Scroll down for Six new podcasts from the 2008 ColorTyme national Convention in Frisco, Texas.

Dean Traufler (left) and Mark Shaw took home Double Diamond Awards, ColorTyme's highest award for store performance. See a complete photo gallery of all store award winners here

Mark Shaw, store manager of the Waipahu, Hawaii ColorTyme owned by Gary Hughes, earned the Double Diamond award, ColorTyme's highest award for store performance, for the fourth consecutive year. Shaw shared the Double Diamond stage Monday for the first time with Dean Traufler, manager of the Middletown, Ohio ColorTyme owned by 2006 Franchisee of the year Ken Schimpf.

Shaw and Traufler credit their respective crews for the stores' success and follow a simple philosophy - keep the customers happy. See a complete photo gallery of all store award winners here.

Shaw, Traufler and other store managers were recognized Monday at the 2008 ColorTyme National Convention in Frisco, Texas. See photo galleries of Monday's events here.

ColorTyme President Bob Bloom also announced during Monday's general session that bedding vendor Serta has committed to donate 1% of all ColorTyme purchases in 2008 to Kids Across America, a summer camp for inner-city youth sponsored heavily by ColorTyme franchisees.

RTO Online conducted six podcast interviews Monday.

- David Deignan, Franchisee, former Aaron's Marketing VP with 25 years in RTO dating back to Curtis Mathis.
- Gary and Jutta Hughes, ColorTyme Franchisee, owners of the Waipahu, Hawaii ColorTyme.
- Ben Stanley, the newest ColorTyme franchisee in the system.
- Amy Woods, Director of marketing, ColorTyme.
- Tom Jackson, new ColorTyme Franchisee in Largo, Florida.
- Cort Hill and Jim Conyers, ColorTyme Franchisee partners from Elkton, Maryland.

Excerpts:

Play - Podcast interview with Dave Deignan former Aaron's Marketing VP with 25 years in RTO dating back to Curtis Mathis:
"The first reaction of people when you tell them you're going to rent wheels is 'You're kidding.' We opened our first wheel rental store two years ago and it's been tremendously successful for us. Our furniture and appliance RTO business is a good mix of weekly and monthly transactions. Our wheel and tire business is exclusively monthly. The split on retail wheels versus RTO is 50-50."
 

Play - Podcast interview with Cort Hill and Jim Conyers, ColorTyme Franchisee partners from Elkton, Maryland:
"We're looking forward to the new store fixtures. It's going to give our store a much warmer, more retail feel. We stock more than the typical RTO store which keeps our showroom fresh and clean. Customers are much more savvy today than 20 years ago. You can't expect to open the doors and have people walk in and buy. You have to know your product and deliver service - if not, customers are out the door and down the street to a competitor. You have to bring pre-leased product back to showroom condition. You have customers coming in and spending hard-earned money. They deserve the best and that's what we deliver."

Play - Podcast interview with Gary and Jutta Hughes, ColorTyme Franchisee, owners of the Double Diamond Waipahu, Hawaii ColorTyme:
"How do you find store managers like Mark Shaw (four time Double Diamond winner)? You hire attitude, not experience. I'll take attitude over experience every time. This is not brain surgery. You hire someone with a good attitude and you can teach them everything they need to know about rent to own in 30 days. We're very good at doing what we know - rent to own and payday loan. We've been doing payday loans since 1997. In 1997, no one thought payday loans would work. Now there are over 20,000 locations in the United States. Giving back to the community is a high priority for us. One of the things that gives us the most satisfaction is our ColorTyme Kids Boys and Girls Club program. We pay the tuition for the summer and winter programs at the Boys and Girls Club for every child in our area that qualifies for free lunches, around 400 kids."

Play - Podcast interview with Ben Stanley, the newest ColorTyme franchisee in the system:
"We'll open up our first store in Clarksville, Tennessee in March. I was in the 101st Airborne until 2003. After that I was in real estate. My good friend and our store manager Terry Burns has been in the RTO business for 20 years. We researched the business and decided this was where we belong. A big part of going with a franchise was the support. Not only from ColorTyme Corporate, but other franchisees. Cindy and Scott Hogan (Nashville) and others have helped us a lot. There is a lot of competition in Clarksville including five Rent-A-Centers and an Aaron's. One of the reasons we chose ColorTyme is the package of rent to own, payday loan and custom rims. We think it will give us an advantage."

Play - Podcast interview with Tom Jackson, new ColorTyme Franchisee in Largo, Florida:
"We opened in December, 2007. We have 25,000 people within 20 miles of our store. My partner, Marco Scalese and I, both came from the Aaron's system as regional managers in Florida so we are familiar with the area. We have a unique store. We have a 4,700 sq ft showroom with separate vignettes for room settings so customers can visualize the merchandise in their home. We have a very strong TV and computer display. In store merchandising has changed a lot in my 20 years in the business. I think people want to see a well accessorized store as opposed to a stack-and-rack store. We are doing semi-monthly and monthly agreements. You can do double the revenue in a monthly situation with half the effort. We think it's where this industry is going."

Play - Podcast interview with Amy Woods, Director of marketing, ColorTyme:
"We're getting ready to launch our new website that will improve consumer navigation and individual local franchise branding. We wanted our website to reflect the 'Hometown ColorTyme' brand. The backend will be managed by individual franchisees. Consumers will be able to see local advertising and promotions - even a photo of the store manager. The Franchise advisory Council (FAC) is evaluating the new system now. The FAC is an invaluable resource for me. They bring in new ideas that we can share with the rest of the company."