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The RTO Show: "Let's talk Rent to Own"
The RTO Show Podcast is the podcast for the rent-to-own industry, hosted by Pete Shau, an industry insider with more than 20 years of experience in RTO operations, sales, leadership, marketing, and store growth.
Each episode brings candid conversations, practical insights, and real stories from the people shaping the RTO community, including operators, vendors, association leaders, store teams, industry veterans, and innovators helping move rent-to-own forward.
Pete’s conversations are built for seasoned veterans, newcomers, owners, managers, vendors, and anyone who wants to learn from the shared experiences, hard-earned lessons, and fresh perspectives inside the rent-to-own industry.
From lead generation, lead management, customer behavior, store traffic, door swings, sales process, collections, training, recruitment, and leadership development to technology, CRM integration, mobile-first shopping, Google ranking, Facebook ads, video marketing, advocacy, APRO, TRIB Group, RTO World, LegCon, and the future of the rent-to-own business model, The RTO Show helps listeners understand what is really happening in RTO.
If you work in RTO, serve the RTO industry, or want to better understand the people, challenges, trends, and opportunities behind rent-to-own, The RTO Show Podcast is your insider’s guide to the industry’s pulse.
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Episodes
139 episodes
The Future of RTO Buying, AI, and Omnichannel Retail with AMPTAB
What does the future of rent to own technology actually look like, and how can dealers stay competitive as AI, automation, and real time inventory systems reshape retail buying?In this episode of The RTO Show Podcast, host Pete Shau sits...
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How Lauren Talicska and APRO’s LedgeCon 2026 Are Shaping the Future of Rent to Own
What happens when a first time LedgeCon attendee walks into Capitol Hill and discovers the true power of advocacy in the rent to own industry?In this episode of The RTO Show Podcast, Lauren Talicska shares her experience attending APRO’s...
Inside LegCon 2026: How APRO Is Protecting the Future of Rent to Own
What happens when the rent to own industry stops reacting and starts leading the conversation in Washington, D.C.?In this episode of The RTO Show Podcast, Pete Shau sits down with Charles Smitherman and Amberlee Maya to break down why AP...
How RNR Tire Express Builds Better Shops Through Training, Service, and Leadership
What separates a good tire shop from a high performing customer focused operation?In this episode of The RTO Show Podcast, Pete Shau sits down with Jason Chui of RNR Tire Express to explore how leadership, hands on training, customer ser...
RTO Legend: Honoring Ernie Lewallen’s Legacy in the Rent To Own Industry
What does it mean to leave a legacy in the rent to own industry?In this special tribute episode of The RTO Show Podcast, Pete Shau honors the life, leadership, and lasting impact of Ernie Lewallen, a respected RTO operator, APRO leader, ...
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 entrepreneurs...
RTO Legend: John Cleek Jr on "Tiger" John Cleek of Cleek’s Home Furnishings
This Legend Series episode of The RTO Show features John Cleek Jr. of Cleek's RTO, reflecting on the life, leadership, and lasting industry impact of his father, John “Tiger” Cleek.From the early days of a family appliance business to d...
Relationships, Reinvention, and RTO with Kevin Silvers
In this episode of The RTO Show, Pete Shau sits down with Kevin Silvers to trace a career built on relationships, adaptability, and a genuine love for people. Kevin shares stories from his early days around golf legends like Arnold Palmer and M...
RTO Legend: Mike Tissot on Darrell Tissot of Rent 2 Own
A rent-to-own business doesn’t last 40 years by accident and it definitely doesn’t start with perfect funding. I’m joined by Mike Tissett to tell the story behind Daryl Tissett’s legacy, from a small-town Ohio beginning to a blueprint that help...
RTO Legend: Mike Strong of Mike's Rent to Own
Forty-four years ago, Mike Strong opened a rent-to-own store in Hutchinson, Kansas with a pickup, good credit, and a willingness to outwork the problem. Today, Mike’s Rent To Own has grown into 14 locations, and I got to sit down with Mike and ...
