Motorlease Corporation’s former President and CEO, Daniel Leary, was inducted into the 2013 Fleet Hall of Fame on Thursday, September 12 at the Automotive Fleet Leasing Association’s (AFLA) 45th annual meeting and conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. The award, sponsored by the AFLA and Automotive Fleet magazine, recognizes innovators who have made significant contributions to the commercial fleet industry. Hall of Fame inductees must have careers of 10 or more years, and are selected by their peers by online ballot. The Fleet Hall of Fame was established in 2008.
Jack Leary, current CEO of Motorlease, accepted the award at the event, commenting, “I am proud to accept this award on behalf of my father, whose life’s work in this industry brought him great success as well as great satisfaction. He would have been humbled by this recognition, and would have wanted to share it with his clients − many of whom became his friends along the way.”
Dan’s career at Motorlease spanned more than three decades. He joined the Company in 1960, working in sales and general management. Together with his partner, Charles O’Neill, he helped pioneer the concept of outsourced fleet management − handling the fleet process from procurement through insurance, maintenance, and reselling, and was instrumental in developing new remarketing strategies for Motorlease, many of which are still in place today.
He took over ownership and became President in 1976, and later brought both Jack and his daughter, Beth Kandrysawtz into the family business. He led the Company until his retirement in 1993 − when Jack took over as CEO and Beth as CFO. Daniel Leary then served on the Motorlease’s Board of Directors until his eath in 2011. During his tenure, Motorlease expanded its focus from individual lessees and small fleets to its current niche in the small- to mid-sized fleet. Under his leadership, Motorlease tripled in size, from about 10 employees serving a fleet of 600 vehicles to 30 employees with a fleet of 3,000.
He was an active member of the American Automobile Leasing Association (AALA) throughout his career, and served on its board of directors from 1981 to 1993. Dan Leary began his career with IBM in 1948 before joining the U.S. Navy, and later worked for Cities Service (now Citgo).
He received a BA in Economics from Georgetown University, Washington D.C., and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, and was a veteran of the Korean War.
