ORLANDO, Fla. — RNR Tire Express honored franchisee Tony Raffo with its first Lifetime Achievement Award recently during the retailer's 20th annual franchise conference in Orlando.
Nearly 300 franchisees, store managers, corporate team members, operators and vendors attended the conference, where the RNR corporate team awarded the brand's highest honors, including Franchisee of the Year, Faye Sutton Woman of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
For the first time, RNR presented a Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Raffo, a franchisee since 2004.
Raffo was one of RNR's first franchise partners to join the company following its launch in 2000 and has since opened 24 RNR locations across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, with plans to add three more in 2023.
"Tony has been a pioneer in the RNR franchise, exemplifying the commitment to community and customers that we've built our entire culture around," RNR founder and CEO Larry Sutton said.
"His role in helping advance the brand across the country, as well as his ability to provide guidance to new and existing franchisees, make him an integral part of our development and, above all else, the deserving recipient for such an award," he said.
"I can think of few moments more humbling or memorable in my nearly two decades with the franchise than this," Raffo said.
"RNR gave me the chance to pursue the entrepreneurial lifestyle I'd always wanted, with a business model that allowed me to reach greater depths of success than I ever anticipated could be reached."
RNR Tire Express offers rent-to-own tires and wheels at more than 180 locations in 28 states.
