David David’s Leadership Lessons for Rent To Own Operators and Entrepreneurs

What does it take to build a lasting legacy in the rent to own industry?

In this episode of The RTO Show Podcast, Pete Shau sits down with David P. David of American Rental and Full-O-Pep to explore more than four decades of entrepreneurship, leadership, industry advocacy, and customer focused growth in the RTO business. 

From building rental stores across multiple states to helping shape APRO, TRIB Group, state rental dealer associations, and rent to own legislation, David shares the stories, strategies, and leadership lessons that helped define modern RTO operations.

What You’ll Learn:

• How David David helped grow American Rental and Full-O-Pep through organic growth, acquisitions, and strong company culture
• Why APRO, TRIB Group, and state rental dealer associations were critical in protecting the future of the rent to own industry
• The importance of customer relationships, payment flexibility, and ownership focused service in RTO
• How leadership development and employee culture create long term retention and business growth
• Why online rent to own strategies, digital retail, and website optimization are shaping the future of the industry

Episode Highlights:

• 03:47 – How childhood work ethic and entrepreneurship shaped David David’s business mindset
• 11:03 – The early days of opening Full-O-Pep rental stores and learning the rent to own business
• 17:07 – What makes a successful rental store acquisition and how to integrate company culture
• 22:10 – How Indiana rental legislation was built through advocacy and state association leadership
• 26:12 – Why employee culture, vendor relationships, and company events matter in RTO operations
• 38:57 – How APRO helped protect the rent to own industry during major legislative battles
• 46:58 – Why the future of rent to own depends on customer service, online business, and industry advocacy
• 55:02 – David David’s best advice for new rent to own store owners and operators

Meet the Guest:

David P. David is the longtime leader behind American Rental and Full-O-Pep, two respected names in the rent to own industry. Over the past four decades, he has served in leadership roles with APRO, TRIB Group, the Indiana Rental Dealers Association, and multiple industry advocacy efforts that helped shape the future of rent to own operations and legislation across the United States. 

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• APRO industry advocacy and legislative strategy
 • TRIB Group buying power and vendor negotiations
 • State rental dealer association development
 • Customer retention and ownership focused RTO service
 • Rental store acquisition and integration strategies
 • Employee culture and long term leadership development
 • Customer flexibility and payment recovery practices
 • Community outreach and charitable giving programs

Closing Insight:

Long term success in the rent to own industry comes from relationships, consistency, and understanding the people you serve. David David’s story is a reminder that leadership is built over decades through advocacy, mentorship, customer care, and creating opportunities for both employees and communities. 

Transcript

Legend Series Setup And Free Book CTA

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hi, I'm Pete Chao. You may know me from the Arts Go Show podcast, but today I'm doing something a little bit different. Apro and Wow Brands have launched a special project to bring the story of our industry to life like never before. They've asked me to sit down with some of the true legends of Rent to Home, capture their stories, their impact, and their vision for the future. And now I get to share those conversations with you right from the legends themselves. All of this leads to something groundbreaking though. A new book. The Rental Revolution, a definitive history, advocacy of the store outset, written by April CEO Charles Witterman, and Wildbrand CEO, Brian Kraft. The book explores the grassroots of RTO, the advocacy that is defined, and the future that we're building together. Here's where you cover. We're giving away free copies once the book is released. Just head over to RTORevolution.com and sign up for a chance to receive a copy in early 2026. Don't miss the chance to be among the first to hold this piece of RTO history. That's rtoorevolution.com. Check it out and become a part of RTO History. Hello, and welcome to the RTO show. I'm your host, Pete Chow, and today we have another one on the Legend series. Listen, guys, I've been trying to nail this one down for a while. Mr. David David is a hard man to get a hold of. He is busy. He's got Fulla Pep going on in Indiana. Actually, America Reynolds is probably what you would know it better as, right? So David David, part of the April. Listen, he's part of the backbone of April. He is part of the backbone of Fulapep. He has got the family of legend. I mean, every time I see these guys, they are just all enjoying it and having a good time. But we're going to go back. We're going to go back a little bit and kind of discuss with Mr. David David how it all started, where it went, the things that he was able to accomplish, some of the things that he had to get through to get those accomplishments, and find out where we're going a little bit in the future. Mr. David David, how are you doing today? How's everything going? You're down in sunny Florida, right? Sunny Florida. Excited about the game. Cold Florida. Yeah. Cold Florida, yeah. So how much do you think uh Indiana's gonna win by? Um ten. Ten. All right. So by the time this comes out, we're gonna be able to look back at that game and say who won. So, Mr. David David, how are you doing? Like right now, I see 1981, Bloomington, Indiana. How did this all go down? But do I want to know first off, like like and this is a trick question for some people, what did you do as a child? What did you did you have a hobby? Uh working.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

I think I started you know we had a uh restaurant, we had a 200-acre truck farm raised produce, we had about a million Christmas trees planted that my that my father took care of. Okay. And then we had a feed and tackle store and a shell station. So wow. I in the spring had to plow when I was of age. I think I learned to drive a truck when I was six. I didn't know the gears. It was, you know, it's whatever took you forward, you know. Um I used to ride with my grandfather to uh Bloomington, it's about 20 miles, and he'd always bring a pillow with him when I was coming back. He said, I'm tired, you drive home. And I drove home every time. And one night we stopped at this uh Rootbeer stand right in Nashville, and some of my callers coming out, he told me to go ahead and drive home. And right at the top of this real steep hill, I got a red light come on, and the guy comes up and he said, Let me see your driver's license. And I said, Don't have. So I got the experience in in that. And fast forward, uh, I think I was 14 when I met Jim Hammond, who owned bought Fullip. And uh he ended up dating my sister for years. He his family moved to Arizona, and he wanted to graduate from Brown County High School, so he came back and we were actually roommates for about a year, a year and a half. So we've known each other probably 60, 60 some years, and uh wow have been great friends and and working companions for all that time. And so I was living in I uh did the Christmas trees. We shipped 150,000 Christmas trees every year. And uh Wowty,000 trees. You know, you're in a time restraint. So uh, you know, when we get done, we'd load up everything, drive to Florida. We had 35 locations in Florida, and I would set up the lots on the western Tampa, Bradenton, Sarasota, all those towns that Montgomery Wards were in at that time. I would set up the lots. And then uh after Christmas, I would stay in Florida. I my dad's either go back to Indiana. Well, a few years I went back because I was in uh flight school at Vincent University, learning to be a commercial pilot. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

So David, wait a minute, wait a minute. Did you even have a youth? You I mean, you were working since like you were years old. I mean, you're like six years old. He's he's driving the truck, he's putting up like did you I mean you were so usually the reason I ask that question is because the entrepreneurs that I see at your level, they have started early in the game. So usually it's either they had a paper route, they were selling bubblegum. I mean, I know if if you you know, if you look at some of the guys in in the big leagues, right? You got Charlie Munger, you got all the rest of the guys. Um, you know, Warren Buffett started selling candy when he was younger, and then he put the pinball machine into candy. Like it was it was something inert in them that they started early. Like I was gonna be an entrepreneur early. I don't know if any of them drove or sold as many trees as you did in that age. I can see why you are doing such a good job right now. But um it's the it's that spirit that starts off early. I mean, it just really kind of you know, it gets instilled early, and then before you know it, you take that and you keep on going. So that that's an amazing.

