Executive Management

Steve Michaels was named Chief Executive Officer of Progressive Leasing on July 31, 2020.

Steve served as Chief Financial Officer and President of Strategic Operations of Aaron’s, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), a leading omnichannel provider of lease-purchase solutions, from February 2016 through July 2020, with oversight for several key business functions including strategy, analytics, business development and manufacturing, in addition to his responsibilities as CFO.

Steve joined Aaron’s in 1995 and served in multiple strategic roles throughout his career. Prior to being named CFO, he served as President from April 2014 until February 2016. In that role, he successfully developed and implemented strategies to strengthen the Company’s core business and was responsible for launching the Aaron’s ecommerce business. Steve also served as Vice President Strategic Planning & Business Development from 2013 until April 2014, and was instrumental in the planning, execution and integration of the Progressive Leasing acquisition in 2014.

Steve holds a BS degree in Finance from the University of Florida and received his MBA from Georgia State University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Steve currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and the Governing Board of the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Blake joined Progressive in 2013 as the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Following the Progressive acquisition by Aaron’s Inc. Blake assumed the role of President and Chief Revenue Officer in January of 2015. Prior to Progressive, Blake served as the Sr. Director of Sales and Marketing in the Americas and EMEA for Seagate Technology. Blake holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and International Business from Brigham Young University, and a Masters in Business Administration from Portland State University.

Blake has a tenacious appetite for responsible business development. He possesses the unique ability to carefully analyze and prepare the business strategy, then generate genuine excitement from the sales team to execute.

Marvin joined Progressive in 2012, Marvin has built an adept Legal and Compliance teams that mirror his aptitude for understated excellence and outstanding code of conduct, and in 2020, his role as General Counsel grew to include Government Relations. Prior to Progressive, Marvin operated a private law practice specializing in consumer finance, commercial real estate and bankruptcy. Marvin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Virginia, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia.

Brian Garner joined Progressive Leasing in 2012 as an Accounting Controller. He was added to the executive leadership team in 2014, and eventually earned the title of Chief Financial Officer in 2020. Brian is responsible for all of our corporate finance functions, such as internal and external financial reporting, financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting. Prior to joining Progressive Leasing, Brian was employed by Ernst & Young as a member of the firm’s Assurance and Advisory practice. During his tenure, Brian provided technical guidance to public and private corporations in Silicon Valley, including advising on SEC filings, initial public offerings and M&A transactions. Brian also has a Master of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from Brigham Young University.

Ryan Ray has been a trusted leader within Progressive since he joined the Company in 2013. During his tenure, he has served as Chief Operations Officer at Progressive until 2016.  Afterward, Ryan Ray assumed the role of President of Vive Financial (A Progressive Leasing company).  In 2020, Progressive was able to welcome Ryan back into the organization as The Company’s Chief Administrative Officer, handling Compliance, Risk Management, Project Management Office (PMO), and Corporate Communications while still serving as President of Vive Financial.  Ryan received his Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the University of Utah, and went on the obtain his MBA from Northwestern University.

Curt co-founded The Company in 1999, and now serves on the Progressive Leasing Board of Directors and as our Chief Innovation Officer. His technical and analytical prowess are the foundation on which the Progressive Product has been crafted, and that prowess continues to drive Progressive today. Prior to Progressive, Curt also founded International Document Services in 1993. Curt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Utah.

Ben came to us in 2018 as our Chief Technology Officer. Ben’s strong leadership and industry insights prompted Ben to also absorb our world-class Product Team in 2020. Ben is responsible for all things Tech-related at Progressive including Engineering, Product and Information Security. Ben served as a senior technology leader at Vantiv, then as CIO at First Data Corporation, and then found his home with Progressive Leasing. Ben earned his Masters of Business Administration from Ohio State University.