Our History
Nearly 80 Years of Innovation
From 1940s car part catalogues to 21st century machine learning models, Mitchell has always been at the forefront of technological innovation that empowers our customers to deliver better outcomes.
Glenn Mitchell's Love of Lists Transformed the Automotive Industry as We Know It
The parts manager of a car dealership in post-World War II San Diego, Glenn Mitchell created extensive lists of automobile parts numbers, prices and descriptions to aid his parts counterman in looking up parts for body shops. As knowledge of these lists spread by word of mouth, Mitchell began receiving calls from other car dealers, body shop technicians and insurance adjusters requesting his detailed data and information. That’s when Mitchell had a breakthrough idea that has since employed thousands of people, while making life easier and more productive for countless customers and partners.
Ingenuity From the Beginning
Glenn Mitchell realized that his data and information not only enabled auto repair to be done properly, but was so dependable that it could be invaluable to the automotive industry as a whole.
Left – Glenn Mitchell's Garage on Euclid Ave., 1946; Right – Glenn Mitchell and his dog, 1940. Photos courtesy of Glenn Mitchell's family, Grace Virginia Earley (great-granddaughter), and Lynne Carole Glaser (granddaughter).
From its origins in Glenn Mitchell's garage in 1946, our company has grown from a mom-and-pop business into North America's largest provider of collision repair information. The vast majority of North American collision repair shops and most of the nation’s top insurance companies rely on our information daily.
While we delivered much of our information in book form during Glenn Mitchell's day, we have not only transitioned from analog to digital, but also developed and implemented proprietary, industry-first technology solutions including Mitchell Cloud Estimating and Mitchell Diagnostics.
More recently, we have added advanced technologies powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to our portfolio, with more innovations always on the horizon. As a leading provider of auto physical damage software solutions, we are passionate about continuing Mitchell's longstanding tradition of serving the industry—constantly improving claims workflows today while helping our customers and partners prepare for what comes next.
We've Grown to Meet the Collision Claims and Repair Industry's Evolving Needs
As a cornerstone of Enlyte, Mitchell leverages nearly eight decades of automotive expertise to deliver unmatched value to our customers and partners. Since pioneering the industry's first parts catalogues in 1946, we've evolved into a technology leader in auto physical damage. Today, we're transforming claims management and collision repair through proprietary data intelligence, advanced AI solutions and deep industry relationships. Our innovation drives efficiency and precision for insurers, repairers and OEMs while maintaining the exceptional service and collaborative approach that has defined Mitchell for generations.