RTO Legend: A Tribute To Ernie Lewallen of UHR

Some people leave a company behind. Others leave an industry stronger than they found it. We’re closing the first RTO Legends series with a tribute to Ernie Lewallen, a rent-to-own leader whose influence reached far beyond the stores he operated and into the standards, relationships, and advocacy that protect RTO for the next generation.

We walk through Ernie’s story, from entering the rent-to-own industry in 1986 to building a decades-long reputation for showing up, doing the work, and doing it with integrity. His service record speaks volumes: years on the APRO Board of Directors, time on the executive committee, a term as APRO president, and consistent presence at legislative conferences in Washington to help lawmakers understand what rent-to-own really is and why it matters to customers.

Then we step back and let the people who knew him best fill in what a resume can’t. You’ll hear stories of a larger-than-life presence, a firm point of view, and a surprising tenderness underneath it all. Colleagues describe how he welcomed newcomers, mentored leaders, and pushed for decisions that were right for the industry even when they were hard. Along the way, we share the personal details that kept him grounded: family first, a love of travel and road trips, and the Beatles turned up loud.

If you care about rent-to-own leadership, industry advocacy, or the RTO Industry History Project, this tribute is a reminder that the best legacies are carried forward. Subscribe for more stories that preserve RTO history, share this with someone who worked alongside Ernie, and leave a review to help others find the series—what lesson about leadership are you taking from his example?

Transcript

Why This Tribute Matters

Ernie’s Career And Service Record

The Man Behind The Reputation

SPEAKER_03 0:10

Hello and welcome to the RTO show. I'm your host, Pete Chao, and today's episode is to usher in the closing of the first RTO Legends series. This was a project created to preserve the stories of the people whose leadership, integrity, and commitment helped build this industry into what it is today. One of those people is Ernie Llewellyn. Ernie was more than a store owner. He was a leader, an advocate, and an outstanding pillar to the rent-to-owned industry, and over decades in this business, his influence extended far beyond the stores he operated. It lived in the people he mentored, the principles he defended, and the daily example he set. Ernie's leadership and love for this industry were a major inspiration behind the RTO Industry History Project, including this legend series and the book release, The Rent to Own Revolution. Ernie passed away recently, and while he is no longer with us, it is important that his story, his impact, and his legacy continue to be told. What you're going to hear is a tribute to Ernie Llewellyn and the mark he left on this industry. Let me tell you a little bit about Ernie. He was born on August 15th, 1955 in Ashley, Kentucky. He got into rent owned in 1986 with UHR rents, and once he was in, he was all the way in. For over forty years he built and grew the business the right way. Whether it was UHR rents, United Household Rentals, with RR Tire Express, he gave forty years of showing up, putting in the work, and doing it with integrity. But if you only knew Ernie as a store operator, p you probably only knew part of the picture. Because Ernie understood something that not every operator figures out. That the health of our business is tied to the health of the industry. And that if you care about one, you'd better care about the other. So he rolled up his sleeves and he got involved. He served in the APRO Board of Directors for over 20 years. He served twelve of those years on the executive committee. He was the APRO president from 1998 to 1999. He showed up to legislative conferences for 15 straight years, year after year, making the trip to Washington to make sure that lawmakers understood what this industry actually does for people. He was involved with the TRIP Group and the Ohio Renatealers Association, and when APRO and the TRIP Group came together to build RTO World, which is the biggest event in our industry, Ernie was one of the people who helped make that happen. The industry recognized what he had to give. He earned the President's Award of Excellence in 1996, the Ernie Tally Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, which he said was one of his proudest professional moments, the Steve Krause Award of Honor in 2025, and an induction to the April Hall of Honor. That's a career that speaks for itself. But here's what I really want you to know about Ernie Llewellyn. He was passionate, he was opinionated in the best way, and he was generous with his time. He spoke his mind and he meant what he said. The people who knew him often described him as someone who walked into the room and you knew he was there. Someone who made you feel like what you're doing mattered. Someone who was invested and not just in the business, but in the people. Outside of RTO, Ernie was a husband of forty-eight years to his wife Debbie, a devoted dad to three daughters, Heather, Heidi, and Hillary, a proud grandfather to five grandchildren. Ernie loved to travel. He loved road trips in a sports car, and he loved the Beatles at high volume. Now, look, I'll be up front with you. I didn't know Ernie personally. I came to know him a lot of the way that you probably did. Through his achievements, through the way his name came across in conversations, and through the kind of respect people show when they talk about him. That kind of respect doesn't get manufactured. You either earn it or you don't. Ernie earned it. And when I set out to do this episode, I knew I wanted to be bigger than just me talking about him. Because the people who really knew Ernie, the ones who sat across from him in board meetings, who called him for advice, who watched him fight for this industry year after year, those are the voices that belong in this episode. So I put together a video. Friends, colleagues, fellow leaders, people who knew Ernie and wanted to share what he meant to them. I think that's worth every second of your time. Take a look.

SPEAKER_04 4:34

And Ernie is on top of the elephant. Listen, if you know Ernie, you know Ernie did not know normal. Loud.

SPEAKER_07 4:43

His voice carried through a room when you knew if Ernie was in a room when you walked into the room.

