Aarons 2006 Annual Report Download - page 9

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 9 of the 2006 Aarons annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 48

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48

7
Marc Rogovin
Vice President, Real Estate and Construction,
Aaron Rents, Inc.
Years with Company: 10
Most people don’t know this, but Aaron’s is one of the
largest retail developers in America. We will manage
500 projects this year, including new stores, remodels and
relocations. Our team is already working on locations for
2008 stores.
pre-engineered buildings and mechanical and electrical
systems direct from manufacturers. This is possible because
we have developed a standard freestanding store. We
developed this store format to improve the customer
experience— using a larger footprint, softer color palette,
and new graphics.
Technology has been a major factor in our ability to handle
growth. We have mapped out the entire United States and
can research potential locations online, determine traffic
patterns and identify nearby stores before sending someone
out in the field to scout locations. We also can bid con-
struction projects and distribute project
specifications online. In addition, we stay
on top of every single project through
project management software and digital
photographs of all real estate locations
and construction projects.
With our size, we often get first crack at
prime locations, and many of our people
are getting industry recognition for their
expertise. Our goals are ambitious, but we
have a strong team and are excited about
achieving
our growth
objectives.
The corporate growth goal is ambitious, but we have
a solid group of professionals to meet this goal—
engineers, city planners, architects, construction
managers, real estate managers, property managers
and attorneys. Our staff is located throughout the
country in regional teams, working closely with store
operations. We also have a facilities group that manages
maintenance for our store network. Even though con-
struction costs have been rising over the past few years,
we have been able to control expenses
through our national buying program.
For example, we buy a significant
amount of our construction materials
directly from the manufacturer rather
than having individual contractors buy
materials for specific stores. We pur-
chase signage, carpet, store fixtures,