At the Midwest Pawn Convention, a change was announced to the name of their Lifetime Achievement Award. This honor is now titled The Krupnik-Stempkowski Lifetime Achievement Award, named in honor of Steve Krupnik and Ron Stempkowski.
Steve ran Red’s Pawn Shop in South Bend, Indiana and built it into one of the largest in Indiana. Steve was instrumental in forming the Indiana Pawnbrokers Association (IPA) in 1990. Changes in state laws and guidance by the IPA helped pawnshops evolve into a more mainstream element of the local financial services industry. Mr. Krupnik authored books on responsible pawnbroking, developed a pawnbroker advisor program and communicated with thousands of pawnbrokers throughout the world. He was awarded the prestigious Pawnbroker of the Year award in 1999 by the National Pawnbrokers Association. In 2021 he received the Ron Stempkowski Lifetime Achievement Award at the Midwest Pawnbrokers Convention. After retiring from pawnbroking, he transitioned into voice-over acting and production.
Ron Stempkowski was a veteran of the United States Army. He was employed as the executive director of the Indiana Pawnbrokers Association for thirty years. His wife of 61 years, Darlene, has been heavily involved in IPA, particularly with the planning and execution of the annual convention and edited the Midwest Pawnbrokers Magazine.
Swisher’s recognition stems from his tireless leadership over the years, particularly in the recent past , as President of the Illinois Pawnbrokers Association.
Despite a long history of proactive legislative relations, the “Predatory Loan Prevention Act”, which was passed in March 2021, shook Illinois pawnbrokers to their core, resulting in litigation brought by the IPA, National Pawnbrokers Association, and other Plaintiffs. While the news is good for now, the experience was sobering.
“I’ve always known better than to take for granted how quickly laws can change our industry,” Swisher shares, “but the pace at which this escalated was surprising to everyone.”
Also surprising were the organizations that emerged as vocal detractors from pawn. Namely, the Woodstock Institute which circulated inflammatory messaging, including a flyer that stated, “Allowing an exemption for pawnbrokers would open the door for other carveouts and create a loophole.” This document, pictured below, lists over a dozen organizations, most of whom have at least some presence in other states, including the American Fintech Council, AARP Illinois, and Illinois PIRG (Public Interest Research Group).
Swisher himself flew into action on many fronts, including a project involving driving from one Illinois pawnshop after another filming customer testimonials. “One after another, they told stories of how the pawnbroker had helped them through a difficult time,” he recalls, “and time and again, they referred to the store as ‘my pawnshop’.” It was just one of many ways he and other IPA members are working to help legislators and leaders see the pawn industry from 360-degrees of perspective. But, he notes, they need more pawnbrokers to join the fight.
