Enjoy Lunch with Jay Adair, CEO of Copart at Park City Club in Dallas.
Jay Adair presently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Copart, Inc., a company headquartered in Dallas that specializes in the online remarketing of vehicles to Members around the world. Copart sells more than 2 million vehicles globally per year online for the insurance industry, banks, finance companies, fleets, rental car companies, dealerships, and the public.
Jay began his successful career at Copart in 1989 at the age of 19, teaming up with company founder and Chairman of the Board Willis Johnson.
During his earliest time at Copart, Jay held the positions of Manager of Operations, Vice President of Sales and Operations, and Executive Vice President. He was appointed to Copart’s Board of Directors in 1992 and became President in 1996. In February 2010, Jay was appointed as Copart’s Chief Executive Officer. He has also served on the board of Keystone Automotive.
During Jay’s tenure, Copart has grown from a small, successful California-based company to a large publicly held, multinational corporation with 200 facilities located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman, Germany, Spain, India and the Republic of Ireland. Copart has earned numerous business accolades and in 2015, was named the Top Performer on Deloitte’s “The Exceptional 100” List.
Over the years, Jay has also developed a passion for technology. He was instrumental in designing and implementing Copart’s patented online auction technology, VB2 (Virtual Bidding Second Generation). Launched in 2003, VB2 transformed the industry from the traditional brick and mortar auctions to online virtual auctions, opening the market to buyers across the globe who no longer have to attend a physical sale to purchase a vehicle. Today, more than 750,000 Members in more than 170 countries purchase vehicles using Copart’s third-generation VB3 auction platform.
Apart from his leadership role at Copart, Jay enjoys spending time in California at his Suisun Valley vineyard with his wife, Tammi, and their children. Since 2004, Jay and Tammi have been producing a private estate Cabernet Sauvignon, which they take pleasure in sharing with friends and business associates. They are also extremely active in Dallas church, community, and charitable causes.