Robert (Bob) Ferraresso, retired vice president at Motorlease Corp., passed away Jan. 25, 2018. He was 78.

Ferraresso joined Motorlease Corp. in 1963 in the company’s maintenance department, and was promoted to maintenance manager, operations manager, and, ultimately, vice president before retiring in 2006 after 44 years with the company. He was instrumental in making the full maintenance offering successful with clients. As operations manager, he took on the automotive remarketing role.

“Bob took our role as a pioneer in fleet management to heart. He worked tirelessly to foster great relationships with others in the industry, and to ensure that Motorlease provided the highest level of service to our clients and their drivers,” said Motorlease CEO Beth Kandrysawtz. “Motorlease would not be the organization that we are today without the decades of dedication and service that Bob brought to us.”

Ferraresso was also instrumental in developing the Motorlease remarketing department. He led the company’s ef-forts as it began to aggressively remarket to its own lessees — with attractive financing, used-car warranties, and pricing close to wholesale, as well as working directly with auction facilities. Subsequently, Ferraresso helped Motorlease set up the company’s retail used-car lot for premier used cars as well. Later, the Internet afforded Motorlease, along with other leasing companies, entirely new opportunities for remarketing, and doing business in general, which Ferraresso was a key advocate.

“Bob was a special guy who really took me under his wing,” said Joe Pele-hach, vice president – director for Motorlease Corp. “To this day I am amazed at the recall that he had for people, their families, and their stories. He had been diagnosed with cancer just a month prior to his passing.”

In his retirement, Bob lived in Big Pine Key, Fla., during the winter months and lived in Narragansett, R.I., for the rest of the year.