David Steward Explained

David Steward
Birth Name:David Lloyd Steward
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education:Central Missouri State University
Spouse:Thelma
Children:2; including Kimberly
Known For:Chairman and founder of World Wide Technology
Boards:Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Centene Corporation
Webster University[1]
University of Missouri[2]

David Lloyd Steward (born 1951) is an American billionaire businessman. He is chairman and founder of World Wide Technology,[3] one of the largest African-American-owned businesses in America.[4]

He was ranked 344th on the Forbes list of worldwide billionaires in 2024 with an estimated net worth of US$11.4 billion.[5]

Early life

Steward was born in 1951 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Dorothy Elizabeth Massingale, a homemaker, and Harold Lloyd Steward, a mechanic.[6] In 1953, the family moved to Clinton, Missouri. As a child growing up in Clinton, Steward faced poverty and discrimination.[7]

"I vividly remember segregation—separate schools, sitting in the balcony at the movie theater, being barred from the public swimming pool," notes Steward, who was among a small group of African-American high-school students who integrated the public swimming pool in Clinton in 1967.[8]

Steward received his Bachelor of Science in business from Central Missouri State University in 1973.[2] [4]

Business career

After graduating from college, Steward worked at Wagner Electric as a production manager (1974–1975), a sales representative at Missouri Pacific Railroad Company (1975–1979), and a senior account executive at Federal Express (1979–1984), where he was recognized as salesman of the year and inducted into the company's hall of fame in 1981. He owned Transportation Business Specialists and Transport Administrative Services in the years leading up to founding World Wide Technology.[4] He is also a founder of Telcobuy, a global technology and supply chain management company.[9]

World Wide Technology

In 1990, Steward founded World Wide Technology, a systems integrator.[2] In 1993, WWT concentrated its focus on the implementation of enterprise wide imaging, conversion services, and telecommunication networks.[10]

In 1999 WWT spun off its telecommunications division to form Telcobuy.com. Sales for the two companies continued to grow, although revenues slipped in 2002 as WWT felt the impact of the technology recession. In 2003 combined reported revenues passed $1 billion, and Steward formed World Wide Technology Holding Company as the parent company for the two firms.[4]

WWT's 2018 revenue was estimated to be greater than $11 billion,[11] which would've ranked it as one of St. Louis's largest private companies.[12]

Civic and community involvement

Steward has been on committees and boards that include: Civic Progress of St. Louis; the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association; Missouri Technology Corporation, appointed by the Governor of Missouri; Webster University; BJC Health System; First Banks, Inc.; St. Louis Science Center; United Way of Greater St. Louis; The Greater St. Louis Area Council of Boy Scouts of America and Harris-Stowe State College African-American Business Leadership Council.[13] In 2011, Steward was appointed to the board of curators, University of Missouri by Governor Jay Nixon, although he resigned before his term was through.[14]

Steward is on the Washington University in St. Louis board of trustees. In 2019, he supported a measure in Missouri General Assembly that would affect Title IX investigations at universities.[15] The measure was initiated by a lobbyist, who worked for Steward at the time, whose son was expelled from Washington University following a Title IX violation.[16]

Steward was finance chair of the Trust In The Mission PAC, a super PAC supporting Senator Tim Scott's Republican 2024 Presidential Campaign.[17]

Publications

Recognition

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=156316&privcapId=4218943&previousCapId=370857&previousTitle=BOEING%20CO/THE Businessweek
  2. Web site: David L. Steward. University of Missouri. https://web.archive.org/web/20150926005143/https://www.umsystem.edu/curators/members/stewardd. September 26, 2015.
  3. News: David L Steward. Forbes. 25 March 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110613113739/http://people.forbes.com/profile/david-l-steward/17011. 13 June 2011. dead.
  4. Encyclopedia: David L Steward, 1951-. Encyclopedia of Business, 2nd ed. 25 March 2011.
  5. News: 2024 Billionaires Net Worth. . 16 September 2024.
  6. Web site: David L. Steward . 2024-10-07 . . en-US.
  7. Web site: Riseandgrind.com . 2011-07-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091220152739/http://www.riseandgrind.com/2009/12/03/david-l-steward/ . 2009-12-20 . dead .
  8. Steward, David L., and Robert L. Shook, Doing Business by the Good Book, New York: Hyperion, 2004
  9. Web site: Telcobuy.com | About. www.telcobuy.com.
  10. Web site: Mr. David L. Steward – AMA Distinguished Executive for 1996. https://web.archive.org/web/20110930191348/http://www.ucmo.edu/market/html/amaexec.html. September 30, 2011. Hormon College of Business Administration.
  11. Web site: Press Kit. December 22, 2016 . World Wide Technology. March 8, 2019.
  12. News: World Wide Technology Inc.'s sales pass $3 billion. 10 December 2010 . Rick . Desloge .
  13. Web site: David L. Steward. https://web.archive.org/web/20120327152824/http://www.nmsdcus.org/nmsdc/app/template/contentMgmt,ContentPage.vm/contentid/1913;jsessionid=2DE471959040F16976A161951ED6F11E. March 27, 2012. National Minority Supplier Development Council.
  14. Web site: David Steward resigns from University of Missouri Board of Curators. 2021-02-26. Columbia Daily Tribune. en.
  15. Web site: Suntrup . Jack . 2019-03-06 . Wash U 'strongly opposes' Title IX changes that one of its trustees supports . 2023-08-16 . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . en.
  16. Web site: Hancock . Jason . November 12, 2021 . GOP auditor hopeful scores endorsements from Missouri billionaire, legislative leader . 2023-08-16 . Missouri Independent . en-US.
  17. Web site: Schwartz . Brian . 2023-09-26 . Super PAC backing Tim Scott GOP presidential bid taps billionaire tech exec as finance chair . 2023-11-13 . CNBC . en.
  18. News: Young . Stephanie . The Steps to Success . 25 March 2011 . Black Enterprise . August 1, 2004 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120310170728/http://www.blackenterprise.com/?s=world+wide+technology . March 10, 2012 .
  19. Web site: Dave Steward. https://web.archive.org/web/20121110115326/http://www.answers.com/topic/david-steward. November 10, 2012. Answers.com. Kiser. Helene Barker.
  20. News: [{{GBurl|id=5tUDAAAAMBAJ|q=Steward|p=68}} 100+ Most Influential Black Americans]. 25 March 2011. Ebony magazine. May 2002. Johnson Publishing Company.
  21. Web site: Wwt.com . 2014-02-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222012429/http://www2.wwt.com/content/david-steward-wins-2012-black-engineer-year-award . 2014-02-22 . dead .
  22. Web site: David Steward named Horatio Alger Award recipient. Lisa. Brown. stltoday.com. November 19, 2013 .
  23. Web site: Meet your 2017 Silver Buffalo Award class. Bryan. Wendell. May 26, 2017. Bryan on Scouting.

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