From Christmas Trees To Car Sales

SPEAKER_00 5:57

You know, my my grandfather had a little gift shop. I worked out there and I had to make change and come back money and stuff probably at six or seven. So uh seemed like, yeah, most of my life, even during the sports, I'd go out for basketball, but I'd have to quit the team because I had to do Christmas trees. Oh wow. And in the spring, I'd I would run track and things, but then I'd have to not go to practice because I had to go out and plow.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

Wow. And uh what so then what happens? 1981 rolls around, Bloomington, Indiana. Where was the start? Is that was that the start of Fullip?

SPEAKER_00 6:31

1980s, when Jim bought um Fullip was in 1980, it was an appliance store, failing appliance store. And in Indianapolis, there was a distributor called ADI, and they distributed RCA, Whirlpool, and Linton microwaves. And uh they were looking for somebody to uh take over the store to sell it to. And he would work he had worked for Airway, who was bought out by Target, and he didn't want to move to Minneapolis, so he started looking around, and a friend of his that worked with him at Airway worked at ADI and said they're looking for somebody to buy this appliance store. So he ended up buying it, and Lou Randall had collected a lot of information on rental stores too. He opened rental stores back in the 80s, late 80s and 90s, and uh had articles from that. So uh he talked to Jim and he loaned him the money to open it. And I was staying spending the winter in Florida and in 1978 I was going to buy a new car, and my sister was in a lot in Melbourne, and there was a Dotson dealership at the time, Nissan now, and I bought a 280 Z. I had a 240Z, I was buying a new 280 Z. Oh, I love those things. And I went over the next week after New Year's to see if the financer went through and to pick it up, and a cat got in the car and killed an animal and there's fur all over it. So I was not very happy, and I drove back, I was staying in Kissimmee, and I drove back to where I was staying, and I went by this Ford dealership, and they had the exact car on the lot. I made a U-turn and went back, the car was unlocked. It was owned by a pilot, and so I ended up getting a car uh buying the car and getting a job there. The guy asked me if I was interested in working, and I said, nope, never considered selling cars, but I went back to the room and thought about it. And my grandfather owned a Ford dealership from 1914 to 1939. And I thought, with that history, maybe I'd go to work at a Ford dealership. So I went there. So I worked there from 78, 79, and then I left my roommate open a fat boys barbecue in Sebring, Florida, and he came home on weekend. I stayed in his house in Orlando, and he stayed in my motor home in in uh Sebring. Which well I was actually a fifth-wheel, and uh came home and said, David's coming to manage it for me, and I am. So I ended up going magic, you know, every year when I have the pig roast, that's where that came from, was was uh working in the barbecue restaurant for about six months.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Well, I I definitely have some questions about that because I did see that you had a signature sauce that I wanted to talk to you about.

Discovering Rent‑To‑Own And First Store

SPEAKER_00 9:16

So so after that, I I left and I uh went back to Indiana, worked for went back to work for my dad, and I went back to Florida that went over to the Christmas tree, and after Christmas I stopped by this uh Nissan dealership, and the sales manager that was at that had run the other sales manager off to elected that dealership. Now it was fired and he was working here and he needed help. And I told him I would help him out if the the owners let him know that I was only going to be there until May. And he called me, I was in Key West and said, You're good to go. I went, and I started making so much money, I wasn't sure I wanted to leave. I was making like$6,000 a month back in the early 80s. But then they promoted me as sales manager, and my pay went because they wouldn't let me hire anybody, worked at a different dealership. So I went to Indiana that summer and I talked to Jim and I said, uh, you need a partner. And he said, No, I've got about 50 people who want to be a partner, but if you want to come back, we'll open a store together. And that time it was just a retail store. So I went back and thought about it and I said, I don't want to be in the car business, and it's an opportunity to do something that I'm never not familiar with. You know, Christmas trees, farm, restaurant stuff, but never appliances. But uh so I went to work and back before computers, you know, we had the cards, we had to post everything, and I learned to sell. I went on delivery. I remember a guy I went out on delivery, and a guy says, Where are you from? I haven't seen you before. And I said, Well, I moved from Orlando back here. And he said, You moved to Bloomington from Orlando? So I learned that business. So that following, I came back in October of '81, and I forgot how bad the winters were. It was drizzling rain and 53 degrees. And I went, oh no, I forgot about that because I'd spent all the winters in Florida. So in November, Jim and Dennis Adams and I, Jim Halen, Dennis Adams and I drove up to Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Bud Green was going around the country giving seminars on the rent owned business. And we spent the whole day there and we left, gave him a$100 bill, and he gave us a little packet with an agreement and a pickup order and a where you kept track of your inventory in and out and that type of thing. And went back in the retail store and opened a little department. It was about probably 500 square feet of that. Washer dryer, refrigerator, console TV, portable TV, a C D player, and that was it. And then the salespeople at the sales store didn't like that, so we eventually moved it first of the year and moved it out into a little A-frame building north of town. And um Jim asked me if I still want to do a retail store, and I said, nope, want to do a rental store. So every every week I drove to Columbus to look for a location, uh, week after week. And finally, I think it was in May. The shopping center I want to go to had an empty spot, an appliance dealer, and he thought I was competition, which I wouldn't have been. So I uh noticed one day somebody was moving in there, so and and asked him where they'd moved from, and they told me that's where I ended up finding a store. And uh so Dennis had the A-frame, I had the store in Columbus, and every year from that time we each opened two stores a year, uh, rental stores in different communities.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

We're talking about the Dennis Adams that I see around in every single one. He's been doing this for that long.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Yeah, he was he was in high school when he worked at the store before Jim bought it, uh working in service. And when Jim took it over, he made the parts manager for the appliance store.

unknown 12:49

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

So he's been there 40, 40 something some five years or something.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Dennis, you are longevity in form, in physical form. I will salute you, sir. Wow. He's been doing it since the beginning. That is amazing. I see him everywhere, and I'm like, man, he as long as I've been doing it, he has been a solid staple around in every single convention there is.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

Yeah, I got him involved in April, I got him involved in April and got him on the board and get elected.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

I mean, well, I mean, now I see now from the beginnings to four states. We have the Dennis Adams working for for David David here. You guys have done an amazing role. Can you talk to me a little bit? Um, because I did see some other stuff in here. What uh there was some growth with uh is it and I'm I'm trying to say this right. Is it Rapers Rent to Own and PDQ rentals?

