The Premier Companies Wrap Up Successful 2024 National Convention

The Premier Companies marked a significant milestone at their annual convention, commemorating two decades in Miami Beach, Florida, this past weekend. They gathered at the Royal Palm Hotel and welcomed vendors, franchisees, and guests to the Welcome Reception which was held poolside on the rooftop patio. 

This convention serves as a moment for everyone to gather, acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of the company and its franchisees. Saturday evening, Ashley Furniture’s Mike Kays was honored with the Vendor of the Year award. "It continues to be my pleasure to serve the franchisees, customers, and corporate team as we move forward into 2024," commented Kays. "I know that the business we share employs thousands of American workers and provides RTO customers with reliable and fashionable home furnishings—something we should all be very proud of." The award, presented by The Premier Companies’ Vice President of Operations, Mike Lewis, emphasized the importance of nurturing vendor relationships. 

Sunday morning’s General Session commenced with Trooper Earle, President & CEO of The Premier Companies, delivering the State of the Company address. Illustrating Premier’s positive trajectory over the last few years and emphasizing the Rent-to-Own industry’s distinctive history of endurance and evolution, Earle credited the company’s successes to the unwavering dedication of its franchisees to their customers. 

Shifting the presentation's focus, Vice President of Operations, Mike Lewis emphasized introspection with his presentation titled “Life After Half-Time”. He highlighted the importance of prioritizing self-improvement and well-being, underscoring the direct correlation between personal success, business success, and overall health. 

This year, the General Session concluded early to pave the way for a scavenger hunt around South Beach, engaging vendors, franchisees, and members of the corporate team. The response to this addition in the agenda was overwhelmingly positive, and Earle was thrilled to report “everyone was having tons of fun and that is our top goal for each convention”.  

Following the successful Scavenger Hunt was the Vendor Show where franchisees learned about products and services that will help them grow their business.

The convention concluded with the Awards Banquet Sunday evening where Premier Franchisees received awards from APRO for industry involvement and for community service, Premier service, store anniversaries, sales volume, and extraordinary contributions. Joe Felan, General Manager of Texas RTO Investments in San Antonio, Texas, celebrated with his team as they were named the 2023 Franchisee of the Year. He stated, “Every Texas RTO employee played a big part in us being named the Franchisee of the Year. We are all honored and grateful to have received this prestigious award.”

Director of Events, Larkin Mott was delighted with attendance and the location of this year’s convention: “Being right in South Beach at the Royal Palm was a blast, we had more participation from store managers this year than ever before which made the event that much more fun”. 

Attendees were eager to celebrate their achievements after the 20th annual awards ceremony concluded and many found their way to the Miami Strip to continue the celebrations.