RTO Legend: Gary Ferriman of Showplace Rent to Own
What if a $10-a-week TV could spark a company built on trust? We sit down with industry legend Gary to unpack how Showplace grew from a two-paragraph agreement on a legal pad to a respected rent-to-own brand known for clear buyouts, smart growt...
RTO Legend: Trooper Earle of Premier Rental - Purchase
A legend’s journey rarely starts with a grand plan. Trooper Earl just needed a job, stumbled into ColorTyme, and within two years was opening stores, learning fast, and confronting the realities of scale without modern systems. That sprint led ...
Clover: Certified Refurbished Inventory for Rent-to-Own
Paul Adamson from Clover joins Pete Shau to explain what “certified refurbished” really means—and why it matters for rent-to-own dealers. They break down how returned products move through the reverse supply chain, what Clover’s testing and gra...
RTO Legend: Michael Bennett of Buddy's Home Furnishings
What does it take to go from a delivery truck to the corner office without losing the human touch that built the business? We sit down with Michael Bennett, CEO of Buddy’s Home Furnishings and three-time APRO president, to unpack the playbook h...
The RTO Revolution and the Future of Advocacy
What happens when an industry’s past isn’t properly recorded online? It gets rewritten by shallow links, old studies, and algorithms that don’t know better. We sat down with APRO CEO Charles Smitherman and WoW Brands CEO/CTO Ryan Krass to share...
RTO Legend: Ed Winn of APRO
What does it take to turn a scattered, misunderstood trade into a recognized industry with real rules, clear disclosures, and political staying power? We sit down with Ed Wynn, APRO’s longtime legal counsel, to trace rent-to-own’s rise from yel...
RTO Legend: Bill Keese of APRO
A budget shortfall, a hostile hearing, and a tax threat big enough to sink an industry—this conversation with APRO legend Bill Keese reveals how Rent-To-Own survived and matured. We open with Bill’s unlikely path from state legislator to execut...
RTO Legend: Bill French of O'Rourke
A chance glance at a rent-to-own storefront changed everything. We sit down with industry legend Bill French to unpack five decades of progress: from selling RCA TVs to shaping vendor programs, joining APRO’s earliest meetings, and helping O’Ro...
Leading Multi-Unit Teams Through Change with Sean Knupp
Strong teams don’t happen by accident—they’re built by leaders who put people first and still demand performance. We sit down with regional leader Sean Knupp to unpack the playbook behind consistent growth in rent-to-own: GMs who operate like o...
RTO Legend: Chris Korst from Rent A Center
A small, scrappy industry took on courts, Congress, and headlines—and won. Chris Korst, longtime Rent-A-Center executive and counsel, joins us to unpack how rent-to-own went from “wild west” storefronts to a regulated, transparent option for mi...
RTO Legend: Brad Denison of Benefit Marketing Solutions (BMS)
Law can feel abstract until it touches a living room. We sit down with Brad, former general counsel turned vendor advocate, to unpack how rent-to-own won its legal identity as a lease—not credit—and why that nuance still shapes access to applia...
Wake for Warriors: Healing Veterans Through Water and Brotherhood
In this special episode of The RTO Show, Pete Shau welcomes Ray Muncy of Buddies Home Furnishings and Dave Deep, founder of Wake for Warriors. Together, they explore how a shared love of water and community turned into a nationwide mov...
RTO Legend: Kevin Quinn of Quality Rentals
A 24-year-old franchisee walks into a brand-new industry and ends up helping to save it. That’s the arc of Kevin Quinn, who went from learning how to rent a $499 VCR to leading APRO through a political and tax storm that could have erased rent-...
RTO Legend: Larry Carrico of Rent One
Two stores, a fire that melted the backups, and a decision that transformed an operator into a multi-state force: keep the people, codify the playbook, and own the ground you stand on. We sit down with Larry Carrico of Rent One to unpack how ac...
Health Benefits That Actually Fit Small Teams
Health benefits shouldn’t feel like a second job. We sat down with Marshall Darr, CEO of StretchDollar, to unpack a simpler model for small teams: employers set a monthly budget and employees pick and own the plans that fit their lives. Instead...