SPEAKER_00 13:37

PDQ, Rapers, Giant, um uh Alice, um I can't think of her name now in Evansville area. We bought three stores from her. She had pawn chops and rental stores. And then later we bought uh Gary, Gary McDougal. Um he had stores in Tennessee. He called me and said, I want to sell my stores, and we bought those stores. He actually, when he had me go visiting the stores, and he told him I was an insurance salesman. And uh somebody saw me in one of the April magazines, sent pictures around all the other stores so they knew I was stuff. But uh that's how yeah, we grew probably 14, 16 stores, just opening stores. And at that time we we went computerized and we went on mainframes, those great big monster units.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

When was that? What year what year was that that you guys got the 85 when you got the big computers? So let me ask you a question. It's 85, you got the big computers. When did you get away from the big computers and actually get to the smaller desktops? How long was it?

SPEAKER_00 14:41

About five years. About five years? That's how Ralph came, you know, Ralph Boshe, that's how he came to work for us. He was looking for a job. We need to somebody do the backup on the big reel to reels. So he came in at night and he was a chain smoker at the time, and you'd come in, there'd be this heaping ashtray full of ashtray at butts, cigarette butts, that he ran the backup every night for us out of those.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

I've got to ask, because I've always been curious, what happened to those big computers after you transitioned into the small computers? It's not like you know, like nowadays you have a laptop, you get rid of it, you can recycle it. Those things were like the size of people. Like, what did you do with those things?

SPEAKER_00 15:18

It was uh two of them were as big as a house almost. Yeah, you had to keep an air conditioned too, you had to keep it like 70 degrees and all that. We had a in Texas, there was a guy that's still running mainframes, and once we got off of them, he wanted to buy them and we packed them up and shipped them to we actually got really money out of them instead of an anchor.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

You guys got lucky, they got fancy, they got rid of them. Like, I don't know what I would do with something like that. I mean, that's that's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

So But Les Felcher was you know who we went with. RSS, that's kind of the start of that. And we also had video rental. The reason we went with RSS was we had videos, we still had the sales store, and we had rental. And high touch at the time was just a rental system, which I liked, but it didn't handle movies, didn't handle the retail, so that's how we end up, and we've stuck with them ever since.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Hey everyone, it's Pete Chao here from the RTO Show Podcast, and I want to tell you about a company that's making a real difference in the rent-to-owned space, WoW brands. I've seen firsthand how they approach marketing. Let me tell you, it's not just about ads. WoW brands build complete digital ecosystems designed specifically for the rent-to-owned industry. Their e-commerce and lead generation strategies are built to bring qualified leads. And did I mention that they are actively working with the rent-town industry while also being members of April and Crib? Listen, these folks are passionate problem solvers. They don't just slap something together, they design, build, and scale the kind of digital retail tools your business needs. Your customers actually want. So if you're serious about growing, reach out to WoWBrands at WoWBrands.com. I trust them, and I think you will too. We're going through to the 80s. How did you, I mean, you you're you grow 14 to 16 stores organically. How are you able to decide, okay, I'm going to buy these stores and I'm going to, you know, get an acquisition of these other locations? What makes it, what makes a good acquisition? How do you know when you're looking at somebody else's business and going, you know, I'm going to debt three stores here, two stores here, whatever the case is, how do you know that it's going to transition to the culture that you have, to the way that you do things? What makes it a good buy?

SPEAKER_00 17:28

Back up a little bit. We, you know, Jim retired when he was 40. He never had anybody in his family live to be over 57. His mom's side was his family side. So he asked me to come over to Columbus. Dennis had a Phillip Ep rentals and I had American rentals. So we were basically had two different companies running.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Oh, okay.

Mainframes, Software Choices, And Scaling

SPEAKER_00 17:46

And uh he asked me to come over. I had no idea what he wanted to talk to me about. And he said, I want you to take over the company, told me the story about his family, said I want to travel and have a good time. And uh I think he played golf every day for a year in that in that time period. And um so I he stayed with me two weeks and he took off for a year. And so I was a little frightened about the situation, but you know, we we had twelve stores at that time and uh then continue growing and I think the first acquisition we did was at Casey's and in uh Evansville and Henderson and Owensboro. She just wanted to get rid of the stores. You know, they they were kind of getting in trouble, they were pawning guns in Evansville and they were sending them to Kentucky and grinding the serial number off and selling. So, you know, they were starting, I think, to get into some trouble. So we bought those stores. And then I think the next acquisition we had was Giant. They were in the northern part of the state, Mike Doty, and uh his dad and two sons, uh two sons, then his dad ran the stores. And he also worked at ADI when Jim bought the the sales store. So they knew each other pretty well. So those were all, you know, they didn't know anything about selling, they didn't know anything about buying, they just they the dad refused to loan any more money to operate, and they wanted to get rid of the same thing with Casey's, you know, she just really wanted to liquidate those, and they were staying they stayed in the pawn shot business. As we went on with uh, I think after that was probably Gary McDougal. And, you know, I was on the board with Gary uh for a couple years and uh we had a really good working relationship and we just talked back and forth of something that was good for him, it was good for me, and felt like we'd both end up on a good end of it. And then his I think it was his brother in law owned a a store also in Athens, and we bought that also. Then down the road we bought um PDQ, which he used to work for us, his gym. And uh Dana's dad's and Jim worked together at Airway. So that's how they knew each other, and he came to work for us, left us and opened his own rental stores.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

How do you stretch the leadership? How do you how do you when you when you're acquiring all these different companies from a lot of different areas? You know, it's not just you know a lot from one spot, you're getting a few here and a few there from different reasons and different acquisitions for whatever the case, whether I'm trying to liquidate, whether I'm getting out of the business, whether I want to travel the world. Like once you receive those stores in and their employees and stuff, how do you acclimate them to the way you did things? How do you acclimate them to the way, to the success-driven way that you have been?

SPEAKER_00 20:40

We would usually send a team of people in there. We had our auditors who go to the store to go through the accounts and things. And we would always send somebody to work with those stores that came that work for us. And they seemed to really match, you know, it we we were lucky enough to pick out personalities that really mashed up really well. And if they need anything, they didn't call me, they called them. If they had a problem. So it seemed to always work out pretty well if if trying to get um a team down there, you know, if you had three stores, you'd send three people, uh, plus the auditors and myself and a district manager. And then uh they would keep in touch with that person and if they got any questions, they would stay there with them for a few weeks with them and help them learn the computer system if it was different, kind of what our culture was. And um, I think that's the tough part, you know. I I think we built a pretty good culture uh in our company. We have a lot of long-term employees. Uh it's tough to do, but it's uh something that's made a very workable force by having those connections with people. I can only imagine.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

So starting out in Indiana, are you a part of the Indiana Rental Association?

