APRO’s Legislative Conference (LegCon), begun 32 years ago, is going stronger than ever. Held in mid-April in Washington, D.C., this year’s conference boasted 100 registered attendees, including rent-to-own (RTO) dealers and vendors, ready to do what they do best – build relationships.
Both the APRO Board of Directors and the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee met prior to the official kickoff for the event, a Welcome Reception at the beautiful Royal Sonesta Hotel, sponsored by Benefit Marketing Solutions and O’Rourke Sales Company.
The next day began with a Breakfast & Keynote, sponsored by TRIB Group. A conversation between the Deputy Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Geof Gradler and APRO CEO Charles Smitherman covered a broad spectrum of topics, from the agency’s staffing and operations under the current administration to its regulatory priorities moving forward. Gradler also fielded questions from attendees related to RTO, and the importance of the industry self-regulating via solid ethics and best practices.
Following a group photo at the U.S. Capitol, APRO members split into 18 teams and spent the remainder of the day on the Hill, meeting with Congressional lawmakers and staffmembers. More than 30 first-time LegCon attendees – including 18 new legislative fellows, nine rental dealers, and five vendors – helped complete 111 scheduled meetings with offices representing 24 states.
How All LegCon Participants Play a Key Role
At the end of the day, a Debrief Dinner was held, sponsored by Ashley Furniture Industries. Longtime LegCon veteran Shannon Strunk of Baber Strunk Enterprises spoke to the group about the great value of the event and individual participation in it for the industry as a whole.
“What you did today was unbelievably important,” Strunk told attendees. “If some sort of legislation dealing with rent-to-own comes across the desks of the representatives or senators you’ve met with and built relationships with, you’re going to be the one they think about, and you’re hopefully going to be the one they call and say, ‘What does this mean? How does this affect you? How does this impact our district or state?’ And you get to tell them the real story. That is invaluable.”
Several attendees also spoke about their positive experiences with the conference. Additionally, Smitherman gave a special shoutout to all the conference sponsors.
“For events like LegCon, our sponsors’ support can’t always be measured by a straightforward return-on-investment,” said Smitherman. “But the financial and time investments made by these organizations and their leaders reflect a shared commitment to APRO’s mission and to the customers our members serve every day.”
In addition to the reception, breakfast, and dinner sponsors, other supporters of this year’s conference included Hudson Cook LLP, Nationwide RentDirect, Versirent/Ideal Software Systems, Crown Point CPAs, Esquire Advertising, GE Appliances – a Haier Company, High Touch Technologies, Nektova, Southerland, and Vox-Pop-Uli. Additionally, many member companies and state associations sponsored this year’s class of legislative fellows, including Ashley Furniture Industries, Benefit Marketing Solutions, RNR Tire Express, RTO Reinsurance Concepts, Slumba, and the following state rental dealer associations: Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa-Nebraska, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas, and Tennessee.
“The Legislative Conference reflects rent-to-own at its best, with representation from every corner of our industry,” Smitherman concluded. “Publicly traded companies, franchisors, single-store operators, and long-term veterans teaming up with first-time participants. Strength in Unity is our mantra for this event, and this year’s conference demonstrated these words in action.”
