Have fun, be friendly, be genuine and smile. Don't smile because you're supposed to, smile because your helping people.
Joe Fedorchak, VP Eastern Operations, Aaron's

Joe Fedorchak, Aaron's Vice President of Eastern Operations. See 200 photos from Tuesday's Jamfest here.

2,000 Aaron's Sales and Lease Ownership managers and executives kicked off the company's 2008 National Managers Meeting in Orlando, Florida Tuesday with the annual Aaron's Jamfest. Live music and the Aaron's Dream Team Girls were on hand to perform and pose for photos. See 200 photos from Tuesday's Jamfest here.

The theme for this year's event is "Survivor." Joe Fedorchak, Vice President of Eastern Operations for Aaron's, says surviving and prospering are about executing a simple plan. Listen to RTO Online's podcast interview with Joe Fedorchak here.

The top performing Aaron's store came out of Fedorchak's Eastern Operations unit for three consecutive years - 2004, 2005, and 2006. "It's not complicated," says Fedorchak. "It's about, store managers (GMs), the backbone of the company, executing the systems we worked out over the years. Stay true to those systems and you're going to win."

Fedorchak was Ken Butler's (President of Aaron's) first hire in 1985. "It was Aaron's Electronics then," Fedorchak said. Ken Butler was looking for volunteers to come over from Aaron Rents. Fedorchak jumped at the chance not to work in an unproven rent to own system, but to work for Ken Butler. "I had met Ken several times and when I had the chance, I knew he was a man I wanted to follow," Fedorchak said.

See 200 photos from Tuesday's Jamfest here.

There were only ten stores then. "Stores" may be an overstatement. According to Fedorchak, most of those early stores were actually kiosks inside Aaron Rents stores. "We would carve out a little space inside the store with a few living room sets, a stereo and a few 19" TVs and wing it."

What was the attitude of the Aaron Rents people toward this upstart? "We were kind of intruders," Fedorchak says with a smile. "But they eventually got used to us."

Today, Aaron's Sales and Lease Ownership is the second largest Rent-to-Own / leasing company in the world behind Rent-A-Center. "In 1985, never in my wildest dreams did I think this could happen," Fedorchak said. "I remember having my doubts when when Ken Butler told me that someday I would be running 30 stores!"

Now, Fedorchak is responsible for 110 stores from South Georgia to Miami. But Fedorchak said there are some things that have not changed since 1985. "Aarons attitude toward customers is exactly the same as it was back then. When we identify savings, whether it's from a systems improvement or a better inventory buy, we pass that on to the customer rather than adding it to the profit margin." Fedorchak says that attitude makes Wal-Mart of the industry. "And that's a good thing."

Fedorchak's region has seen it's share of natural disasters. "Katrina was the big one," he said. "The devastation was unbelievable. But disasters can bring out the best in people." His most vivid memory of Katrina was raising an American flag at a store. "We dug a hole, got some concrete and put up an American flag in front of the store. It was a sign of hope."

Fedorchak tries to pass on a few simple ideas to his team. "Have fun, be friendly, be genuine and smile. Don't smile because you're supposed to, smile because your helping people."