Childers, Hughes, Stephens Take Top ColorTyme Honors

ColorTyme concluded its National Convention in Frisco, Texas, last week with the presentation of more than 100 awards to its top-performing franchisees and store managers.

Taking home ColorTyme's top annual honor, the Eagle Award, were franchisees Mark and Tracy Childers, owners of five ColorTyme franchises in Washington and Alaska. The Childers were also cited for ranking number-one in ColorTyme's Top Ten for 2008. Mark Childers, who has more than 20 years of RTO experience, began his career as a summer delivery driver for the local ColorTyme store while he attended Texas A&M University. After college he went to work full-time for ColorTyme, serving as a regional training director for the company. He became a partner in his first ColorTyme franchise in 1992. In 2006 he and Tracy formed their own franchise group, and in 2007 they were honored as ColorTyme's New Franchisee of the Year. This year, four of the Childers' five store managers carried home trophies for high revenue achievement.

James Stephens of Shreveport, La., was named ColorTyme's New Franchisee of the Year. Stephens, who began his rent-to-own career with Rent-A-Center, opened his ColorTyme franchise late in October, 2007. In 2008, despite weathering a hurricane and welcoming his first child, Stephens and his store posted outstanding revenues for the first 12 months of operation.

ColorTyme veteran franchisees Gary and Jutta Hughes received the company's lifetime achievement award, membership in the ColorTyme Circle of Excellence. Circle of Excellence members are recognized as leaders, not only within ColorTyme but also in the RTO industry at large and within their in their local community. Gary and Jutta currently operate 12 ColorTyme stores in Idaho, Washington, California and Hawaii, and in more than 19 years have launched dozens of ColorTyme franchise stores and mentored several of the Company's top-performing franchisees. Gary Hughes' RTO leadership includes membership and former Chairmanship of ColorTyme's Franchisee Advisory Committee and his years of Board membership for the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO). In 1998, Hughes introduced payday lending to ColorTyme, and in 2002 he was named APRO's Dealer of the Year.

Related Podcast interview with Gary and Jutta Hughes: Listen Online - MP3 - iTunes

Gary Hughes' franchise group has consistently ranked in ColorTyme's top tier of financial performance, repeatedly achieving Top Ten status and being a “Big Five” member in 2007 and 2008. In the communities they serve, Gary and Jutta have been major sponsors, financial supporters and fundraising champions for the Boys & Girls Clubs and other local organizations. The 8,900 square-foot Gary Hughes Health Science Center, home to classrooms and lab space for 250 nursing and health care students and faculty at Walla Walla Community College, also honors Gary. In 2008, Hughes' store managers earned six awards for outstanding financial performance.

ColorTyme awarded "Double Diamond" status to two of its store managers who exceeded $2 million in revenues in 2008: Dean Traufler, manager of the Middletown, Ohio, store owned by franchisee Ken Schimpf; and Mark Shaw, manager of the Waipahu, Hawaii, store owned by Circle of Excellence honoree Gary Hughes and his partner Peter Landretti. Shaw, who also received the Double Diamond award in 2007, was cited for his store's having been ColorTyme's highest volume store in 2008.

ColorTyme, Inc., founded in 1979, is America's oldest franchisor of independently owned-and-operated rent-to-own stores.

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