Gary Ferriman on Building Trust, Customer Loyalty, and Long Term Growth in Rent to Own

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to survive every major shift in the rent to own industry and still come out stronger more than 40 years later? In this Legends Series episode of The RTO Show, Pete Shau sits down with Gary Ferriman of Showplace Rent to Own to explore the real history of the RTO business, from used TV repair shops and handwritten rental agreements to modern rent to own software, industry advocacy, and multi generational leadership. Gary shares how Showplace grew through customer trust, disciplined growth, strong industry relationships, and a relentless focus on helping customers achieve ownership at the lowest possible price. This episode is packed with insights on rent to own business operations, RTO history, APRO advocacy, customer retention strategies, financing challenges, and how independent operators built one of the most resilient retail industries in America. What You’ll Learn: How Gary Ferriman transitioned from a TV repair business into one of the most respected rent to own companies in the country Why transparency around early purchase options and ownership pricing became a major competitive advantage for Showplace Rent to Own How APRO, state rental dealer associations, and industry collaboration helped shape modern rent to own regulations What independent RTO operators can learn about debt management, customer relationships, and long term business growth How successful rent to own businesses adapt to changing products, technology, customer expectations, and economic cycles Episode Highlights: 03:22 – How a simple “$10 a week” idea launched Gary Ferriman into the rent to own industry 07:05 – Building a business with almost no startup capital and avoiding early debt 12:09 – The first vendor relationships that helped shape Showplace Rent to Own 14:35 – Gary explains the legal and advocacy battles that helped legitimize the RTO industry 16:22 – Running rent to own accounts manually before modern RTO software existed 21:49 – Why joining APRO and industry associations transformed Gary’s leadership journey 28:27 – The customer transparency strategy that made Showplace different from competitors 39:33 – Surviving the lending crisis when finance companies called RTO loans overnight 45:43 – The surprising rent to own product category that became a major success story 51:27 – Gary’s advice for the next generation of rent to own operators and leaders Meet the Guest: Gary Ferriman is the founder of Showplace Rent to Own and a longtime leader in the rent to own industry. He has served as APRO president and has spent decades helping shape RTO advocacy, customer service standards, and leadership development for independent operators across the country. Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned: Early Purchase Option (EPO) transparency strategy Customer first ownership philosophy Long term relationship based rent to own operations APRO and state RDA advocacy initiatives Manual account tracking systems before RTO software VersaRent, Ideal Software, and Hightouch software evolution Community based customer retention strategies Conservative debt management and growth planning Seasonal “put up” payment programs for lawnmowers and appliances Closing Insight: “Think long term, do the right thing, and take care of the customer. That mindset helped build companies that lasted through every challenge the industry faced.” APRO Association of Professional Rental Organizations Wow Brands Digital Marketing for the RTO indu