Smart Acquisitions And Culture Integration

SPEAKER_00 21:57

I was president of the Indiana Renters for 15 years. And uh Dennis and I there was uh Sam Cho used to travel around the country opening states, he'll get the laws passed, and Lauren F would work with him. And we Dennis and I both went to Indianapolis on several occasions to testify in front of the the House and the Senate to get the bill passed. And um, once we got it passed, I was just thinking about we had Harriet Krause when we were trying to get that done, work for option three, he said, I want to be president of the Indiana Rental Dealers. I said, Fine with me. So, you know, everybody okayed it and kind of had a president, and we got the law passed, and he called me up and said, I don't want to be president anymore, I'm done. So that was a nice. I'm good, I did it. I'm good. I was good, I was good. He didn't even come testify or anything, he just wanted to be president. Oh, really? So a couple years went by and Dick Growell, you know, had stores in Indiana, Mr. Steve's, and uh he became the April president. And that's how I got involved, and and he talked me into joining the April board. So that's the first year I got on the April board.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

If you could look back and see, what do you think was uh one of the hardest obstacles you had to overcome in getting the laws passed in Indiana?

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Um it wasn't that difficult, just trying to get people to understand what we did and that that um you know the key part where the customers could return at any time without any penalties. Um and the DFI oversees us. So you know you had an agency, unlike a lot of states that are out there that actually oversees us. And I think Ed always kept track of it. I think we had 16 changes in our laws over the years. But they were usually something that we negotiated back and forth with them and were able to work it out. So, you know, when I would go from state to state, different state, we would follow the same laws as Indiana, because it was pretty strict in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, wherever we went.

SPEAKER_01 24:04

Yeah. I mean, I just think back and you know, all the RDAs that were formed during those, you know, mid 80s, late 80s, early 90s times that everybody was trying to get those laws passed in their states, and there were so many people going around from different states, whether it be from April and Arena Center had a group going around. I know the Indiana people you you guys were involved in, and I know that um there was a lot of other legends that were very present in the forming of you know the laws in their state. So it's not shocking to know that you guys were able to do the same. I do have a question though. Were you one of the reasons why we ended up in Indiana at RTO World a few couple years ago? Was it was it because you guys were there? You kind of twice it's a no Pete's not. Yeah, twice. Twice. All right. Well, I loved it. I actually loved going out there. I really did enjoy that. Um I will say that I had a really good time in Indiana.

SPEAKER_00 24:53

Lots of people made comments about we never realized Indianapolis Indiana and Indianapolis was that nice and we loved it, and then we moved to the couple of years ago.

SPEAKER_01 25:02

I mean, yeah, well, the history too. I actually that's really what caught me because we ended up walking around to see a lot of the history and stuff, uh, some of the stuff that was in the state. But uh, you know, I really enjoyed it. Uh you know, I I gotta say, one of the most beautiful places that I have been to so far yet. But there's some other good places. I don't know. They went to Tampa one time and I enjoyed that one too, so I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_00 25:22

But we had uh, you know, after after I joined April, there really wasn't any association, other than we called it Indian rental dealers. And uh after I joined April, I saw the need to do something to teach people in the state. You know, there was Mr. Steve's Rarex, there was a lot of color times, there was some Renaissance, uh PDQ, different people. So we'd have usually trying to think what date it was, July, August. We'd have a show in Indianapolis. And the last time, I think the second and last time we did it, there was over a hundred vendors there. But all the dealers and the store managers come in, and to them it was like going to April, you know, they got to party, they got to learn stuff, they get to see product and all that. So I did that for 15 years, and Tammy Gregory was the uh helped out doing those shows for me. And the last year that we, next to the last year we did it, we went in to sign the agreement and we were going to be indebted for about$30,000 and signed the paperwork. And two weeks later she said, I couldn't tell you, but we sold out to Rental Center. I said, You could have told me to wait before we signed the paperwork.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 26:37

The next year uh we had the show, and the only people showed up was us, because there wasn't anybody less left in the state other than us and one other small dealer. And and the vendors liked it so well that they get to spend time with our managers. We moved the show to Brown County, and that's how that show continued going for the last 15 years also. Was uh they come. And we set up everything. We just divide them, they we set up everything on our own. We buy the product, bring it in. Uh, they all have to tear it down, we tear it down. All they have to do is show up and talk to our store managers and tell them why they should carry that product. So it's been very successful.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

This so is that the same expo that you have during the, you know, you you have that and then we also do a company you do you do a company-wide picnic, right? Is that the kind of hand in hand? Is that right?

SPEAKER_00 27:29

Yes. So we have a vendor show in the morning till the afternoon, and we play golf on Friday, then Saturday we have have the vendor show, and the afternoon we have the pig roast and uh all the games and stuff. Family uh all bring their kids and things like that.

SPEAKER_01 27:46

Uh I'm I'm I'm seeing here like 400 is approximately 400 employees and family members that show up to this.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

Well, we've got 300 and some employees, so when they bring their family and their kids and everything, it's almost double that then.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

I mean wow, that's amazing. Yeah. So and and is it recently it's been about almost 20 years since that that you've done this now? Is it is it the 20th anniversary that you've had?

State Advocacy And Indiana Law Wins

SPEAKER_00 28:13

Yes. So yeah, like I said, we did it in Indianapolis for us first for 15 years and then and went on with this. So wow, that's amazing. I always always like doing promoting. I when I lived in Florida, my roommate and I'd put on a concert at the Tempuare Auditorium. And when I was growing up, my every year after the before the Christmas tree season started, when you start cutting and bailing, I'd be gone. I'd always have a party. And first year we had about 150 people, second year we had 300 people, and next year we had 1,500 people, next year we had 5,000 people. Wow for a three-day for Friday night, Saturday night, and they'd leave on Sunday. I was just started out to say goodbye to my friends that I wouldn't see them until the next spring because I, you know, would do the Christmas trees 18 hours a day and then go to Florida and in the winter.

SPEAKER_01 29:04

Wow, that's amazing. So in in making all that, what what's your goal when you do something like that? I mean, what do you want to take out of it? What do you want your employees to take out of it? When you have these big expos and you and you have all these people come in, whether it be GMC product or to be their family to let go a little bit and just have fun, what's your ultimate goal, your takeaway from that when you're doing things like that for your employees and for your company?

