It's great to be part of the history
Shannon Strunk, President of APRO

photo rtoonline Former APRO President Ernie Lewallen of UHR Rents (left) and Wayne Sutton of Fairway Ventures visit with Jackie Morales of National Mail-it, a first time vendor, at APRO's First Time Attendees Reception Monday in Las Vegas, Nevada. (See First Time Attendees Reception photo gallery)

APRO (Association of Progressive Rental Organizations) is celebrating its 25th year. Over 1000 members and vendors gathered in Las Vegas Monday to kick off the 2005 APRO Buying Show and Convention at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

"It's great to be part of the history." said Shannon Strunk, President of APRO. Strunk was elected at last years show in Tampa, Florida. "The next 25 will be even better." Strunk's vision of APRO 25 years from now? "The association will be 4 or 5 time larger, the industry will be 4 or 5 times larger. I hope we experience the same success over the next 25 years that we've had the last 25."

As is the tradition at APRO shows, the Board of Directors and other members held a reception for first time attendees.

photo rtoonline Jeff and Cher Lebakken, Lebakken's Rent to Own, at Monday's main Welcome Reception. (See a complete photo gallery of Welcome Reception Here)

Bill Keese, APRO Executive Director, encouraged new members to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge available from fellow association members. "It's a great place to see and buy new products, it's a great place to learn new things at the training seminars, but it's a fantastic place to network," he said.

TRIB, The Rental Industry Buying Group, sponsored the main welcome reception. See a complete photo gallery of TRIB Welcome Reception Here.