World Wide Technology
{{short description|American technology company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = World Wide Technology
| logo = World_Wide_Technology_(New_Logo).jpg
| type = Technology
| industry =
| successor =
| founded = 1990
| founder = David Steward
| defunct =
| hq_location_city = Maryland Heights, Missouri
| hq_location_country = United States of America
| key_people = David Steward (Chairman)
Jim Kavanaugh (CEO)
| owner =
| num_employees = 9,000
| num_employees_year = 2023
| revenue = $17.0 billion
| parent =
| website = https://www.wwt.com
}}
World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) is a privately-held American technology services company based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company has an annual revenue of $20 billion (the 19th largest private company in the US{{Cite web |title=America's Top Private Companies |url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-private-companies/ |url-status=live |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=Forbes}} and the biggest black-owned company in the US{{Cite news|last=Haqqi|first=Ty|date=2021-01-19|title=10 Biggest Black-Owned Companies in the US|work=Insider Monkey|url=https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/10-biggest-black-owned-companies-in-the-us-914962/?singlepage=1}}{{Cite web|date=2018|title=Top 100|url=https://www.blackenterprise.com/be100s/top100/|access-date=2022-01-18|website=Black Enterprise|quote=2018 (latest data - details in https://www.blackenterprise.com/be100s/world-wide-technology/)}}) and employs over 10,000 people. WWT works in the areas of cloud computing, computer security, data centers, data analytics and artificial intelligence, computer networks, application software development, cell phone carrier networking, and consulting services.
History
World Wide Technology was founded by David Steward in July 1990 as a reseller of technology equipment.{{cite news |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2019/08/08/jim-kavanaugh-david-steward-world-wide-technology/#29f980fe54b4 |title= The Billionaires Behind The Secret Tech Mecca In America's Heartland |work= Forbes |date= August 8, 2019 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= In 1990, World Wide Technology became a humble reseller of printers, computers and telephonic equipment…Steward hired Kavanaugh very early on in the company's run, eventually recognizing that their two halves made an exceptional whole and giving Kavanaugh an ownership stake.}}
In 1994, WWT entered into a partnership with Cisco Systems to resell hardware and software.{{cite news |url= https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mountain-debt-forbes-top-30-how-world-wide-technology-took-hardware-industry-1642044 |title= From a mountain of debt to Forbes top 30: How World Wide Technology took on the hardware industry |work= International Business Times |date= November 3, 2017 |accessdate= October 16, 2020 |quote= Within three years of its inception, the company had racked up hefty debts, before a partnership with technology giant Cisco System in 1994 gave WWT its first major breakthrough.}} WWT also established partnerships with technology companies including Dell,{{cite news |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2019/08/08/jim-kavanaugh-david-steward-world-wide-technology/#29f980fe54b4 |title= The Billionaires Behind The Secret Tech Mecca In America's Heartland |work= Forbes |date= August 8, 2019 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= Here his company, World Wide Technology, has assembled thousands of hardware and software offerings from Microsoft, Cisco, Dell and more than 100 other tech firms in one place.}} Hewlett Packard Enterprise,{{cite news |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorinsights/2020/04/02/hewlett-packard-enterprise-aims-to-deliver-5g-simplification/#594a7a6c1f7a |title= Hewlett Packard Enterprise Aims To Deliver 5G Simplification |work= Forbes |date= April 2, 2020 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= ODIM is a partner led effort by HPE and Intel, but also includes a number of ecosystem partners such as Red Hat, Tech Mahindra and IT equipment and services provider World Wide Technology.}} Intel,{{cite news |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorinsights/2020/04/13/intel-quietly-becoming-a-player-on-the-edge/#2bbcce444dba |title= Intel Quietly Becoming A Player On The 'Edge' |work= Forbes |date= April 13, 2020 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= The company says it is doubling its edge deployments year over year. For the network edge, partners include Lenovo, Red Hat, Advantech, Caswell, Inventec, Lanner, Nexcom, World Wide Technology, Ericsson, ZTE, Verizon, Vodafone, Nokia, China Telecom and many more.}} Microsoft,{{cite news |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2019/08/08/jim-kavanaugh-david-steward-world-wide-technology/#29f980fe54b4 |title= The Billionaires Behind The Secret Tech Mecca In America's Heartland |work= Forbes |date= August 8, 2019 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= Here his company, World Wide Technology, has assembled thousands of hardware and software offerings from Microsoft, Cisco, Dell and more than 100 other tech firms in one place.}} NetApp,{{cite news |url= https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/world-wide-technology-takes-industry-challenges-for-service-providers-and-enterprises |title= World Wide Technology takes on industry challenges for service providers and enterprises |publisher= Fierce Telecom |date= January 16, 2019 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= [WWT] counts Cisco, VMware, NetApp, Dell EMC, F5 Networks, and HPE among its vendor customers.}} F5,{{cite news |url= https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/world-wide-technology-takes-industry-challenges-for-service-providers-and-enterprises |title= World Wide Technology takes on industry challenges for service providers and enterprises |publisher= Fierce Telecom |date= January 16, 2019 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= [WWT] counts Cisco, VMware, NetApp, Dell EMC, F5 Networks, and HPE among its vendor customers.}} Tanium{{cite news |url= https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-29/dod-is-auditing-the-process-that-won-tanium-government-contracts |title= DoD Is Auditing the Process that Won Tanium Government Contracts |publisher= Bloomberg News |date= May 28, 2018 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= Tanium, along with partner World Wide Technology, won a $750 million contract to increase security of Army networks late last year. It was the largest contract of its kind to originate from the DIUx office, which was created in 2015 to reach newer technology companies that aren't traditional Pentagon contractors.}} and VMware.{{cite news |url= https://www.crn.com/slide-shows/data-center/wwt-ceo-jim-kavanaugh-s-10-boldest-it-bets-and-myths-for-2020/1 |title= WWT CEO Jim Kavanaugh's 10 Boldest IT Bets And Myths For 2020 |publisher= CRN |date= January 17, 2020 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= Kavanaugh plans to invest millions in net new hires to attack fast growing market segments while also doubling down on the innovation strategies from the likes of Cisco and VMware.}} to resell hardware and software.
