St. Louis Business 500

via St. Louis Magazine

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the St. Louis Business 500, a guide to some of the metro area's most influential, impactful, and innovative leaders. Here, you'll find both C-suite executives and more under-the-radar entrepreneurs across an array of industries, from health care to hospitality, accounting to aerospace, restaurants to real estate.

Beyond the bios, we created a questionnaire to shed light on some of these leaders' hopes, achievements, aspirations, and interests beyond the office. You'll learn all sorts of interesting facts that you can't find anywhere else.

We hope this special edition will serve as a helpful reference tool, a keepsake, and an avenue to connect top executives and entrepreneurs in St. Louis. Most of all, though, we hope this issue will make you proud to live in such a vibrant area, among such thoughtful, inspirational leaders.

St. Louis Business 500: Technology and Innovators

Local leaders at the cutting edge of tech and transformation

by Mike Miller, Emily Klein, Kathleen Lees

The St. Louis Business 500 highlights some of the metro area's most impactful, innovative, and inspirational leaders, from C-suite executives to under-the-radar entrepreneurs across an array of industries.

Beyond the brief bios below, we created a questionnaire to shed light on some of these leaders' achievements, aspirations, and interests beyond the office. 

Jim Kavanaugh

Many of the traits that enabled Kavanaugh to become a professional soccer player—hard work, trust, and being a team player—are the same qualities that have helped him grow World Wide Technology into a global leader in the technology solutions industry. The company is currently positioning itself as an artificial intelligence powerhouse, investing more than $500 million in AI services for its clients. Kavanaugh, though, hasn't strayed far from his sports roots. He was instrumental in helping the region land the MLS expansion franchise that became St. Louis CITY SC and is an investor in the St. Louis Blues.

David Steward

Steward is the wealthiest Black man in the country, according to Forbes. In addition to his work with WWT, Steward has embraced his role as a philanthropist and supported a variety of local programs and causes. He's donated to The Muny's recent renovation, Jazz St. Louis' Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis' jazz program. His son, David Steward II, co-founded Lion Forge Animation, which aims to bring diverse children's characters to life.

Jump to Section: Arts, Sports & Leisure / Banking & Finance / Community Builders / Education / Emerging Leaders / Government & Economic Development / Health Care / Leading Industries / Living Legends / Nonprofits / The Political Scene / Professional Services / Real Estate / Sustainability / Technology & Innovators