David Steward Wins 2012 Black Engineer of the Year Award
In this press release
WWT Co-Founder and Chairman Recognized for Career Achievement, Commitment to Diversity and Philanthropic Contributions
ST. LOUIS –– February 14, 2012 ––World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) a market-leading systems integrator that provides innovative technology and supply chain solutions, announced today that the company's Co-Founder and Chairman, David L. Steward, has been honored with the prestigious 2012 Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA). BEYA recognizes the achievements of diverse leaders and rewards excellence in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Chosen for his professional career achievements, commitment to diversity and extensive philanthropic contributions, Steward was selected from a field of hundreds of government and business applicants for the coveted honor. He will receive the award during a special event at the 26th BEYA STEM Conference, which will take place February 16-18 in Philadelphia, Pa.
"Dave Steward personifies the highest standards of American character, ingenuity, innovation and care for his fellow man," said Norma Clavton, vice president of learning, training and development at The Boeing Company, who nominated Steward for the 2012 BEYA Award. "His focus has not been on a single engineering discipline or industry, but rather on enabling his employees and an entire community to rise with the tide he has personally created through his leadership and technological expertise. An accomplished author as well as a businessman, Dave has leveraged his achievements to reach out to inspire others to achieve success."
Steward co-founded WWT in 1990. Since its inception, WWT has grown from a small start-up business to one of the largest minority-owned companies in the United States. Specializing in cloud capabilities, data center and virtualization, security, mobility and networking technologies, along with voice, video and collaboration solutions, WWT provides advanced technology solutions and end-to-end supply chain services to a global customer base in the commercial, government and telecom markets. Today, Steward plays a key role in WWT's pursuit of major contract bids within its industry-specific operating companies. He has built a team of experts in the data center arena, where he has partnered with powerful industry leaders including Cisco, HP, NetApp, EMC, Citrix and VMware among many others.
Steward has also been an outstanding civic leader in the St. Louis, Missouri area. His lifelong commitment to community service has included serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Greater St. Louis from 2006 to 2008 and he currently serves on committees and boards for a wide array of organizations, including the Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis, the University of Missouri School System, Civic Progress of St. Louis, the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, Webster University, St. Louis Science Center, the United Way of Greater St. Louis Executive Committee, and the Harris-Stowe State University African American Business Leadership Council. Recently Steward made a $1 million donation to the National Museum of the United States Army. His gift will sponsor the Museum's "Reflecting and Changing the Face of America Exhibit," part of the Army and Societygallery, telling the story of the Army's integration.
"I'm incredibly honored to have been selected for this prestigious award," said Steward. "To win the top BEYA award is not only a personal achievement, but a tremendous tribute to WWT's longstanding commitment to the core principles of innovation, diversity and community championed by BEYA since its inception."
Steward's personal commitment to community involvement and diversity has carried over to the corporate culture at WWT. As a Corporate Plus Member since 1998 and approaching $50 Million in MBE/WBE and Small Business spend, WWT takes its commitment to enhancing and embracing diversity seriously. The company, which was recently Ranked #50 on FORTUNE magazine's "Best Companies to Work For®" list, is also dedicated to supporting the community and non-profit organizations through volunteer efforts, scholarship awards, youth development programs, project support and other community-wide activities. WWT has robust recruiting efforts that include partnering with minority-owned firms and finding qualified candidates, utilizing the resources of professional minority-owned organizations and historically black colleges.
Aside from supporting Steward as he accepts his 2012 BEYA Award, WWTwill be participating in the BEYA STEM Global Competitiveness Conference. The company will have a booth at the career fair and security practice manager, Ladi Adefala, will lead an informative breakout session.
About World Wide Technology
World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) is a systems integrator that provides innovative technology and supply chain solutions to the commercial, government and telecom sectors. The company brings to market a powerful blend of knowledge, infrastructure and technology to help its customers manage the planning, procurement and deployment of IT products and solutions. Based in St. Louis, WWT works closely with industry leaders including Boeing (NYSE: BA); Dell (NASDAQ: DELL); Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO); EMC (NYSE: EMC); HP (NYSE: HPQ); AT&T Inc., (NYSE: ATT); VMware (NYSE: VMW); Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTXS); NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP); Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and the U.S. Air Force. WWT employs over 1,700 people and operates more than 2 million square-feet of warehousing, distribution and integration space in 20 facilities throughout the world. For more information on World Wide Technology, visit www.wwt.com.
Media Contact:
Edward LevensPropelMG for WWT
(919) 346-5531