Midwest RTO Expo Welcomes Dealers From 8 States (37 photos)
Rent to Own dealers from Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Illinois and West Virginia gathered for what Association of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO) President Shannon Strunk called "an historic event...more

Midwest RTO Expo Under Way In Columbus (42 Photos)
67 RTO Pros and vendors teamed up in the 4 man scramble. Joel Ehrlich of UHR Rents (United Household Rentals), Janay Troutman of Continental Jewelry, and Scott Seibert of UHR Rents took first place with a 9 under par 63...more

Aaron Rents Names Mark Rudnick VP Lease Ownership Division; Boggan To Head Merchandising and Distribution
Rudnick joined Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership in 2001 as Director of New Store Development and was promoted in 2002 to Director of Sales...more

Women In The Home Industries Today To Host Latin Media Powerhouse Cristina Saralegui In High Point
Saralegui is author of "My Life as a Blonde" and licensee of the Casa de Cristina by Pulaski Furniture line...more

Rentcash Posts 155% Revenue Increase For Insta-Cash; Insta-Rent Remains In Red
Rentcash added more than 250 full-time positions as of the year ended June 30, 2004 and now employs more than 500 people...more

Ace Cash Express Donates $25,000 To Assist Hurricane Victims
"We want our $25,000 donation to help rebuild the lives of those affected by the hurricanes in the Tampa area."-Jay B. Shipowitz, President and CEO...more

Heilig-Meyers Files Reorganization Plan; Stockholders Holding The Bag
The holders of existing common stock of Heilig-Meyers Company will receive no distribution under the proposed Plan and will have no interest in the Liquidation Trust...more

Whirlpool Names Jeff Noel VP Communications
Noel will oversee the company's global external and internal communications, government relations, and corporate affairs...more

As Consumers Go Digital Kodak Closes Plant
The decision to close the Coburg plant reflects the decline in demand for traditional consumer photographic products with the rise in popularity of digital photography, especially in developed markets...more

Is RTO Consolidation A Good Thing?
Reader: "I'm doing a research project on the RTO industry focused on identifying the degree to which consolidation will continue in the space"...more

Shocker: Consumer Federation Of America Comes Out Against Advertising
"This segment is rated A for 'Advertising'. It is intended for rich people. If you are un-banked, please insert your fingertips into your ears and say "na-na-na" for the next 3 minutes."...more

RTO Online Launches RTOtradeshow.com
"The internet is full of what are essentially phone books, we wanted a truly interactive experience. A place where RTO pros want to go, not where they have to go."-Roy Griffaw, President RTO Online Inc....more

Rent to Own Accounting Series: T-Accounts Are A Great Tool for Solving Accounting Transactions
There are a few Rent to Own owners or managers who have a fantastic ability to remember details, but I would venture to say that most of us find our memory diminishing over time...more

BOGO Jewelry Announces "Only the Finest" Marketing Campaign
Jerry Bogo Company will distribute "Only the Finest" flyers to participating rent to own dealers to increase jewelry rentals during the upcoming holiday season...more

CEO's Less Likely To Circle The Wagons In a PR Fight
Today's business leaders," say the authors, "are increasingly likely to face a decision that seldom confronted their predecessors: whether to conduct an independent investigation to help resolve a legal, regulatory, or corporate integrity crisis...more

Ivan Disrupts Ideal Software Systems
Ideal Software Systems, makers of The Ideal Rental Manager (TIRM), a leading point of sale software package for rent to own stores, announced a temporary disruption in service due to hurricane Ivan...more

EZCORP CEO Joe Rotunda Audio Presentation
EZCORP's President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Rotunda, and Dan Tonissen, EZCORP's Chief Financial Officer presented at the Roth Capital Partners New York Conference...more

SBA Names National Minority Small Business Person of the Year
Minority businesses account for 15 percent of America's small businesses and employ more than 4.5 million people to help fuel the nation's economy...more

Sharp Electronics Adds Editing Capabilities To DVD Recorders
“Now that consumers are familiar with the superior picture quality and ease-of-use of DVD players, they’re eager to embrace the advanced features of our new combination DVD products and make them the core of home entertainment systems”-Bob Pleyer, senior marketing manager, video products, Sharp...more

Toshiba Adds To FST Pure Line
"Although the popularity of Flat Panel TV and Projection TV continues to grow, demand for quality Direct View CTV is still high"- Scott Ramirez, Toshiba's Vice President of Marketing...more

Rent A Center Expects -5% Same Store Sales; Investigating Alternate Revenue Streams Including Payday Loans
"We continue to experience softness in demand. The softness is measured by the number of new deliveries, and contracts in place as well as the average number of units the customer is renting"-Mark Speese, CEO...more

Furniture Brands International Sees Caution At Middle Price Points; Gives Outlook For Q3
"We continue to sense caution among consumers at the middle price points (Broyhill and Lane), as high oil prices and uncertainties in the job markets are appearing to affect overall confidence"-W.G. (Mickey) Holliman, Chairman and CEO...more

Schrock And Clay Cosponsor Rental Purchase Agreement Act
Representative Clay is in his second term and serves on the Financial Services Committee. Representative Schrock is also in his second term and serves on the Armed Services and Budget committees...more

