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Jay Adair (born 1969/1970) is an American
billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...
businessman, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and current Executive Chairman of Copart, a publicly traded company specializing in vehicle salvage and online auctions. He is known for his role in advancing Copart's business model, particularly its transition to online auctions.


Personal life

Adair grew up in Orangevale in California. He is married to Tammi Adair, daughter of Copart founder Willis Johnson. Together, they have two children. In 1993, the family relocated to
Suisun Valley The Suisun Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Solano County, California, located just east of the Napa Valley wine region in the Coast Range. It was established as a wine appellation on 27 December 1982. Geography Suisun Valley i ...
in Fairfield, California where they planted a vineyard and began producing wine. Their first wine was bottled in 2004 under the Tammi's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon label.


Career


Copart

Adair began his career at Copart in 1989 as a manager at the age of 19. By 1990, he was promoted to Manager of Operations and Vice President of Sales and Operations. In 1992, he was appointed to the company's Board of Directors. In 1998, Adair oversaw Copart's development of an online auction platform. The move allowed the company to evolve from a salvage vehicle auction business into a technology platform connecting buyers and sellers around the world. In 2003, Adair introduced Copart's patented Virtual Bidding Second Generation (VB2) technology, transitioning its auctions from physical locations to an entirely online format, becoming one of the first auto auction company to adopt a fully online model. In 2013, the VB2 platform was replaced with VB3, which is currently used by over 750,000 members across more than 170 countries. Adair succeeded Willis Johnson as CEO in February 2010. During his tenure, Copart expanded into international markets, including Brazil, Europe and the Middle East. In 2012, Adair initiated the relocation of the company's headquarters from Vallejo, California to Dallas, Texas. The company also expanded its operations in Texas with acquisitions in Wilmer and Temple, bringing its total number of car auction sites in the state to 14. By 2020, Copart's net income had grown to $726 million, a 400% increase since Adair became CEO, and the company's shares rose by approximately 1,100% over a decade. By 2021, Copart operated at 243 locations across 11 countries. By 2019, Adair owned shares in the company worth more than $800 million. In 2020, he was ranked as the highest-paid leader among public company executives in North Texas by ''
The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...
''. In February 2022, Adair served as Co-CEO alongside Jeff Liaw before stepping down in March 2024 to allow Liaw to become sole CEO. He was subsequently appointed Executive Chairman in April 2024.


Adair Family Wines

Adair and his wife own Adair Winery in Suisun Valley, where they have long produced Tammi's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2021, they expanded their operations with the acquisition of a neighboring property to turn Adair Winery into an estate winery open to the public. In October 2024, Adair purchased five wineries from Vintage Wine Estates for $85 million during bankruptcy proceedings. Tere made through Adair Family Wines, a newly established entity, included Clos Pegase, Girard Wineries, B.R. Cohn, Kunde, and Viansa, along with 120 acres of vineyards and five tasting rooms. Clos Pegase is known for its distinctive architecture and an art collection located nearby. B.R. Cohn, founded by Bruce Cohn, gained recognition for hosting outdoor rock concerts. Girard Winery, situated across from Clos Pegase, shares water rights with its neighbor, a factor influencing Adair's decision to acquire both properties. Kunde, established by Arthur and Fred Kunde in 1990, produces estate-grown wines on land where the Kunde family has cultivated grapes for over a century. Viansa is recognized for conducting outdoor wine tastings in open-air cabanas with views of California's wine country. Adair retained the existing staff of 120 employees, began hiring additional personnel, and launched significant restoration efforts.


Political contributions

Together with his wife, Adair contributed $200,000 to
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's 2020 presidential campaign.


References


External links

Adair Family Wines website
Living people 20th-century births Year of birth uncertain American retail chief executives American people in the wine industry American billionaires {{US-CEO-stub