SPEAKER_00 29:26

Just show them our appreciation of the hard work they do and educate them at the same time. You know, the the store managers come in and district managers and then they learn about the products. And every year we go to the furniture markets and we pick out new products and we try to bring it uh to the show so they got a chance to see it, and then they rate it. We've got a little app on a phone and they rate it good, bad, and different. If they don't like it, we don't buy it. Oh wow. So is this like high point? Yeah, we go to high point. Do we go to high point? Well, I'm going you know, going to the Vegas market here next week.

SPEAKER_01 30:02

I was just gonna say, do you do Vegas and North Carolina? Yes. Yes. You do both? Okay. All right. I do see that actually. I like that idea.

SPEAKER_00 30:09

Yeah, uh I do Trib Show, Meeting the Minds, I do a pro, I do nationwide twice, I do Vegas once and the High Point twice. And I love it.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

I might see you at I might see you at a nationwide too, because I know that there's gonna be one down here. Um oh god, I can't remember what month it is, but it's gonna be in Florida, I think Fort Lauderdale. Uh so I want to go down there and check it out. So I might see you there. That'll that's gonna be awesome. I see David, David over there at the furniture thing. So as you're doing this, you've got you're you're building this culture. You have the expo, you started the RDAs, uh, or you're you're a part of the RDAs, you've got kind of full of pep in full full swing. Where did you have time to have the the the bar, the the bourbon bar? What is this mike? Dave and Mike's bourbon bar? It's not mine. Where'd that come from?

SPEAKER_00 30:59

David David Powell. David Powell and Mike Gooden. Oh, okay, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

So so I was I was curious about that because I did see I did see the David David D2 barbecue sauce. That's a that's a pri is that a private label?

SPEAKER_00 31:12

Yes, yes. I just make it, I make it and give it away. Some of my son wanted me to start making it and selling it, but he wanted me to make it. And I said, you make it, and you can sell it, but I'm not gonna make it for you. I'll give you the recipes. But besides besides that, besides that party in the summertime, we have a Christmas party also, and same thing that they bring their uh we usually have it the third week of November, just the week in before Thanksgiving, and we give the kids presents and sometimes it may be the only presents they got. And uh Santa's there, and we have a band and feed them and give gifts out and have uh a casino uh where they can win tickets to for drawings for we give about 150 prizes away, and uh we draw the tickets and stuff. So just that kind of culture you want to have that's friendly, uh you appreciate your employees and um hopefully they'll stay for a long time working for you and enjoy working for you, most importantly.

SPEAKER_01 32:14

Dennis, we're talking to you directly. This is this is that we're talking to Dennis. Dennis, we're talking to you directly. This is about you. So talk to me about David and Mike's bourbon par. Like, yeah, like what how did that well I I I apologize because the name David, it just I just assumed that it was you, but then now that I'm reading my notes, yes, it does say David Powell to Mike Goodwin. What what um where did that come from?

SPEAKER_00 32:36

Um Dennis Shields and Marty Awell and some other people. I've got this uh I think it's an 18-passenger bus. And first I had a motorhome, we were talking about it going on the bourbon trail. So I sold it and then bought this bus, and we take the bus down. Uh there's about eight of us, and spend two or three days going around visiting different um bourbon manufacturers, distilleries. And I just started collecting bottles, and then David Powell, as he'd be out auditing the stores, he'd go to the liquor stores and find some bourbon that was reasonably priced. And so I think last year we had 30-some bottles of bourbon. The year before we had 30-some. Started out with about 10 bottles, I think. I've had people donate bottles to it also.

SPEAKER_01 33:26

So I gotta ask because I am actually from Highlands County. So when you said Seabring, we're you're talking about home territory. So do you still have that restaurant there?

SPEAKER_00 33:37

No, my my roommate, I stayed with him about six months, and um it's a funny story about that I can't tell you on here, but um that's we're off the room. I decided it was time to get out of town. Uh we roamed together for several years. He worked at the same dealership that I did and decided to go down to Seabring in the what is it, Blackman Ford, Lincoln Mercury? I don't know if it's still there.

SPEAKER_01 34:01

That's who he went to work for. No, it I it changed names too. I can't think of the name that it changed to. It's the the dealer's ship is still there, but the name has changed.

SPEAKER_00 34:09

Yeah. But anyway, he went to work for them, and that's why he decided he uh somehow wanted this Fat Boys Barbecue. And I had no intention of going down there, but that's kind of how the barbecue started too, was from that that experience I had. You know, also, you know, selling cars. It comes in handy buying cars, not just selling cars too. You know, I buy cars, I get the black books, and I know what the cost the dealers buy it for and all that. So um just try to keep up on that kind of stuff.

Building Community: Vendor Shows And Pig Roast

SPEAKER_01 34:38

Yeah, I think right now Alan Jay kind of owns the entire Florida market as far as Highlands County concerned. He has everything. But so as you're doing all of this, as you're running Fulapep, as you're as you're kind of you're still the president, right? You're the current sitting president in Fulap. So you're doing all this. Let's talk about the the charitable involvement that you have that that you guys have right now. We have is it I don't know if it's C ASA or if it's Casa for Children. I would imagine it's Casa for Children. So how how did how did that work? Uh you you looks like you have some support going on right now in in Moreau County uh in sponsorship for the Casablanca Gala. Like what what to me about that?

SPEAKER_00 35:16

How is that going? Okay, well, there's the Children's America Network. I started back uh sending donations to them because we had a lot of employees and a lot of uh people that rang from us, had their kids that had some physical problem that they needed to go to Riley, it's specialized in children's health. And so I'd start donating that. And then um, and we still do that since back in the mid-80s. And then CASA is uh child services where they take kids out of homes that where they're not being treated well or beaten or whatever, and uh the CASA handles them and they find a home to place them in. Ralph Boshea, his wife, was uh the director of that, and that's how we got involved in that. Uh donating money every year. We give them somewhere around five to seven thousand dollars. This year we're trying to work children's micro work uh raise about ten thousand dollars. And then also I've been involved in the uh boys and girls plant donate to them also.

SPEAKER_01 36:23

So how many, if you were to guess, how many situations or how many clubs or how many affiliations do you uh charitably give to every year?

SPEAKER_00 36:31

Those three primarily.

unknown 36:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:34

Yeah, one year we took uh I don't know if you've been to our store, seen our store in Lomante, that's two story, it's got a mezzanine upstairs, and we emptied the furniture, we emptied the furniture out, and for three years in a row I had what they called a beach bash, and we had bands, we had a stage set up and had bar and food and all that for the boys and girls club. And uh Wow.

SPEAKER_01 36:57

And then we Anthony, what are we doing? We need to go to Indiana, man. We need to get we need to go see what's going on up there, man.