Every Rental Starts With A First Impression
The first in a series of training articles designed to help associates create a better first impression with your potential customers—both by telephone and in person...more

Rent A Center Warns
"While we remain confident in our proven business model and believe that this is a short-term situation, we are taking steps to reduce the impact of the higher fuel costs by fine-tuning our marketing and promotional initiatives"-Mark Speese, CEO...more

Rent to Own Dealers From 8 States Prepare For Midwest Expo
175 rent to own professionals representing 22 companies from 8 states are already registered to attend the Expo with more likely by show-time. While not the largest tradeshow, the Expo promises to bring together the most diverse group of owners and employees outside of the annual APRO Convention...more

Gary Dachis Fires Back At Payday Detractors
"The recent Star Tribune special report "Borrowing Trouble" quoted antibusiness spokesmen comparing companies providing payday loans to prostitutes and loan sharks. Great hyperbole, but bad journalism."...more

Company Claims Camera-Phones Will Replace Digital Cameras
According to a recent study, camera-phones are on the verge of delivering the snapshot capabilities that people currently expect from single-use film cameras and entry-level digital cameras...more

Sixty-Eight Percent of Working Parents Contemplating Working Fewer Hours or Quitting Jobs Because of Childcare Issues
"Obviously, employers everywhere should take notice of these findings since working parents make up a significant portion of the workforce"- John B. Place, LifeCare President and co-founder...more

Furniture Brands International Names Ames B. Flynn as VP and CIO
Furniture Brands International. announced the appointment of Ames B. Flynn to the newly-created position of Vice-President, Logistics and Chief Information Officer of Furniture Brands International...more

Hurricane Frances Plays Havoc With RTO Suppliers
Inform Print and Promotions and Florida State Games (FSG), two of the RTO industries leading suppliers, are directly in the path of the storm...more

Arkansas Rental Dealers Look Forward To October
The Arkansas Rental Dealers Association (ARDA) will hold its annual Fall Conference October 5th and 6th, 2004 in Heber Springs, Arkansas...more

Aaron Rents Acquires 25 Home Express Stores
"We are excited about this acquisition as it increases our presence in the Carolinas, an important and growing market for us"-R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr. Chairman and CEO...more

RTO Consulting Launches "RTO Cash Services"
RTO Consulting and Management Inc., the leading rental purchase consulting firm in the United States, announced the launch of RTO Cash Services; a turnkey cash rebate system that Rent to Own dealers can offer customers as an alternative to Payday Loans...more

Rent One Presents $10,000 To Ronald McDonald House
"What a great feeling it is to give to a cause that has directly affected many of our Rent One customers"-Larry Carrico, President, Rent One...more

SANYO To Ship Next Generation HD DVD Recorders
The Electronics Industries Association of Japan research forecasts DVD recorder shipments of 10 million units in 2004...more

Hitachi, Toshiba and Matsushita Form Joint TV LCD Panel Venture
Worldwide demand for LCD TVs was approximately 3.0 million units in 2003 and is estimated to expand fivefold by 2006...more

NonPublished.com Provides Instant Contact Information for People Who Don't Want to be Found
"In the Rent to Own industry where hours count, instant results provided by NonPublished.com can make the difference between a hot or cold trail"...more

W.S. Badcock To Launch Rent to Own Division
The new division is in the planning stages.  Dan Companion, a 20 year veteran of the rental purchase industry and contributing editor to RTO Online, has been tapped as Director of Operations of the new group...more

Furniture Retailers Join U.S. Consumer Groups Battling 28 Percent Duties on Canadian Lumber Imports
"Like ACAH, FRA believes that trade laws should not be abused to the detriment of American consumers who will face price disruptions, fewer choices, and risk quality on bedroom furniture," said Michael Veitenheimer, FRA spokesperson and Vice President and Counsel of The Bombay Company...more

Improper Accounting Practices Tops Marketing Chiefs' List of Ethics Concerns Facing U.S. Business
New poll shows almost half (48%) of marketing executives believe improper accounting practices is number one among three top ethical issues facing U.S. business...more

Access to Venture Capital Remains Pressing Issue for Women and Minority-Owned Small Businesses
Two years ago, women led 28 percent of all U.S. businesses and generated $1.5 trillion in sales. However, despite this statistic, female entrepreneurs historically have received only 4 to 9 percent of available venture capital, a disproportionately low share compared to their male colleagues...more

Dollar Financial Group Announces Record Fiscal 2004
"...due to our continued focus on collection practices and underwriting standards, all of our key credit ratios are in line with expectations"-Jeff Weiss, Chairman and CEO...more

Mitsubishi Introduces 42" and 55" LCD Flat Panel Displays With Built In HD Personal Video Recorders
The new models, which will ship to selected retailers this year and early next year...more

ACE Cash Express Reports 38 Million Customer Visits In Fiscal 2004; $10 Billion In Transactions
Increase due primarily to a 4.1 percent increase in check cashing fees, an 8.8 percent increase in loan fees and interest, and a 25.6 percent increase in bill payment services...more