AAN

The Aaron'S Company, Inc.

A lease-to-own retailer that lets customers take home furniture, appliances, and electronics through flexible payments instead of a traditional credit check. Founder Charlie Loudermilk started the business in 1955 in Atlanta with a small loan to buy folding chairs he rented out by the day. He picked the name "Aaron's" so the company would appear near the top of alphabetical phone-directory listings—a trick that stuck as the business grew from renting chairs to outfitting whole homes.