Pawn Expo is the largest and most comprehensive convention and expo event in the U.S., bringing pawnbrokers, industry partners, and other stakeholders together in one location annually. This year, local business leader Jeff Wilhelm was invited to share his experience and expertise with his peers. His presentation, ‘Pivot to move forward,’ was delivered to a standing-room-only crowd.
Jeff shared insight from his current role as the Director of Store Operations at National Pawn & Jewelry, a 23-store chain of pawnshops in North Carolina. A central theme of his presentation focused on the understanding that when organizations create a vision for ‘why’, they can withstand changes in their business model. For National Pawn, the vision is to change the perception of the pawn industry one customer at a time.
“The pawn industry suffers from a lot of undeserved negative stereotypes. Jeff did an excellent job coaching others about the importance of being a positive force in your community as we do at National Pawn, leading by example,” says Bob Moulton who owns the North Carolina chain.
Rob Barnett, a store owner from Tennessee who is newly elected to the NPA’s Board of Directors at this year’s conference, shared “Jeff’s talk stressed the importance of keeping your existing customers happy. He provided the audience with several examples of how his team has resolved customer issues and continued providing a great customer experience with each transaction.”
Georgia pawnbroker Lisa Little, named this year’s Industry Image award recipient, observed, “Jeff is the trainer’s trainer. He is always willing to share best practices, tools, and tips that I can bring home to my team.”
Pawn Expo offers educational sessions, special events, and a trade show designed to help new and veteran pawnbrokers strengthen and grow their businesses. Next year’s event will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
