David L. Steward is an American businessman and billionaire. He is the chairman and founder of World Wide Technology, one of America’s largest African-American-owned businesses born on July 2, 1951.
David Steward’s Early Life
The son of Harold Lloyd Steward (1925-1999) and Dorothy Elizabeth Massingale (1928–present), a homemaker, Steward was born in Chicago, Illinois. The family relocated to Clinton, Missouri, in 1953. Steward experienced discrimination and poverty while growing up in Clinton.
Steward received his BS degree in business from Central Missouri State University in 1973.
David Steward’s Career
Steward worked as a production manager for Wagner Electric from 1974 to 1975, a sales representative for Missouri Pacific Railroad from 1975 to 1979, and a senior account executive for Federal Express from 1979 to 1984.
In 1981, he was named salesman of the year at Federal Express and was inducted into the company’s hall of fame. Before starting World Wide Technology, he was the owner of Transportation Business Specialists and Transport Administrative Services. In addition, he founded the international technology and supply chain management firm Telcobuy.
World Wide Technology
Systems integrator World Wide Technology was established by Steward in 1990. The implementation of enterprise-wide imaging, conversion services, and telecommunication networks were the main areas of focus for WWT in 1993.
Telcobuy.com was created in 1999 after World Wide Technology’s telecommunications division was spun off. Although revenues fell in 2002 as World Wide Technology felt the effects of the technology recession, sales for the two businesses continued to rise.
Steward established World Wide Technology Holding Company as the parent company for the two businesses after the combined reported revenues of the two companies reached $1 billion in 2003.
With a projected revenue of more than $11 billion for 2018, World Wide Technology would be among the biggest private businesses in St. Louis.
Steward was one of 13 black billionaires in the world in 2019, according to Forbes. On the 2019 Forbes 400 list of American billionaires, he came in at position 239
