RTO Legend: Kevin Quinn of Quality Rentals

A 24-year-old franchisee walks into a brand-new industry and ends up helping to save it. That’s the arc of Kevin Quinn, who went from learning how to rent a $499 VCR to leading APRO through a political and tax storm that could have erased rent-to-own from the map.

We trace Kevin’s start in 1982, the scrappy early days of rack stereos and weekly payments, and the hard truths about why banks and premium vendors kept their distance. He shares the operational and cultural shift he learned from APRO mentors—structure, standards, and a shared philosophy—and how a small group of franchisees formed Quality Rentals, cross‑guaranteeing each other to build credibility and buying power. The story accelerates when Kevin steps into APRO leadership just as Chairman Henry B. Gonzalez launches hearings against RTO and the IRS tries to reclassify the model as a disguised credit sale. That change would have crippled cash flow and buried operators.

Behind the scenes, we unpack the strategy: a three-front campaign across public relations, federal lobbying, and tax litigation with heavyweight counsel. You’ll hear how dealer funding, customer petitions, and smart allies in Congress led to a pivotal IRS ruling recognizing RTO as a lease with depreciation, later improved to a three-year schedule. Those wins didn’t just quiet critics—they unlocked vendor relationships, steadied lenders, and legitimized rent-to-own as a consumer access model. Along the way, Kevin reflects on the role of his wife, the friendships forged under pressure, and the pride of seeing his daughters revive an RR wheel-and-tire store and earn Women of the Year honors.

If you care about how industries are built—through policy, persistence, and people—this story delivers the blueprint. Subscribe, share this episode with a colleague who loves retail history or public policy, and leave a review with the one lesson you think today’s operators can’t afford to ignore.

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