LEADERSHIP
Our greatest strength is our people. We’re a place where passion and personal drive can open countless doors. Meet some of the men and women who lead and inspire us every day.
Leadership Philosophy
Our leadership philosophy is built upon our CEO and founder’s belief that, “Successful people surround themselves with successful people.” It’s a mindset we have adopted as a Company and continue to follow and build upon. We believe in hiring intelligent, ambitious, and passionate people who bring with them a sense of integrity and enthusiasm in everything they do.
Meet Our Leaders

Tracy Young is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the TMX Finance Family of Companies. Founded in 1998, Tracy opened his first stores in Savannah and Columbus, Georgia with the mission of helping people with short-term financial setbacks by offering a reliable source of credit and excellent customer service.
An innovative leader and entrepreneur, Tracy has overseen the growth of the Company becoming an industry leader with over 2,750 employees and 1000+ stores in 15 states. Throughout the Company’s history, Tracy’s original mission of helping people remains the driving force behind the culture and day-to-day operations of the organization.
Tracy has more than three decades of experience in the financial services industry and continues to drive the Company’s overall mission. He is a passionate and energetic leader who constantly challenges the team to develop and design better products and processes to enhance the customer experience.

Ted Helgesen is the President and Chief Operating Officer for the TMX Finance Family of Companies and is a member of the executive leadership team. He joined the Company in 2012, excelling to his current role where he leads the Company’s customer-facing business operations and is responsible for delivering results that contribute to the maximum profitability of our operations while catapulting the business into the next stage of customer growth and market opportunity. Prior to this role, Ted most recently served as the Chief Business Officer, where he led the Company’s implementation of operational and financial strategies and oversaw the activities associated with store execution. He also held the positions of Executive Vice President of Operations, Senior Vice President of Operations- East, Senior Vice President- West, and several prior leadership roles in store operations, including Division Vice President, Regional Director, and Director of Corporate Operations.
Ted brings over 25 years of multi-unit managerial and executive experience to our Company, having served as the CEO of Phoenix Ink and the Director of Operations for OfficeMax’s Print and Document Centers. He also served eight years in the U.S. Army as an Airborne Military Intelligence Linguist.

Julie Torkelson is the Chief Financial Officer of the TMX Finance Family of Companies and a member of the executive leadership team. She joined the Company in 2014 as Assistant Controller, was named VP- Corporate Controller in 2015, and was appointed Chief Accounting Officer in 2017. Under Julie’s leadership, the Accounting team improved several processes including the close process, internal controls, and the quarterly and annual audit process. Her career path from Assistant Controller to CFO proves her strength as a leader and that her financial expertise is truly unparalleled.
As CFO, Julie serves as the key member of the corporate financial leadership team making her an invaluable leader within the organization and with investors. She leads the direction of the Finance, Accounting, Treasury, Credit Risk, and Vendor Management teams as they strive to ensure their business partners have the financial data needed to make the best decisions in operating this Company. Julie and her team deliver high-quality analysis and reporting that helps guide our key stakeholders in solidifying our position as the industry leader. She also leads the Warehouse team in continuing their primary function of efficiently processing, preparing, and shipping materials to store sites.
Julie brings over 18 years of extensive corporate and retail accounting management experience to the Company, having served in various leadership positions with Pier 1 Imports, Crescent Real Estate Equities, and the Bombay Company.

Lindsey Reed Smith is the Chief People Officer of the TMX Finance Family of Companies, a member of the executive leadership team, and is thought of as the heartbeat of the Company.
She began with TMX in 2008 as a Field Recruiter and has progressed in her career by single-handedly assembling our best-in-class Human Capital Department. She spearheaded the implementation of innovative video interviewing and referral technologies, streamlined hiring processes, and developed a strategic recruitment operations team that powers global talent initiatives.
With over 15 years of Talent, Recruiting, and Human Resources experience, she has worked tirelessly to develop and expand her teams’ area of expertise, taking responsibility for the group’s remarkable evolution from external recruitment activities into a multi-functional group that embraces an integrated talent management approach.
In her most recent role as Senior Vice President, Lindsey worked to develop and drive the current “Talent Obsessed” strategy that delivers top talent to our organization and established TMX as a premier, national employer. Additionally, she led her team to implement an internal succession planning strategy and creation of the TeamUp Mentoring program, both of which have given us a strong foothold into further evolving our people- and our development-focused culture.

Craig Cotten is the Chief Information Officer of the TMX Finance Family of Companies and is a member of the executive leadership team. He joined the Company in 2017 as Vice President of Technology and was named Chief Technology Officer in 2018 where he served for three years until becoming the Chief Information Officer in 2021. Craig leads the teams responsible for designing and delivering innovative digital solutions for all three consumer brands, staff support groups, information security, technology infrastructure, and all corporate business services.
Throughout his career with the Company, Craig has aligned digital strategies and leveraged technology solutions to drive value. Under his leadership, technology team members are executing an IT strategy to deliver stable, secure, and scalable services that provides customers with access through in-store, online, and mobile channels. Craig led the execution of several digital transformation initiatives centered around improving the overall customer experience. He and his team partner with departments across the Company to design and customize digital systems and platforms to ensure optimal performance.
Craig has over 20 years of extensive experience in architecture and information security in challenging, multi-site enterprise environments. Before joining the TMX Finance Family of Companies, Craig held several IT leadership positions with Caliber Collision Centers, JCPenney, and ACE Cash Express.

Victoria Newman is the Chief Legal Officer of the TMX Finance Family of Companies and is a member of the executive leadership team. She joined the Company in 2013 as Litigation Counsel and has held several titles over the past eight years including Sr. Compliance and Corporate Counsel, General Counsel, SVP and General Counsel before being named Chief Legal Officer in 2022. Victoria leads the Legal Team, the Legal Operations Team, and the Bankruptcy Team while providing substantiative analysis and counsel to the board of directors, chief executive officer, and other executive leaders regarding litigation and legal matters.
Over the past eight years, Victoria has partnered with all corporate departments and field leadership to help drive strategic growth by effectively leading and communicating our Company’s legal strategy regarding new and pre-existing laws that affect the Company’s business operations. She and her teams are the strategic force on all high-level litigation, legal, and bankruptcy matters for our Company.
Victoria received her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law and has 15 years of experience navigating the complexity surrounding legal and regulatory matters for businesses while mitigating risk and protecting the brand and reputation of companies.

Shoshana Thoma-Isgur is the Chief Compliance Officer of the TMX Finance Family of Companies and is a member of the executive leadership team. She joined the Company in November of 2021 and leads the Compliance Team in diligently promoting the Company’s observance of all applicable federal, state, and local regulatory laws offering the vital protection necessary for executing our strategic growth plans. She and her team work with business partners across the organization to ensure the effective implementation of the Company’s policies and procedures and adherence to applicable rules and regulations.
As compliance and enterprise risk management continue to gain momentum and importance in our industry, Shoshana’s focus is on building an even more vigorous compliance program and roadmap for proactive initiatives that will help the Company be prepared as new compliance rules and standards are implemented.
Shoshana brings over 20 years of legal and regulatory experience in the financial services industry, as a law firm partner, in-house counsel, and as an Enforcement Attorney at the US Securities and Exchange Commission. She has both consumer lending industry experience and a deep understanding of business regulatory law.