeah, yeah. I mean the industry is so good. There's a lot of really, really nice guys there and really genuine, you know, guys that you can trust. And I think that's what's really good about the industry. You can trust people. There's a lot of people you can't you go to different companies, you hear about it, you know, but you can go when you they say something, you they're gonna stay behind it. There's no doubt about it. I completely agree.

SPEAKER_00:

I agree. Well, listen, John, we appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01:

I think what you're doing is just terrific. You know, I think it's uh it's no when I knew you were doing a podcast with when uh I th I don't know if Robbie told me or somebody told me that you're doing a podcast, and I said, that's the smartest thing you ever came up with is do a podcast. There's so many podcasts out there, but it's not one for rent to own.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, and I think you Well, we're meaning to change that, and I appreciate the uh I appreciate that, John, because it means a lot coming from you, somebody who's done 40 years, 40 plus years in the business and knows about it as much as you do. Guys, I say I appreciate you guys being here with us. John Blair has been an amazing guest, kind of telling us uh what's going on from the beginning of April all the way, or excuse me, from trib to now and all the intricate uh details of how and who and what happened in between now and then. I'd say if you guys have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the podcast. Hit us up on the email at Pete at the RTO Showpodcast.com. Feel free to also go on the website, it's www.thertoshowpodcast.com. You can check out there, see who our sponsors are, get into some swag, you know, get a shirt, get uh a couple of things, get a hat for when you're out there in the world. And remember that you can also go on there and find out some of the shenanigans I've been able to get into, see some of our YouTube videos. We do appreciate those. Also, you can hit us up on social media. We have Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube where you're gonna see this. And John, I really appreciate your time. I really appreciate your being here with us, and I appreciate the service that you've given us and our country. And I'm gonna tell you guys as always get your collections low to get yourself high. Have a great right.

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Pete Shau

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