Junk to Gold ― From Salvage to the World's Largest Online Auto Auction

Willis built Copart from one junk yard to a $4.5 billion high-tech driven auction company. This did not come from a series of successful 5-year plans. Willis never had a long-term plan. His focus was to survive. To get up each morning and do the best he could. He brings to that task certain natural abilities—the ability to constantly observe; to think about what he observes; to prioritize; to delegate; to rethink, reexamine almost everything constantly. And he is comfortable making decisions

I’m a former journalist and newspaper editor who joined Copart in 2005 as the company’s first communications manager. I worked at Copart for five years with Willis, Jay and Vinnie and am proud to be part of some of the events mentioned in this book, including the World Tour, the launch of Copart Direct and Copart Dealer Services, and the launch of Copart in the UK. I also wrote an award-winning annual report in 2006 dedicated to Copart employees for their valiant efforts in cleaning up tens of thousands of cars in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It was one of countless of examples of how the employees at Copart go above and beyond for the company they love.I left Copart when the company moved its headquarters to Dallas, but Copart will always be in my blood. Just like Willis feels God had a hand in Copart’s success, I also feel that some higher power guided me to Copart. For that I am eternally grateful.When Willis called me and asked me to write his story, it was the biggest honor of my life. But I was also terrified. I had never written a book before. Willis told me “Well, I never took a company public before either when I took Copart public, and that turned out OK. I figure we’ll just learn how to do it together.” Willis believed in me, just like he’s believed in people before me who were able to achieve more than they thought they could because of him. My single greatest worry during this whole project was that I would le