Willis Johnson

About Willis Johnson

Willis Johnson is the founder of Dallas-based Copart, a leader in online auctions for used and totaled cars; he owns about 6% of the stock.

Johnson founded the company out of a single lot in Vallejo, California in 1982 after several years operating a dismantling yard near Sacramento.

He took the company public in 1994 and expanded across the country; Copart now has more than 200 locations in 11 countries.

Johnson stepped down as CEO in 2010 and handed over the reins to his son-in-law, Jay Adair, who first joined Copart in 1989 at age 19.

Before starting Copart, Johnson worked at a Safeway grocery store and at his father's scrapyard in California.