COO and vice president operations

Rentcash – www.rentcash.ca

Barret Reykdal loves people. He wants them to succeed, and this is reflected through work and volunteerism.

He is the chief operating officer and vice president of operations for Rentcash, a publicly traded company that operates under three banners: The Cash Store, InstaLoans, and Instarent.

These companies deal in rent to- own services and short-term cash advances, and have 1700 employees across Canada and over 400 hundred stores. At 28, this Edmonton native has worked for Rentcash since 2001. His father is the president and chief executive officer of Rentcash, but Reykdal started out as a store manager and worked his way up to chief operating officer within five and a half years.

He thinks he has advanced so quickly because he produces good results and he works hard. “It’s a fun, intriguing, good job.” Reykdal’s day is filled communicating with people he supervises. He also travels to different store locations, and trains the regional managers. He’s not afraid to recognize employees for their achievements, and to provide feedback.

He is known for being a leader; he listens to and motivates people. But Reykdal downplays this claim, saying he surrounds himself with people who make him look good. For the past three years, he has volunteered for the YESS 2 Success event in support of the Youth Emergency Shelter Society. He is one of the original
founders, and got the company involved in his cause. Now, Rentcash is a huge sponsor, and Reykdal is a company representative by donating his time.

Reykdal helped organize the World’s Longest Hockey Game in 2004 to help raise money for YESS 2 Success as well as last year’s Race to Success, a go-cart race fundraising event. “It’s a fantastic cause. When you hear the stories of the kids, you just want to help them.”