Profile: David Steward
David Steward founded and is the chairman of the St. Louis based IT company World Wide Technology. He is also one of five Black billionaires in the United States.
Background
David Steward was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1951 to parents Dorothy and Howard. He grew up in Clinton, Missouri, during the early days of desegregation. The discrimination he faced during those early years played a formative role in his determination as a business owner.
After graduating from Central Missouri State University in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in business, Steward took a job as a production manager at Wagner Electric. He went on to sales positions at the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company and Federal Express.
After experiencing success as a senior account executive at Federal Express, Steward decided to strike out on his own, and started his first business.
Before founding World Wide Technology in 1990, Steward owned and ran Transportation Business Specialists and Transport Administrative Services. It was with the founding of WWT that the stage was set for large-scale success.
David Steward’s Net Worth
David Steward’s net worth is currently worth $3.7 billion.
Having had experienced good outcomes with his first two companies, Steward began World Wide Technology with a single office and a few employees. The tech company was not an instant success.
Steward recalls the early years of struggling to keep the business afloat with encouragement from his family. His faith and an upbringing focused on giving back to the community helped him persevere and eventually saw WWT thrive.
World Wide Technology supplies technology solutions to over 3,000 companies. Catering to the wide array of needs of their commercial and government clients, WWT specializes in cloud capabilities, security, mobility and networking technologies, and outfitting companies with the digital systems necessary for doing business during COVID-19.
The success of World Wide Technology has led the company to expand from that original office to 20 facilities all over the world, more than 7,000 employees, and four million square feet of warehousing.
WWT annually generates more than $13 billion in revenue, making it the largest Black owned business in the United States.
Current Ventures
World Wide Technology has seen a surge in both business and media interest during the COVID-19 pandemic as businesses all over the world turn to technology to reinvent their infrastructure.
In addition to being the Chairman of World Wide Technology, David Steward is the author of two books. Doing Business by the Good Book was published in 2004, and Leadership by the Good Book, was published in 2020. Both examine how faith intercepts with business practices.
Steward is also an active philanthropist. One of his major projects was donating over a million dollars to the University of Missouri—St. Louis for the creation of a performance site named after his wife and himself.
Steward and World Wide Technology also sponsor NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace and are active in the racing world. Steward has served on boards and committees throughout the St. Louis area and is dedicated to the betterment of local communities.
David Steward is a business leader who did not start with the backing of a wealthy family or patrons. He built his fortune on the foundation of his early job successes and took a big chance when he invested everything in World Wide Technology.
As the founder and chairman of an atypical tech company, Steward credits his Christian faith for providing the guiding principles in both his personal and professional lives. He is active in his community, has received numerous awards, and donates regularly to charitable endeavors.
