Covercraft Industries mourns the loss of its founder and, in so many ways, its father, Robert Lichtmann.

Bob passed away on Feb. 20, just two days prior to his 92nd birthday, and left a legacy of which to be proud.

Graduating from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a degree in chemical engineering, Bob gained experience in textiles, plant management and sales.

A true pioneer in the automotive softgoods industry, Bob recognized an opportunity and started Covercraft in 1965 in a 1,500 sq ft shop with just one employee, manufacturing custom-patterned car covers for European sports cars. Beginning with just 30 patterns, Covercraft now boasts a catalog of over 85,000 custom car cover patterns.

Over the years, a wide variety of automotive specialty products were added to Covercraft’s lineup, including SeatSaver™, LeBra® and Colgan Custom® masks, the Canine Covers® pet travel line, DashMat®, floor mats, UVS100® sunscreens, powersports covers and ADCO RV products. Today, Covercraft is the World’s Largest Manufacturer of custom vehicle covers, employing over 700 team members spread across five states, proudly serving aftermarket customers as well as many of the most prestigious OEM’s. The humble shop has expanded to three manufacturing facilities encompassing nearly 300,000 sq ft.

All successes aside, Bob was first and foremost a family man - not only to his wife and three sons, but also to his employees. A kind, affable and warm “papa," he set a personal example of the value of hard work and the pride of a job well done. He was an honest and fair man to all, employee and customer alike. His door was always open and he invested a great deal in ensuring that wages, benefits and working conditions were the best possible. Employees found working at Covercraft such a positive experience that they recruited other members of their families to apply. Today, it is common for multiple generations of the same family to work alongside each other.

Bob’s passing was preceded by his wife of 62 years and best friend, Charlotte, and he is survived by sons Marty, Larry, and Jay and their families.

Interment will take place in Los Angeles on Feb. 24.