Copart History

Founded in 1982 by Willis J. Johnson, Copart is a true American success story. Johnson grew up learning about business from his father – an entrepreneur who dabbled in everything from dairy farming to running restaurants and building houses. Johnson took that entrepreneurial spirit, along with a strong work ethic and a passion for change, and started Copart with just one salvage yard in California.

In 1994, he took Copart public (NASDAQ: "CPRT"), raising the money needed to expand the company across the United States over the next year. The Copart.com website launched in 1996, and in 2003, Copart became the first online auto auction with a completely online model. By 2013, Copart launched the online auto auction industry’s first iPad app. With a strong focus on evolving and enhancing its auction technology, Copart has transformed from a salvage vehicle auction company into a technology company offering a global remarketing platform that links Buyers and Sellers around the world.

By 2016, Copart established an international presence in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Spain and Germany. The global growth continued in 2018 with expansion into Finland and significant growth in Germany.

As the needs of the industry and Copart Members have evolved, the family of Copart brands continues to grow. National Powersport Auctions (NPA) was acquired in 2017 as one of the top providers of auction and remarketing services for powersports.

Throughout Copart’s history, the company has grown from a single salvage yard with humble beginnings into a global leader in online vehicle auctions, positively impacting hundreds of communities around the world. To this day, Willis Johnson’s passion for the auto auction industry remains a driving force behind Copart’s culture.