WWT opened its first warehouse in 1996 and operates more than 20 facilities with two million square feet of warehousing, distribution and integration space.{{cite news |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2020/02/04/a-world-wide-technology-lease-at-ametro-east.html |title= Metro East industrial building, with World Wide Technology as a tenant, attracts a buyer |publisher= St Louis Business Journal |date= February 4, 2020 |accessdate= October 17, 2020 |quote= WWT also has 2 million square feet of industrial space at a new $115 million campus at nearby Gateway Commerce Center, also in Edwardsville.}}{{cite news |url= https://www.sanjan.com.np/2022/11/world-wide-technology-wwt.html |title= World Wide Technology WWT: America's Largest Private Company owned by Black |publisher= Lumbini Media |date= November 5, 2022 |accessdate= November 5, 2022}}{{cite news |url= https://www.blackenterprise.com/5-black-owned-companies-youve-never-heard-of-that-make-500-million-or-more-a-year/ |title= 5 BLACK-OWNED COMPANIES YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF THAT MAKE $500 MILLION OR MORE A YEAR |publisher= Black Enterprise |date= July 18, 2020 |accessdate= October 17, 2020 |quote= Even more, they have approximately 4 million square feet of warehousing, distribution and integration space in more than 20 facilities throughout the world. And yes, they are Black-owned!}}
In 1999, Telcobuy.com, LLC, was founded as separate company, owned by WWT, Steward and Kavanaugh.{{Cite web |title= Form S-1/A: General form for registration of securities |url= https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1109361/000095012400002828/0000950124-00-002828.txt |publisher= US Securities and Exchange Commission |date= May 8, 2000 |access-date= February 3, 2022 }}
Telcobuy planned an initial public offering of about $100 million, but as the dot-com bubble burst, the plan was withdrawn in the early 2000s recession. In January 2003, it was merged back into WWT under a holding company.{{Cite news |title= World Wide Technology, Telcobuy.com merge |date= January 21, 2003 |work= St. Louis Business Journal |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2003/01/20/daily27.html |access-date= February 3, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030421044225/https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2003/01/20/daily27.html |archive-date= April 21, 2003 }}
WWT created its first large-scale integration lab in St. Louis to increase capacity for secure system configuration.{{cite news |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2020/09/17/top-150-2020-world-wide-technology.html |title= Top 150 2020: World Wide Technology adds to revenue by expanding — locally and globally |publisher= St Louis Business Journal |date= September 17, 2020 |accessdate= October 16, 2020 |quote= The company last year opened its North American Integration Center campus in Edwardsville. }} Additional integration labs were established in Europe and Asia, with locations in Amsterdam and Singapore opening in 2015,{{cite news |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog/biznext/2015/10/world-wide-technology-opens-new-asia-pacific.html |title= World Wide Technology opens new Asia-Pacific headquarters |publisher= St Louis Business Journal |date= October 14, 2015 |accessdate= October 16, 2020 |quote= Maryland Heights-based World Wide Technology has opened a new Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore that will include sales offices and an integration technology lab.}} and Mumbai in 2019.{{cite news |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2020/09/17/top-150-2020-world-wide-technology.html |title= Top 150 2020: World Wide Technology adds to revenue by expanding — locally and globally |publisher= St Louis Business Journal |date= September 17, 2020 |accessdate= October 16, 2020 |quote= The company also extended its global reach with a new 10,000-square-foot integration center in Mumbai, India.}}
In 2009, WWT opened its Advanced Technology Center to allow engineers, customers and partners to evaluate hardware and software.{{cite news |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2019/08/08/jim-kavanaugh-david-steward-world-wide-technology/#29f980fe54b4 |title= The Billionaires Behind The Secret Tech Mecca In America's Heartland |work= Forbes |date= August 8, 2019 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= Kavanaugh swipes his badge and enters the so-called Advanced Technology Center. Here his company, World Wide Technology, has assembled thousands of hardware and software offerings from Microsoft, Cisco, Dell and more than 100 other tech firms in one place. An army of engineers (3,000 strong) are on hand to run demos, conduct bake-offs and make recommendations.}}{{cite news |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2017/01/13/how-world-wide-technology-used-innovation-to.html |title= How World Wide Technology used innovation to become a $9 billion giant |publisher= St Louis Business Journal |date= January 13, 2017 |accessdate= October 16, 2020 |quote= Now nearly eight years later — and with at least $100 million invested in the company’s Advanced Technology Centers (ATC) — it’s hard to argue with the results.}} The Advanced Technology Center was made accessible online.{{cite news |url= https://www.techrepublic.com/article/cisco-live-2018-how-wwts-virtual-lab-lets-companies-test-new-ciscogoogle-cloud-solution/ |title= Cisco Live 2018: How WWT's virtual lab lets companies test new Cisco/Google cloud solution |publisher= TechRepublic |date= June 11, 2018 |accessdate= October 16, 2020 |quote= World Wide Technology (WWT) has built a virtual lab in its St. Louis, MO-based Advanced Technology Center that will let companies get first-hand experience with the new Cisco Hybrid Cloud Platform for Google Cloud.}}
