Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2021 50 S omeday, the year 2020 will be a chapter (yes, a whole chapter, don't you think?) in the history books, and the breakout star of the 2020 story will definitely be The Pandemic. Last March, Executive Director Jill McClure and APRO were busily preparing for the association's two biggest events of the year: the 2020 RTO World National Convention and Tradeshow, and making final arrangements for the APRO Legislative Conference. Then the pandemic hit. In Florida, APRO President Chris Kale, co-owner of CPL Group Inc. dba Rent King, and other rental dealers arrived at their workplaces to find bright-yellow bulletins taped to their storefronts. "We had a heads-up from mostly just the local news about mandatory business closings," Kale remembers. "Then all of a sudden, we all began getting these big notices taped up on our front windows saying we were being ordered to close immediately due to COVID-19. At our store, we had already begun writing up new protocol, taking the stance that we were going to deem ourselves 'essential' until we got some formal clarification. But to be safe, we locked our doors." One thing became clear: Being an "essential business" could very well mean the difference between survival and shuttering. So the biggest question for rental dealers was "Are we essential?" The entire APRO staff began tracking executive orders from state, county and city departments all around the country wherever RTO stores were affected. Then APRO began issuing policy alerts to its membership fast and furiously in response to those orders, detailing why rent-to-own businesses were essential. "At the beginning of the shutdowns, we were closed for the first couple of weeks," says Wade Shaefer of Mainely Rent to Own in Lincoln, Maine. "But then, in an APRO Alert, we read about essential businesses, and I felt confident that we could open back up. Without that alert, I don't know what my business would have done moving forward." The APRO team continued tracking executive orders – which would eventually number 182 in total – and pushing out timely and thorough alerts to member inboxes. Wherever essential status was unclear, APRO legal counsel offered legal opinions, empowering many dealers to advocate for the essentiality of their businesses and industry. "With all the information going on, I really had to turn to the APRO Alerts to help filter what I needed to know," says Mary Humphrey, owner of Transformation Investments LLC dba Rent It 2 Own It in Clinton, Missouri. "I needed all of the legal things broken down and made understandable, and that's what the alerts did for me." APRO also created written materials that members could (and did) use to plead their case with their local officials. "We had a driver get pulled over by a sheriff for a perceived curfew violation," recounts Alex Melvin of MTM Ventures LLC dba Buddy's Home Furnishings in Hendersonville, North Carolina. "We defended him by using the right-to-work letter APRO provided to us. I'm really grateful for APRO, now more than ever." The association also began sending out regular Coronavirus Impact Surveys to both rental dealers and vendor members, gathering info about best practices and speedily returning results to the membership. And APRO began hosting webinars on various critical pandemic-centric topics. "Just one of the PPP webinars was worth my dues," says Gloria Homeier, Owner of A Full House in Russell, Kansas. "Thanks to APRO, I was able to apply for the program, and I received the funds my business needed." "I thank the APRO team for everything it's been doing to support all of us through this incredibly difficult time," says Russ Moserowitz, Owner of Passaic Ventures LLC dba Aaron's in Bloomfield, New Jersey. "If anyone ever doubted the value of their APRO membership, the organization's support through all of this has demonstrated it beyond question." By the close of 2020, the APRO team had tracked 182 executive orders, issued 63 policy alerts (40 more than the prior year), conducted 16 member surveys, held 10 webinars and received dozens of notes of gratitude and positive feedback from members, a handful of which we've featured here. Kristen Card has been a contributing writer for APRO for more than 15 years. WHY WE'RE HERE: APRO'S PANDEMIC RESPONSE When the going got COVID-19 tough, APRO got going – providing critical information, support, guidance, and connection during a year of epic uncertainty and global distress. RO Kristen Card Rent-to-Own Trends

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