SPEAKER_00 37:03

Then one year I danced, I danced uh they had a local dancing with celebrities, and um I danced for the boys and girls club and managed to raise$49,000 for them and won the dance won the dance contest. There was I think eight eight different charity organizations that they had dancing. Um and uh so I've got my big Globe trophy there.

SPEAKER_01 37:28

You gotta check this out. He he sells trees, he's driving at six, he's got a 50-store UH, and he wins dancing contests. What I feel like I'm not doing enough, Anthony Red. I feel like I'm not doing enough with my life right now.

SPEAKER_00 37:42

Is there a video of that?

SPEAKER_01 37:44

That's why I'm down here right now. Oh, okay. Oh, well, I'm just telling you, man, that's that's amazing. So on top of all of those wins, right? Right now we're talking about David David being on top of all these wins. You're an active April board member. You were a second vice president, or are you still the second vice president?

SPEAKER_00 38:01

No, I'm I'm not on the board anymore. I would trib now. Um but I was on there. I totaled up all the presidents that I served under.

SPEAKER_01 38:10

There was 18. Under 18. And they usually have like a two-year run, right? Don't they on average have a two-year run?

SPEAKER_00 38:15

They were uh holy two years. Ernie was Ernie was one year, uh, I think Lynn Leach was one year, somebody else was one year, must have two years. And then I I ran in 14 for two years. I we had a convention in um New Orleans, and then that's when we went to Indianapolis. And then when Chris Cale was president into his second was two years, he was going the second, he said, I've got things going, I don't want to go. So I took over for him then. So I was president the second time and we went back to Indiana.

SPEAKER_01 38:48

So let me ask you a question. How APRO is very important to me on what they do and what they mean for the industry and and how everything is going. What does April mean to you and how have they been able to help with your situation as far as what you've gone through, and how have you been able to help April as far as the laws and being the watchdog of kind of what's going on in the legal systems and DC and all that? How important is April to you?

SPEAKER_00 39:14

Well, that's why, you know, back in 91 I decided to do the rental show in Indianapolis, and it wasn't just to have training was was important and have product, but it was also raise enough money. We've had a lobbyist since 1987 that we've kept on on payroll, and paying for that was important to me, and keeping there to protect us and and anything else that should come up. And uh building a a fund that if there was any other states we're in, we could fund that also, like Kentucky or Tennessee. But uh you know, starting on the board with Nick Growl, that was uh you know, I had still pretty green in the business. I go to the show, you have to give a 15 minute presentation about why you're there. Why do you want to be on the board? All this. Talk about being scary. And um I didn't know.

Bourbon Trail, Team Bonding, And Traditions

SPEAKER_01 40:07

I don't know if I believe that. The guy, the guy who's winning the dance contest is worried about the 15. I don't know about that, David.

SPEAKER_00 40:14

But anyway, uh they didn't have any pins for anybody to fill out their application. So I didn't know how to get elected or anything. It was my first time running anything. So I went around handing business cards and giving them a pencil.

SPEAKER_01 40:26

I'm that that's probably the best way to get it done. If you don't know anybody else's name, just remember mine. I gave you away the chances to fill this out. So can you name a time where you know April was really able to help you and you help April get through a uh difficult legal legislation situation?

SPEAKER_00 40:43

Yeah. You know, when I was president at rental dealers, and that was in '94, I believe, uh Terry Mullins at Rarex had an auditor come in and they uh he called me up and he said, they've come out of my store, they say we're a retail sale, not rental, and they're pretty adamant they want to put us out of business. And um so I drove up to Fort Wayne, their stores in Fort Wayne. He had he had agreements all over furniture in the back room that they were looking at. I mean, just laying on top, the seats of sofas, the backs of the sofas, washers and dryers, anything he could lay out, because I don't think he was on a on um he said it had to be computer, but they wanted to see all the agreements. And their decision was that it was a retail sale. There was nothing rental, there was nothing rent to own about it. And being involved in in April, I called uh Bill Kees and I said, I think this is pretty important. And um, you know, when I got on board, there was uh Dick Grow and he was a year, and then Ted Wilson was on there, and they hired Kevin Quinn, or got Kevin Quinn to run for the board. I think he was the first board member not to be he got elected and got elected to be president, and he did a fantastic job maneuvering through that, going to Washington and working to get that overturned, and uh that that was history, but that that was a long, hard fight. Bill was out there quite a bit, Ed was out there a lot, and Kevin was out there a lot. But you know, every year that I've been on the board of whoever the president was, I felt like they were the right person for the right time.

SPEAKER_01 42:23

I can tell you I'm a big, big Kevin Quinn fan. I when I finally got a chance to talk to him, because it was the first time that I talked to him being the Legend series, and I was able to actually sit down and have a conversation with him. Huge, huge Kevin Quinn fan. I I he just like you know, he he just got me. He got me. The way, the way he kind of embodied what he did, and you know, he was very, very humble person, very straightforward, like just tells you how he feels. You can see the emotion come out of him. He really loved what he did. I I really enjoyed talking with Kevin.

SPEAKER_00 42:52

You know, when I first got on the board, yeah, the first year it was just you know, Dick Growl, and we went to Washington, D.C. and I got on. Second year, we went to a board meeting and it was Ted Wilson. And I've never had so much screaming and yelling and pounding on the desk and everything. And I'm like, man, what did I get myself into? You know, Kevin was kind of the same way. They were passionate people. They were passionate people.

SPEAKER_01 43:12

Very passionate people.

SPEAKER_00 43:13

Well, you know, they drank till three in the morning and then they came in at the board meeting at eight o'clock, too. Sometimes I see it now and I'm like, I have no idea how they do that.

SPEAKER_01 43:21

That is that is pretty wild.

SPEAKER_00 43:23

And it was kind of the same way with Kevin, but he, like I said, he was really vocal and really maneuvered himself well. And the you know, the April of Bill Keys, the whole April staff, you know, really worked with that goal of getting that done. And uh that was a huge time in the history of this industry that it paid off. And you know, I did everything I could at that time to make sure that that happened. And you know, I th when Terry called me up, I just thought, well, maybe it's something that's gonna pass as it went along. I saw something that was gonna be not just a local issue. It was turning into a national issue. They were going out to other states and trying to convince them that it was a retail sale.

Giving Back: CASA, Riley, Boys & Girls Club

SPEAKER_01 44:05

Well, then I've got to say thank you for bringing that subject up and and and putting a stop to it, because Lord knows I wouldn't be here. That was before I started, so I wouldn't even be here in the industry if that wasn't the case.

