Brenda Lawson

In 1980 Brenda Lawson of Cleveland, Tennessee, was part of a team that developed and operated Rental World, a rent-to-own company. In 1987 she and her husband Steve (Toby) McKenzie started their own rent-to-own store chain, which grew to 46 stores. They sold the chain for $13 million seven years later and started another chain of rent-to-own stores, which they sold for $25 million. They then became pioneers in the check-cashing (deferred presentment) business, developing 870 stores around the country.

Lawson’s work with the Tennessee legislature as a registered lobbyist is credited with assisting in passage of the favorable Tennessee laws regulating check-cashing facilities that exempt them from the state’s usury regulations. Lawson is past president of McMahan, McKenzie & Winstead Government Relations, in Nashville. (In 2000 she registered as a lobbyist for 22 entities, including check-cashing interests, health-care interests, and the UTC Foundation.)

The McKenzies sold their check-cashing business for $450 million. She then served as the CEO of Brenda Lawson & Associates, M&B Jewelry Company, Railcar Innovations, Railcar Associates and Railcar Custom Leasing.

She and Toby McKenzie, who was then her husband, made a major gift to the Step Up campaign of the Athletics Department, and the new Athletics Center was named the McKenzie Lawson Athletics Center. When McKenzie defaulted on his portion of the pledge, the building was renamed the Brenda Lawson Athletics Center. She has served on the UT Development Council, and the UTC Foundation Board.

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Title Brenda Lawson
  • Author
  • Keywords Brenda Lawson
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
  • URL
  • Access Date July 23, 2025
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update October 9, 2018