David Steward

Steward was born in Chicago and raised in Clinton, Missouri.⁠[1]

He grew up in the segregated South with seven siblings; his father worked as a mechanic, janitor and trash collector.⁠[2]

In 1973 he graduated from Central Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in business management.⁠[3]

After college Steward held sales roles at Missouri Pacific Railroad, Union PacificUnion PacificUnion Pacific Corporation is an Omaha-based U.S. railroad holding company whose Union Pacific Railroad runs freight trains in 23 western states. In 2025 it agreed to merge with Norfolk Southern.Open the full entry and FedEx. He was the first person of color hired to sell rail services at Missouri Pacific Railroad; as a senior account executive at FedEx he was named Salesman of the Year in 1981 and inducted into the company’s Sales Hall of Fame.⁠[2][1]

Before World Wide Technology he created two startups.⁠[3]

In 1990 Steward co-founded World Wide Technology; the company’s other co-founder, Jim Kavanaugh, serves as CEO, and the company is based in St. Louis.⁠[2][4]

In the company’s early days he sometimes went without a paycheck, and he once saw his car repossessed from the office parking lot.⁠[2]

WWT began as a small government contractor and graduated from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Business Development Program in the early 1990s.⁠[1]

Steward published Doing Business by The Good Book in 2004 and Leadership by the Good Book in 2020; both pair Biblical teachings with business and leadership practices.⁠[1]

In 2018 he gave $1.3 million to the University of Missouri–St. Louis to create the David and Thelma Steward Institute for Jazz Studies.⁠[2]

On March 13, 2025, World Wide Technology announced that it had completed the approximately $1.3 billion acquisition of Softchoice, a software and cloud-focused IT solutions provider; together WWT and Softchoice had more than 12,000 employees.⁠[5]

As of 2026 Steward was the majority owner of World Wide Technology, whose customers include Citi, VerizonVerizonVerizon (Verizon Communications Inc.) is one of the largest telecommunications carriers in the United States, formed in 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic, one of the “Baby Bells,” and GTE. Headquartered in New York City, it operates a nationwide wireless network, Fios fiber broadband and communications services for businesses and government, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.Open the full entry and the U.S. federal government; the company had more than 14,000 employees.⁠[2][4]

As of November 3, 2026, ForbesForbesForbes is an American business media brand that began with Forbes magazine, founded by B.C. Forbes in 1917. It is known for rankings such as the Forbes 400, the World’s Billionaires list and 30 Under 30, and operates Forbes.com, ForbesLive events and licensed editions in 81 countries. Since 2014 a majority stake has been held by the Hong Kong investment group Integrated Whale Media; a 2021 plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange through a special purpose acquisition company was terminated in 2022. It is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.Open the full entry’ real-time billionaires list estimated his net worth at $12.3 billion.⁠[2]

Steward founded and chairs the private investment firm Kingdom Capital.⁠[3]

He is a member of the Horatio Alger Association, a council vice president of the Greater St. Louis Area Council and a national executive board member of the Boy Scouts of America, chairman emeritus of Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis, and a member of the executive committee of Greater St. Louis, Inc.; he serves on boards including Washington University and United Way of Greater St. Louis, and holds an honorary Doctor of Laws from Washington University.⁠[3][1]

He has supported Concordance, a nonprofit working to reduce reincarceration, and sponsored NASCAR driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr.⁠[1]

World Wide Technology: Official website: https://www.wwt.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[4]