SPEAKER_00 44:14

So, like I said, all the all the presidents I worked for had seemed to be the right time, you know, after I think uh after Kevin. No, I think it was before Kevin, it was Wayne Chambers, and he was probably the one of the best structured person in running an association and having meetings. And I liked what he did because he he would have all your committees go out, decide on a budget what they want to do and come up with a budget, and then we go back together and say, nope, we only got half that amount of money, no, we only have a quarter of that money, and distribute the money that we had to spend rather than just um deciding we're gonna spend this amount here or here or wherever, you know.

SPEAKER_01 44:55

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 44:56

So that's what he did, and then Kevin came in, and then it was um I think it was oh Bill White. I have a funny story about Bill White. Bill White was uh president and and a couple years into his presidency he was going to sell this company action, I think it was to Wayne Azzinga. So he came to a board meeting and he said, I can get Wayne Zinga to come to our show for nothing and speak. And everybody, yes, go for it. So we went for it. And he spoke, and it was great to get Bill a dynamic dolphin helmet, and Bill had a parade around the thing, you know, the room we were in. And uh about a month later, Bill Kees called and said, uh, we've had a problem. Wayne Zenga was free, but his pilot and his airplane and his hotel room was fifty-three thousand dollars.

SPEAKER_01 45:55

Oh that's how that's how you get him, Anthony. I'm free. I'm free. These guys ain't free, but I'm free. Oh my god, it's funny.

SPEAKER_00 46:06

Yeah, um so that was almost a crisis in itself at the time. Luckily we have to be.

SPEAKER_01 46:11

I believe it. I believe it. I believe it because 53,000 then is not that's not cheap. But let me ask you a question. I mean, you've you've been doing this a long time. You've had some pretty stout beginnings. I mean, you've been working since the day that you've been out. You know, you just you just put always put a lot of hard work into it. Now that you're here, and now that you've you know you've created all these great things, you give to these charities, you know, you show your employees how much you care. I mean, Dennis, I'm telling you, Dennis, you are the one. He's been around since the beginning. I mean, you have to say that you have somebody working for you over 40 plus years is amazing. Where do you think rent to own is going now? How do you think it's going and where do you think it's going? Like what do you what do you what state do you think it is in right now? And what do you see in the future of rent to own?

SPEAKER_00 46:53

I see the need, there being probably more need than there is now. You know, it I don't like the fact that people aren't coming in the store as as much as they used to. But you know, we're doing a lot more online business, so I think that business, but I really encourage the people, and it's not mandatory, but to get the customer come in the store and actually f touch it, feel it before we take it out. But we still got some customers pretty adamant to just bring it out. So I think a lot of it is going in that direction. And but we still work pretty hard to try to get people to come in to the store. Um you know, whether it's a cookouts or special occasion, we have a race contest and they come in and we feed them and give away some prizes and things like that. Um but I think the uh RTO business is pretty bright as long as legislative and everybody uh doesn't do something stupid to to get us in trouble. And you know, it's it's been a long time. A lot of people don't realize all of the issues we went through over the you know the eighties, late eighties and nineties. You know, getting states signed up and and the tax issue and there's been several other issues come up that uh they've been able to fight off. And I don't think a lot of people in the business now understand what everybody had to go through. It wasn't just me, it was the the board, Bill Keys, this whole staff. He probably had the best staff you could have um working in those time periods, you know, Shelley Martinique and Cindy and Talitha's still there. Um, you know, she was ready to leave uh a couple years ago and finally decided to stay, and I think that was the best thing that could happen to to uh Charles for her staying. I agree.

SPEAKER_01 48:45

I agree. But so you have a positive outlook. I mean, as long as as long as we kind of hold steadfast, do you think that we have a positive outlook? What do you think about what's going on with the legislation in in New York right now and a couple of things that they're fighting over there? Do you think that that's something that we're gonna be able to kind of make way through, or you think there's still a fight to be had?

APRO Leadership, Crises, And Governance

SPEAKER_00 49:04

You know, I haven't I haven't kept up that much on what's going on in that state. I'm you know not on the April void now, but uh, you know, it's usually somebody we had this similar situation years ago. There was an attorney, assistant attorney general moved to Kentucky and became the attorney general who's gonna put the rent owner out of business, and dealers got together and pulled some money and and got it all turned around. I think it's getting the right people down there to talk to them and understanding our business that we're not ripping people off. They don't have to keep it, they don't have to I mean they can uh since the very beginning of us starting when we went to visit Bud Green, he told us at that time every customer's gonna have le three crisis periods of you know, family sick, cars broke down, something's going on in their life, and we've pretty well studied fast. And I think there's some dealers out there that don't quite give him the leniency as they should. Because uh, you know, a lot of these people weren't able to have credit or they had credit and run their credit. And our pump company policy, we want people to own the product, not just rent it and give it back to us. We want them to have a good product. I remember to get Dick Growell told me one time he said, I want to have the the least expensive stuff I can, and I want the 25% nobody else wants rental customers, and when their sofa's broke, they'll need another one. And I went, that's not how I want our own business. So I want my business to be this big circle. You know, they rent a sofa, they pay that off, and get a TV, and they get a washer and dryer, and they get a refrigerator, and they get all these things, and they get back, you know, maybe five years down the road, they may need another sofa now, and they can start over again. And we've got generations of people that have come back to us. So I think that kind of service that we've offered, and and most of the dealers that I know offer is going to bring people in the store that that continue those generational things, bringing customers back. And even whether they're doing it online, there's probably sometime where they need to come to the store or they want to come to the store just to, you know, they're in town. Yeah, we work awfully hard trying to get the customer to to uh if they want to keep it, have it. You know, we've we've had some customers that'll pay all the way off and give it back to us to say, you know, we can't own it, we can just rent it and give it back to you and things. But uh most of the time. You know, I've I've had stories like I was in a store in Madison, the girl came in with her stack of quarters, she was a waitress, and the uh she said, This is my last payment. I own a new console TV. And my fellow workers gave me a hard time about renting it. But now I own the TV and they don't.

SPEAKER_01 51:54

Hey, she made the right decision. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 51:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 51:56

So what you know, looking at this, I mean, you've you've done it a long time. You you've been a part of April for a long time. Now you're saying that you're a part of TRI. What made you decide to go from one leadership uh, you know, experience to another? What made you decide to go from the board of April to the board of TRIP?