In a lawsuit filed in March 2025, it was alleged that Missouri state officials in the Office of Administration unlawfully favored World Wide Technology when awarding lucrative IT contracts in a manner that bypassed competitive bidding laws.{{Cite web |last=Hancock |first=Jason |date=2025-03-24|title=Missouri agency accused of illegally steering contracts to well-connected company|url=https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/24/missouri-agency-accused-of-illegally-steering-contracts-to-well-connected-company/|access-date=2025-04-02|website=Missouri Independent |language=en}}
Golf
World Wide Technologies hosts the World Wide Technology championship, a golf tournament on the PGA Tour. The tournament debuted in 2007 and is played on the El Cardonal golf course at the Diamante Cabo San Lucas resort.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-01 |title=World Wide Technology Championship History & Past Winners - Bleacher Nation |url=https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2023/11/01/world-wide-technology-championship-history-past-winners/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |language=en-US}}
Acquisitions
World Wide Technology purchased Baltimore, Maryland-based Performance Technology Group in January 2010 for an undisclosed amount.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2010-01-14 |title=World Wide Technology acquires Performance Technology Group |url=https://www.techmonitor.ai/hardware/data-centres/world_wide_technology_acquires_performance_technology_group_100115 |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=Tech Monitor |language=en-US}}
In 2015, WWT acquired St. Louis software company Asynchrony.{{cite news |url= https://news.stlpublicradio.org/economy-business/2015-06-05/world-wide-technology-acquires-asynchrony#stream/0 |title= World Wide Technology acquires Asynchrony |publisher= St. Louis Public Radio |date= June 5, 2015 |accessdate= September 27, 2020 |quote= St. Louis-based World Wide Technology has acquired local software company Asynchrony.}}
Awards & recognition
In 2020, WWT received Webby Awards in the Health & Fitness and People's Voice categories for its St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Patient Care App.{{cite news |date=May 19, 2020 |title=WWT Recognized with 'Internet's Highest Honor' at 2020 Webby Awards |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200519005880/en/WWT-Recognized-with-Internets-Highest-Honor-at-2020-Webby-Awards-%C2%A0 |access-date=May 26, 2021 |publisher=Businesswire}}
WWT has been named on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list from 2012 to 2024.{{cite news |title=World Wide Technology |url=https://fortune.com/best-companies/2024 |accessdate=February 27, 2025 |publisher=Fortune}}
In 2021, Time named WWT among the 100 Most Influential Companies, in the "Leaders" category.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=2021 TIME100 Most Influential Companies|url=https://time.com/collection/time100-companies/#leaders-3|access-date=2021-06-28|website=Time Magazine}}
Sponsorships
In 2018, WWT signed a sponsorship agreement with Richard Petty Motorsports driver “Bubba” Wallace Jr{{Cite web|date=2018-12-20|title=RPM, World Wide Technology renew partnership for 2019 {{!}} NASCAR.com|url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2018/12/20/richard-petty-motorsports-world-wide-technology-bubba-wallace-sponsorship/|access-date=2021-05-11|website=Official Site Of NASCAR|language=en-US}}
In 2019, WWT announced a naming rights sponsorship of Gateway Motorsports Park, now known as the World Wide Technology Raceway{{Cite web|date=2019-04-17|title=World Wide Technology announces naming rights for Gateway Motorsports Park|url=https://fox2now.com/news/world-wide-technology-announces-naming-rights-for-gateway-motorsports-park/|access-date=2021-05-11|website=FOX 2|language=en-US}}
WWT also sponsors PGA golfer Graeme McDowell{{Cite web|title=World Wide Technology sponsors pro golfer Graeme McDowell|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2018/06/15/world-wide-technology-sponsors-progolfer-graeme.html|access-date=2021-05-11|website=www.bizjournals.com}} and PGA Tour Champions golfer Billy Andrade{{Cite web|title=Watching golf this weekend? Here's why you may see World Wide Technology's logo|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2019/12/31/watching-golf-this-weekend-heres-why-you-may-see.html|access-date=2021-05-11|website=www.bizjournals.com}}