A Landmark History of Advocacy, Consumer Access, and the Future of the RTO Industry
On February 6, 2026, the rent-to-own (RTO) industry reached a defining milestone with the publication of The Rent-to-Own Revolution: The Definitive Industry History of Advocacy and Consumer Access. The book represents the most comprehensive historical, legal, and strategic account ever written about the modern RTO industry.
More than a book, The Rent-to-Own Revolution is both a preservation project and a forward-looking strategy for the next generation of leaders. Written by APRO CEO Charles Smitherman and WOW Brands CEO Ryan Krass, the volume traces the evolution of rent-to-own from its entrepreneurial beginnings in the 1970s to its present-day role as a regulated, resilient, consumer-centered model of access.
For APRO members, vendors, and industry partners, this release is not simply an announcement – it is a celebration of a story that has too often gone untold.
Preserving the History – Telling the Full Story
For decades, the rent-to-own industry has been defined by innovation, resilience, and advocacy. Yet much of that story has lived in personal memories, archived newsletters, and hallway conversations at conventions like RTO World and TRIB Group’s Meeting of the Minds. The pioneers who built the industry – operators, vendors, buying groups, and advocates – shaped not only a business model, but a movement centered on access, flexibility, and dignity.
The Rent-to-Own Revolution captures those voices before they fade into history. Drawing on archival materials and interviews featured in the RTO Legends Podcast series, the book documents:
- The legal and legislative battles that defined the lease distinction
- The formation of APRO and the rise of coordinated advocacy
- The creation of buying groups and vendor ecosystems that empowered independents
- The resilience of RTO during economic downturns
- The evolution of consumer perception and media narratives
For the first time, the full arc of the industry is documented in one place – grounded in statute, case law, economics, and lived experience.
“This book was written to preserve a story that deserved to be preserved,” said Smitherman. “The rent-to-own industry has provided access to essential goods for millions of American families without binding them to debt. That story is real. It is regulated. It is resilient. And it needed to be told accurately and completely – both for our members and for history.”
Advocacy in Print – and in the Age of AI
But The Rent-to-Own Revolution is not only retrospective.
The book also serves a strategic purpose in a rapidly changing information environment. As search engines give way to AI-generated answers, the way the industry is described – and defined – increasingly depends on what structured, authoritative content exists for those systems to retrieve.
That reality shaped the book’s second mission.
“Today, the first answer someone sees often comes from AI,” said Krass. “If we want policymakers, journalists, and consumers to encounter the correct definition of rent-to-own, we have to provide it in clear, authoritative, well-documented form. This book is part of that effort. It’s not just history – it’s infrastructure for the future of search and research.”
The authors intentionally structured the book to support Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), ensuring that accurate descriptions of RTO – lease, not credit; flexible; terminable at will; service included; regulated under 47 state statutes – become part of the permanent digital record that AI systems rely upon.
In short, the book is both an archive and an answer engine.
A Celebration for the Industry
For APRO members and vendor partners, this publication marks a shared achievement. The history told in these pages belongs to the operators who testified in state capitols, the vendors who took early risks on an unproven channel, the buying groups that created scale for independents, and the association leaders who defended the model year after year.
The book also reflects the voices captured in the RTO Legends Podcast series, which continues to document first-hand accounts from industry pioneers. Together, the podcast and the book create a durable historical record that will educate new leaders for decades to come.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who built this industry,” Smitherman added. “Their work deserves to be studied, celebrated, and told. Their advocacy deserves to be remembered, not rewritten. This book is both a thank you and a promise – that we will carry their work forward.”
Why This Book Matters Now
The rent-to-own model has always centered on access and dignity. In a world increasingly oriented toward subscription, flexibility, and outcome-based consumption, the core logic of RTO has never been more relevant.
Younger consumers value control. They value optionality. They value service bundled with product. These trends align directly with the lease-based structure that the industry pioneered decades ago.
At the same time, state-level consumer protection regimes are evolving, and public narratives are shaped faster than ever. Accurate, well-documented, and strategically positioned content is no longer optional – it is essential.
The Rent-to-Own Revolution meets that moment. It establishes a factual baseline for policymakers. It equips industry leaders with a coherent narrative. And it ensures that when someone asks, “What is rent-to-own?” the answer they retrieve reflects reality and the stories of those RTO serves every day.
Join the Celebration
The Rent-to-Own Revolution: The Definitive Industry History of Advocacy and Consumer Access is now available:
All royalties generated from the purchase of the book will go to the APRO Charitable Foundation’s Scholarship Fund. This fund has generated over $1.2 million in scholarships to support members of the RTO industry pursuing college and trade school degrees.
APRO will also be giving away signed copies at the APRO booth (booth 100) during the upcoming Meeting of the Minds in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dealers and vendors are invited to stop by, talk with the authors, and celebrate this milestone together.
Every operator, vendor partner, and industry advocate should consider purchasing a copy, sharing it with your teams, and helping amplify the message across your networks. Post about it. Recommend it. Use it in legislative conversations. Include it in onboarding materials. This is our story – and it deserves to be widely shared.
Purchase your copy today. Share it widely. Celebrate the revolution.
Because history matters. Because advocacy matters. And because the future of rent-to-own will be written by those who define it clearly, confidently, and together.
This is our story – and it deserves to be widely shared.
