As business owners we have the freedom to offer new products and product lines, like wheels, and that is a component of customer care.
Dave Jones, Premier Rental Purchase Franchisee

Trooper Earle, CEO of Premier Companies, congratulates Rich Bagoly and Dave Jones, co-owners of the Rich and Dave Rentals, dba Premier Rental Purchase, on being named Premier Dealers of the Year for 2006.

photo © RTO Online Premier recently held its annual convention in Miami Florida. RTO Online was there. See a complete photo gallery here. Listen to nine podcasts interviews with Premier Franchisees here.

Rich Bagoly and Dave Jones seem to have made a science out of opening Premier RTO stores in Pennsylvania. They went into business for themselves as Rich & Dave Rentals, Inc. just two years ago and have watched as the performance of their first two stores “exceeded expectations.” So far this year they have opened their third store and received the Premier Dealers of the Year award for 2006 (photo at left). It’s been a steady course of growth for these two, and while that was always part of their plan, how quickly feasible and how easy that growth came surprised them. Some wonder if they aren’t just warming up!

“We knew from the get-go that we were going to open more than one store,” says Dave who notes that after opening first in Reading, customers were soon after them to open a store in Allentown. Which they did just 10 months later. They opened their newest store in York. Within their 100-mile business circumference, there wasn’t a particular need for one more RTO store with the number of available choices. But that didn’t matter to Rich and Dave or their many loyal customers. Rich and Dave knew they could offer something different, namely the best customer care, dedicated management, a better selection and quality of product and the support and structure of Premier Rental-Purchase to back them up. On top of all that they hit Pennsylvania by surprise by featuring a whole new business line offered exclusively by Premier. Owning their own business gave them the flexibility to expand the sphere of customer options, and they seized an opportunity to capitalize on a logical niche by adding a Premier Wheel Rental business in house.

In the beginning . . .
Rich and Dave had worked together in the industry, in Pennsylvania, for the past 10 years, sharing a work ethic and a priority for customer service for which they are known.

“Customer care has always been a number one priority,” says Rich. “We treat customers like we want to be treated. And you get rewarded by the way you take care of your customers.”

“People appreciate our attentiveness and the service we offer,” adds Dave. “They are excited about the new products we carry. As business owners we have the freedom to offer new products and product lines, like wheels, and that is a component of customer care.”

It was their work ethic, concentration on the customer and knowledge of the industry that took them to the top as managers of Rainbow Rentals. At different times over the past few years, each brought the store they managed to a number one ranking in overall performance, revenue and operation—and that among 130 stores in the region. Rich was most recently a store manager in Reading and Dave a store manager in nearby Allentown.

It was clear that they would succeed in their own business. The only surprise to them was just how easy it was. But they are quick to acknowledge one of the reasons why: Premier Rental-Purchase. “Premier has played a role in our success,” says Dave. “They laid the groundwork for us and made it easier going forward from the beginning.”

Creating the business plan that will get the attention and approval of banks has been a big stumbling block for many new business owners. According to Rich, Premier’s very systematic and proven approach along with their reputation has opened many doors for Premier dealers seeking small business loans. Because of Premier’s name and Rich’s and Dave’s impressive track record, they don’t even have to initiate anything with the bank now. According to Dave, “the bank called us and asked when we were opening our third store!” That’s music to an entrepreneur’s ears. “Premier is more and more widely recognized making it easier for dealers to walk in and get a loan. The name Premier, in turn, is perpetuated by successful dealers. It runs full circle.” he says. “And that made each of our store openings that much easier.”

“Premier definitely got us the financing we were looking to get, to get us going,” says Rich. “The third time was even a little bit easier—easier than anticipated.” But just because they have multiple stores now and are seasoned business owners doesn’t mean they are stuck on their own any more than the day they planned their first opening.

As Dave says, “Premier is just a phone call away from whatever we need.” For these two RTO veterans, that phone call has often been about their wheel rentals component as much as anything else.

Support on all fronts
“We advertise that we are the only place in Pennsylvania that rents custom wheels and tires,” says Rich, aware that with an RTO background he and Dave had to face a pretty sharp learning curve at first with wheel rentals. Just as Premier president and CEO Trooper Earle continues to support them in such areas as human resources and advertising, Premier Wheel Rental’s guru and president Scott Savell has been with them for each step in their new and related wheel business activities. He’s there to help them understand a custom wheels business and the many details not normally addressed as an RTO owner/operator. Knowing this prompted them to venture further than RTO in the first place.

Being part of Premier has other advantages. Buying power is just one more. “We are now able to give even more benefits to our customers because we have access to an upscale product line and we can bring in more and better items that we know will appeal to our customers,” says Dave. He adds, “It’s also nice that Premier uses the franchise email system to get information out among dealers in the Premier family. We all have different ways of doing things that someone else might not have thought about. We all share ideas.”

Dealers of the Year
At Premier’s 12th annual convention in Florida last January, the incredible journey of Rich and Dave, from employees to business owners, was honored as they received the Premier Dealers of the Year for 2006. It was a fitting tribute to their determined efforts as entrepreneurs and also to their part in Premier’s successful campaign to open 40 stores in four years.
“It’s exciting to be recognized by Premier,” says Dave who admits he and Rich did set out to achieve something big—and they are well under way. But he wants to share credit with the managers they have in place. “Our managers—all our employees—share our vision and understand what we are trying to do here. We worked with these people before we went out on our own, and they come with years of experience and dedication.” See a complete photo gallery here. Listen to nine podcasts interviews with Premier Franchisees here.

In their twenty years of combined RTO experience, Rich and Dave have come to conclude that their major strengths are their total commitment to customer service, their ability to attract outstanding and experienced employees, an ability to keep their sense of humor and their decision to join with Premier. All it took to realize their success was a willingness to accept the challenge of doing it—to take the risk. As Dave once said, “With a good partner, a good support system and a commitment to quality anything can happen.”

The national office of Premier Rental-Purchase is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. All Premier stores are independently owned and operated. Visit Premier’s website at www.premierrents.net or call (800) 2-Premier and ask for Trooper Earle.
To contact Scott Savell about Wheel Rentals franchising opportunities, visit www.premierwheels.net or give him a call at 1-800-2-PREMIER.