Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> February 2, 2009
WILLIS JOHNSON, Chief Executive Officer of Copart, Inc., grew up learning about
business from his father, a dairy farmer and self-made entrepreneur who always
thought he had to work for himself. While other kids were playing sports, Mr.
Johnson would milk cows twice a day and learn about different kinds of
businesses from his dad, who dabbled in many ventures from building houses to
running restaurants and lumberyards. It is no wonder that Mr. Johnson himself
became an entrepreneur, founding Copart, Inc., in 1982 with just one salvage
auction. The hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he got from his father has
since helped him take the company public and grow it to more than 140 locations
in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Mr. Johnson's vision has
also turned Copart from a salvage auction company to a technology company by
revolutionizing the industry with VB2 an online technology that has replaced
live auctions with Internet sales. Mr. Johnson has a passion for his business
and for his employees. What drives him, he says, is helping to make his
employees and investors wealthy through Copart's success. And while he isn't
milking cows anymore, he's still up just as early usually arriving at work
between 5:30 and 6 AM. Although Copart is a multi-billion-dollar company that
continues to grow, Mr. Johnson is one CEO who is never content to rest on his
laurels. Profile
picture of the things you are doing at the present time.
Mr. Johnson: I have been in the business for over 40