Gathering Voices From Those He Led

SPEAKER_02 4:49

Ernie was just somebody that in a crowded room you gravitated to him. And uh he was always uh he was always uh on the rough on the exterior, but a teddy bear on the inside. And uh when there was a room uh and Ernie didn't know you, he would clear the people out of the way and go stick out his hand and shake it and give you a big bear hug and tell you who he was, and he would find out what you were interested in and he would talk to you like there's nobody else in the room.

SPEAKER_09 5:19

I think his lasting legacy will be uh April. You know, Ernie was a key uh founder of that, and he was more passionate about that than he was his own business a lot of times. I mean, he really he poured his heart and soul into that.

Stories That Capture His Impact

SPEAKER_00 5:35

In Washington, when we went on the uh uh meeting with our legislators, he he was there and he he would explain and explain and explain what we uh were asking.

SPEAKER_04 5:49

He would go to meetings that weren't his to help people, and he knew that some people would not be as schooled in the subject matter, and so he would go with them and he would help. Ernie clearly understood what the transaction was versus what the transaction was thought to be, and so he was very good in Washington.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Ernie was a true legend of the industry. He served as president of Tribb, he served as president of APRO. Um, and it was he was always one that was willing to share his knowledge, his opinions too, of just an all-around legend that really uh truly cared for the industry.

SPEAKER_08 6:27

Believability. Uh, when he believed in something, there was no talking amount of it. There was absolutely not gonna change. If he believed it, he was gonna make it happen.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

You know, Ernie was told, don't touch it, it's just a prototype. And then the next thing you know, of course, he's the last one to go into the space, and then all the lights go off. When you tell Ernie not to do something, that was a license to do it.

SPEAKER_08 6:55

And he just looked me in the face. He said, You know, I don't want to because I really feel like it's it's time for me. But I also don't want to do anything to hurt this industry or or put anybody in a bad light. So I'm gonna let you out of your commitment. I want you to change your vote on the next vote. And I I thought that was just really big of Ernie to be the one. And he just said, if it's a good, if it's the right thing for the industry, he said, let's do it. And so we got it solved.

SPEAKER_06 7:22

The coolest thing was he's a big Beatles fan, and I walked in there to the first Beatles album would meet the Beatles. Except Ernie's picture was on it as well. He was the fifth Beatle.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

He's a very vocal person, he's opinionated, uh, but he's also kind, he's soft. He'll sometimes come back and he'll start off a little bit hard and then he softens pretty easy.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

Ernie represented his family uh extremely well, proud of his uh three daughters and uh and his wife Debbie immensely. So he was a family man first, uh a God-fearing man for sure.

SPEAKER_10 8:01

And Ernie became our first official franchisee. And at that point, you know, having Ernie on the team, uh uh the previous April president, uh, was a boon. I had no marketing budget. We had Ernie.

SPEAKER_05 8:18

It changed the trajectory of my life, and I think his memory will forever be stamped in the rent own, especially R.

SPEAKER_08 8:28

He he wrote the entire funeral. Who's talking here? Who's talking here, what songs were played. It was a really beautiful celebration of life, and I think Ernie would have just been. In fact, I know he was happy.

SPEAKER_07 8:40

Ernie, I know you're listening. Have a good old time, but uh we'll see you another day.

SPEAKER_05 8:44

Ernie, I'd like to say thank you for everything that you did for me throughout the years.

SPEAKER_04 8:49

I think I I would make certain that Ernie knew he made a difference.

SPEAKER_08 8:53

Ernie. Our industry is better. Having experienced your love and your passion, everybody that had any chance to to to to be with your friend is better having that opportunity.

SPEAKER_09 9:09

I think great leaders, great dads, great husbands um leave a giant hole when they leave. I think that Ernie is leaving a giant hole in his family. Save me a seat at the table on the other side, brother.

Final Lessons On Legacy

SPEAKER_03 9:28

You know, when I started this Legends series, the whole idea was pretty simple. Make sure these stories don't get lost. Make sure the people who built this industry get their moment. Because too often in an industry, the people who laid the foundation don't get nearly enough credit while they're still around here. Ernie was one of those people. Forty plus years, thousands of customers served, dozens of industry leaders mentored, countless hours given to advocacy, to association work, to making sure his industry had a future worth showing up for. This is the last episode of the Legends series. And I think it ends exactly where it should, because Ernie Llewellyn is exactly the kind of person this whole project was created to honor. We're gonna miss him. And this industry is going to miss him a lot. But the good news, the real good news, is that the best legacies don't end. They just keep going through the people who carry them forward. Legends aren't defined by titles or years in the business. They're defined by the people they lift up, the standards they protect, and the example they leave behind. Ernie Llewellyn's impact on the rent-to-owned industry is not measured in just decades, but in relationships, leadership, and the countless lives he's influenced. His vision and commitment helped inspire the Rent to Own Revolution history project, ensuring that the stories of our industry's pioneers are preserved, honored, and passed on. Ernie's legacy lives in the people he mentored, the businesses that he influenced, and the industry he helped shape. Thank you, Ernie Llewellyn, for everything that you gave Rent to Own. Have a great one.