Almost 150 rent-to-own (RTO) professionals gathered recently for the Florida Rental Dealers Association's (FRDA) return trip to the historic Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, for the organization's Annual Meeting.
The event kicked off with an FRDA Welcome Social at the contemporary Hotel Haya, featuring drinks, dinner, cigar-rolling stations, and live music.
The next morning, the association got down to business with its Annual Member Meeting, led by FRDA President Chris Kale, Jr. Kale spoke about the organization's successful 2025 District Advocacy Blitz, during which FRDA members visited their lawmakers locally in their districts.
APRO CEO Charles Smitherman gave the event's keynote address, crafted around the recent book he published with co-author Ryan Krass of WOW Brands, The RTO Revolution: A Definitive History of Advocacy and Consumer Access. Smitherman reviewed how the industry has evolved over the past four decades, as well as how APRO is working to use artificial intelligence to ensure rent-to-own's future success. All meeting participants also received free copies of the book.
Next, FRDA Past President Paul Metivier announced the 2026 Kirk Kaye Volunteer Award recipient - Sachin Rama, Director of Finance & Administration for Impact RTO Holdings dba Rent-A-Center. As part of Rama's award, FRDA contributed $1,000 to the APRO Charitable Foundation Disaster Relief Fund.