AcceptanceNow, a nationwide pioneer in the operation of rent-to-own kiosks within third-party retail outlets, today announced sweeping organizational changes designed to boost the recruitment of business partners while enhancing operational support across its 1700-plus locations.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160105006497/en/

Steve McKinley, vice president of sales, client relations (Photo: Business Wire)

Steve McKinley, vice president of sales, client relations (Photo: Business Wire)

Leading the new business-to-business initiative is veteran retail-sales executive Steve McKinley. Formerly a divisional vice president with AcceptanceNow, McKinley assumes the newly created position of vice president of sales, client relations.

McKinley’s professional experience dates to the mid-‘80s when he cut his teeth in retail while managing a Dallas-area electronics store. He would later ascend through the ranks at Circuit City where he served as a regional vice president before stints at OfficeMax and Dollar General.

A key player in AcceptanceNow’s explosive growth, McKinley will continue to report to AcceptanceNow Executive Vice President Mark Denman.

The far-reaching strategy calls for the establishment of a business development field force designed to offer large regional partners a single point of contact for personalized assistance with sales strategies and goals.

Central to the new strategy is the creation of a sales team solely focused on the recruitment and servicing of national business partners. To be led by a yet-to-be-named vice president, this team of veteran sales executives will be charged with growing AcceptanceNow’s national footprint while delivering industry-leading service.

Prospective business partners with smaller store counts will be served by a team of regional sales managers. Dispersed throughout the U.S., this team will also be tasked with management of AcceptanceNow’s approximately 500 “direct,” or unmanned kiosks.

Providing operational support for the burgeoning business-to-business initiative is a new operational support team. Focusing largely on industry analytics and marketing, this team is also responsible for optimizing customer relationship management resources.

“This initiative underscores our commitment to growing our business,” said Denman. “And I can’t think of a more qualified person to steward its rollout.”

About AcceptanceNow: AcceptanceNow, a division of Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ/NGS:RCII), a rent-to-own industry leader, operates over 1700 rent-to-own kiosks in third-party retail stores across the country. To learn more, see www.acceptancenow.com.