SPEAKER_00 52:11

Well, when I hit my 20 years on April, people were talking about term limits, so I dropped off and then the next day Bill called me back and wanted me to come back. So I was gonna be done at 20 years, and I stayed there for another twelve. And uh started getting a lot of grief when Jill was there about being on two boards that it's a conflict of interns. And I I wrote a letter to uh April and the board saying, you know, if I'm on another board and there's an issue that's gonna affect, you know, it was always about the split between APRO and and Trim. If there's an issue, I'll just recuse myself from that. That was my basically what my letter said. We went through these weeks and weeks and talks and board meetings about getting done, and that was the final conclusion after that time. So once I, you know, I told Ed at the time when that issue was brought up, I said, I'll I'll leave right now if that's what you want me to. And I stayed on there a few more years and just decided that I uh want to get involved. There wasn't much thing going on legislative with with April that I wanted to uh join the the buying group and make sure that people uh are getting best price on product. You know, I'm I've been with Marty I don't know how many years on the furniture committee. I and I know Kathy Windsor, she was on it there, and then I'm chair of the appliance committee, and it's just fun working uh with the vendors trying to get the best price possible for products for dealers to buy.

SPEAKER_01 53:49

Well, you know, you're not the first person to say that there was a little bit of friction when Joe was on. I think that, you know, regardless of the situation, I always liked Joe McClure, whether she, you know, had an idea of the way things should be or not. But I can tell you that I I definitely liked when Charles came on. He has an air about him. He does a really good job with Apro, and he has a really good uh cohesive spirit, whether it be with Tribb or anybody else who you can you know you can get on. He's doing a really good job with that. So Charles, we think that we've checked you off the box. I think you're doing a good job.

SPEAKER_00 54:18

Yeah, he and Dan, he were Dan were he and Dan were here this week in uh Naples. It was a speaker who was there for two days talking about com uh organizations and and how they should operate and things. And we had dinner two nights in a row, so it was that was quite Joanna. Oh, that's nice. I like Charles well and Dan. David didn't even send me an invite. We didn't get an invite in that's uh. It happened so quickly. They just called me up and they were staying here in town. Oh, that's awesome. Next time I'll be able to do it.

SPEAKER_01 54:48

So we're gonna go to a we're gonna go through a yes, please, please do. So we're gonna go to a little uh lightning round towards the end of this. I'm gonna ask you a couple questions, and I'm not looking for like full answers. I'm just looking first thing that comes to your mind, and uh you tell me what you think. What's one trend in RTO that operators should pay attention to?

SPEAKER_00 55:05

Trends that you've got to have a good website and be ready to uh do a lot of business over the internet. Be internet savvy. All right. Pricing, you know, for a long time we didn't have any pricing on the website. You know, it's important to have your pricing now with the you know the structure, how that's the customer's gotta pay us.

SPEAKER_01 55:27

Okay. Okay. What is one mistake operators still make too often?

SPEAKER_00 55:32

Uh I think not working with the customer enough. You know, there's a difference between I always tell the store manager that you know there's a difference between the customer that lived in town or been around there for six months and somebody's lived there for 20 years. You can give it a little more leniency to that customer and a little more variance and let him go without making a payment or moving the payment up because you know you're gonna get the money in the long run. And I always use it as a scale, you know. They owe you$40 and there's a thousand dollars over here. Which one do you want?

SPEAKER_01 56:03

You want to get them to ownership. That's what you want to do for sure. All right. Question number three best advice for a new RTO store owner?

The Future Of RTO: Online, Culture, Ownership

SPEAKER_00 56:12

Building a good culture, um, making it a friendly place to work, make sure that they're, you know, know their customers, they're friendly with their customers, work with their customers, as well as their employees, you know, making their employees feel welcome. You know, one thing that I had to really work at over the years was um my dad was a yeller, spring reality, his Christmas tree business and labor, you know, labor was seasonal workers and and I had to go from that you know, yelling at people, you know, he put me in charge of people when I was fifteen, you know, they were four times my age. And I had to tone it down and and not be yeller yelling and you know, just kind of pace yourself and be calm and take care of the street. I love to take uh calls that the stores couldn't deal with the customer and they call me and it's an irate customer. I like to take those hot calls. I just let them talk and let them talk and listen to them and and just say, what can I help you with? What can I do to fix the problem?

SPEAKER_01 57:17

You know what? I could see that, right? Right and he's got that kind of tone, like you can just pull it right out of you.

SPEAKER_00 57:22

You know, so the the same thing, same thing with you know the dealer starting up. You just need to understand the customer, learn your customer, know your employees well, uh, what's going on in their life? Customers are coming in, you you get to know their life whether you want to or not.

SPEAKER_01 57:36

Yeah. Well, you know, listening is part of it. Listening is part of it. So, last question: what excites you the most about the future of rent to own?

SPEAKER_00 57:45

My son is not allowed taking over.

unknown 57:47

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 57:51

Justin, we're looking at you. I never know if I met your son. What's your son's name? James. James Oh Michael. I think I did meet your son, actually. I think I did meet your son now that I think about it. He's been to the last couple of uh RTO worlds, right?

SPEAKER_00 58:03

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 58:03

Yes. Yeah, I think I did meet him, actually. You know what? Very nice young man. Uh, looking forward to see what he does when you finally decide that you're gonna take a step back. I can't imagine what that would be. I mean, you've been working so long. I couldn't imagine this world without you, David. I can't. I really just can't. You've been doing everything from April to stores to trib to RDAs, everything in between.

SPEAKER_00 58:24

I don't plan on retiring in the near future. I just as long as I can get away for a couple months down here, you know, but going back Thursday and then go to Vegas Market and then come back and I'll stay here through part of February. But uh I think things that thing the future of this business is, you know, the the furniture. I think furniture is still really big, appliances is very big, and you need to concentrate on things. So, you know, computers are coming back gaming, but still the staples are are the furniture and um appliances we do.

Lightning Round Advice And Succession

SPEAKER_01 58:59

Well, the core systems are here to stay. And listen, I would tell you guys, as always, I always appreciate you guys dialing in and listening to what we have going on. As a listener, you have a chance to listen to David. David, today, a legend in RTO. Let me tell you, when I say a legend, nothing happens around this world without David's name being mentioned, including you know, the Cupid Shuffle. He can do that too. He's a great dancer. And uh, but he's you know, I tell you, David, I really appreciate you being on the show with us. If you guys want to hear about what's going on, you guys are welcome to go to the website at the RTO Showpodcast.com. When you go on there, you guys can see the shenanigans we get into. You can get onto the news, uh, the newsletter that we're gonna have going on right now. We're on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube where you're gonna see this, so make sure you subscribe. David, David, I really appreciate you being on the show today and talking to us a little bit about how you guys started and all the things that you've been a part of. I'm very taken back by how much you've actually done, the time that you've you've had from driving all the way to being on both boards, Trib and April, because being available to everybody here. Having these, you know, when you give to these foundations, it they really need it. To know that you do three different foundations is amazing. I love that uh you still think about what's going on with our quick fire questions. You came with some good answers there. I do appreciate that. And I really appreciate what you do here in the RTO world. So thank you so much. And I'm gonna tell you guys as always, get your collections low to get your sales high. Have a good one.