Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

Simple Finance is Now Acima Credit

acima_logo_color“We’re changing our name due to a trademark issue.” Aaron Allred, CEO

Simple Finance is changing its name to Acima Credit. Acima will continue to provide lease-purchase financing and world-class service and support to retail merchants and their customers who come from a variety of credit positions. This name change is driven by a trademark issue between the Utah company, and Simple Bank (located in Oregon).  

AaronAllred
Acima Credit CEO Aaron Allred

“Simple Bank was awarded the trademark for ‘Simple’ in July 2016,” said Aaron Allred, founder and CEO of Acima Credit. “When our company was founded we didn’t realize we would grow as quickly as we have grown. So we didn’t trademark the name. As a result, we are now Acima Credit. We are doing everything we can to cooperate with Simple Bank to make the name transition as smooth as possible, and to respect their trademark.”

Acima means “Rise Above,” and reflects the company’s core mission to provide point-of-sale finance products through retail merchants to help people rise above their financial constraints. The company firmly believes people are better than their credit scores. That is why Acima offers a lease-to-own service to help people achieve a quality of life they may not have felt was possible.

Over the past three years, Acima has experienced extraordinary growth allowing it to employ nearly 300 people and underwrite hundreds of thousands of consumers nationwide. Consumer demand for point-of-sale finance continues to rise at an extraordinary rate. Acima’s proprietary technology enables consumers to finance life’s necessary purchases. Acima believes retail merchants who offer this service will experience an increase in revenue from a customer base that typically may not have been able to get financing otherwise based on their credit scores.

“Lease-purchase financing has become more attractive as many traditional and subprime lenders refuse to extend credit to large portions of the population,” said Allred. “In many cases Acima’s point-of-sale product helps consumers climb the credit ladder as they work to improve their traditional credit scores.”

Acima uses their proprietary technology platform to analyze non-traditional data points when making decisions to extend credit to thousands of customers that are often denied by traditional and subprime finance companies. Acima is able to do this by accurately determining credit risk without accessing the traditional credit reporting system, allowing it to provide customers (through their retail merchant of choice) with a simple ‘no credit needed’ lease-to-own financing option.

The new name officially became effective Jan 27, 2017.

About Acima Credit Based in Salt Lake City, Acima is a point-of-sale fintech company that specializes in lease-purchase financing. Acima helps retail merchants reach a segment of the population that was previously unavailable to them, while simultaneously helping consumers purchase the things they need in a way that makes sense. 

Contact: SnappConner PR sjensen@snappconner.com 801/806-0150 www.snappconner.com

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Mike Lewis

Mike Lewis is a Premier Rental Purchase franchisee with multiple stores and currently serves as Vice President of Operations. With 33 years of experience in the rent-to-own industry, he has spent the past 20 years working closely with franchisee owners and previously spent 12 years in Corporate RTO, gaining a strong foundation in the business.

For the past five years, Mike has been sharing his knowledge by teaching managers and franchisees at the company’s Training Center.

Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, kids, and grandkids, and appreciates the simple things in life – especially riding his Harley Davidson with the sun on his face. If you know, you know!

Lauren Talicska

Arona Corporation dba Arona Home Essentials

Lauren Talicska is an experienced multi-channel marketing specialist and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Arona Home Essentials. She has found her home in the RTO community, supporting stores in branding, growth, and increasing traffic.

You may recognize Lauren as a former RTO vendor, including her time as a partner for Nationwide RentDirect, or her previous participation in the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee. Lauren calls Columbus, Ohio, home and spends her workday crafting and executing marketing promotions from inception to realization, all while supporting the branding and social media needs of all the Arona stores in 12 states (plus Puerto Rico!).

Charles Smitherman

APRO

Charles Smitherman, JD, PhD, CAE, became CEO of APRO in 2023, bringing years of legal and executive experience in the rent-to-own industry. 

Prior to joining the association, Charles served as COO, General Counsel, and Vice President of PTS Financial Services, where he played an active role in the rent-to-own industry by representing his company through PTS’s club program offering with APRO member dealers. Charles is an attorney with two decades of experience across a wide variety of areas, including RTO, consumer financial services, antitrust, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, franchise law, and privacy law. Following law school at the University of Georgia, Charles earned a Master of Legal Studies and PhD in Law from the University of Oxford in England.

Charles is credentialed as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with the American Society of Association Executives, a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with the International Franchise Association, and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals. As APRO’s sixth CEO in its 45-year history, he brings a collaborative, member-focused approach to association leadership, emphasizing transparency, advocacy, and value creation. Outside of work, Charles is an active ultra runner and open water swimmer.

Mike Kays

Ashley Furniture Industries

As VP of Rental Sales for Ashley Furniture Industries, Mike thrives on building relationships with our RTO industry veterans, and helping businesses grow through new product, new marketing, and new supply chain options.

Mike works to leverage a wide breadth of relationships and influence, intimate knowledge of market trends, and unique knowledge of what RTO dealers need from a supplier to be successful.

The saying goes that a high tide raises all boats, and our goal is to leverage the world’s largest furniture manufacturer to drive the continued growth of the RTO industry and all the suppliers.

Mike Tissot

Countryside Rentals Inc., dba Rent-2-Own

Mike grew up in the rent-to-own industry under the guidance of his father, former APRO President and RTO legend Darrell Tissot. For nearly 25 years, Mike’s innovative leadership has helped expand the family business to more than 40 stores across Ohio and Kentucky while also shaping the industry as a whole.

He has served as President of the Ohio Rental Dealers Association, an APRO board member and Treasurer, and President and Treasurer of the TRIB Group. His contributions have earned him the APRO President’s Award of Excellence and the title of APRO Rental Dealer of the Year.

Outside of RTO, Mike enjoys time at the lake house or in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his girlfriend, Angela Strong McCool. A passionate Cincinnati Reds fan, he rarely misses a game, whether watching or listening alongside his parents. He also takes every opportunity to visit Arizona, where his daughter is currently attending Arizona State University.