Chairman's Newsletter: November 2024

Greetings, WWT Family and Friends!

As we prepare to welcome the holidays and the beginning of a New Year, I pray you and your families have enjoyed immense blessings this year and are looking forward with grateful and thankful hearts to a bright future in 2025.

I realize the world's environment is chaotic and perhaps this has you feeling uneasy or even afraid, but I want to encourage you with these words from Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

WWT Board Update

The October WWT Board of Directors meeting was comprehensive and encouraging. I continue to be grateful for our board members and their commitment to WWT and all our stakeholders. Our board brings years of deep and varied corporate experience, and they bless us with their wisdom and passion for our mission. We focus our meetings on the strategic opportunities for our company and share the conviction that the future is bright for WWT.

At our most recent meeting, we discussed an update on year-to-date performance and our progress toward our multi-year financial goals. Our executive leadership team has an ambitious three-year plan and is rigorously pursuing milestones to reach those goals. At each board meeting, we discuss progress toward our strategic objectives as we move toward being an AI-first company that is services led. To that end, I am happy to report we are increasing value and profitability through services provided across cloud, security, data and AI, and digital.

An important part of this board meeting was a deep dive discussion on the strategic opportunity we have with our Advanced Technology Center (ATC) as a unique platform to serve our customers and partners. We reviewed options to broaden the reach of our ATC platform with the AI Proving Ground and new capabilities that can be more fully explored. We had an update on the critically important Project Catalyst as progress is being made to drive impact on account and OEM-based initiatives.

WWT continues to explore opportunities for business expansion in the Middle East. Most recently, WWT contracted with Core42, a G42 company specializing in sovereign cloud, AI infrastructure and digital services. As a trusted partner to Core42, WWT is positioned to assist in leading the development and deployment of the AI infrastructure needed to drive AI transformation within the region.

Corporate Highlights

29th Annual Women of Color STEM Conference and CCG

I was thrilled to see nine incredible women from WWT recognized for their work in STEM at the 29th annual Women of Color STEM Conference. These women join the ranks of 75 diverse WWT leaders recognized at both the BEYA and Women of Color STEM Conferences. Congratulations to these inspiring women.

Technology All-Star Category

Dr. Sanaz Cordes, Chief Healthcare Advisor
Dr. Leslie Okere, Lead Technical Operations Manager
Nancy Pinkins, Senior Proposal Manager
Nikie Sarma, Digital Program Director
Sukhi Gill, Director, Diversity Business Development

Technology Rising-Star Category

Bunty Agrawal, Strategic Engagement Manager
Candace Berry, Senior Project Manager
Esha Sama, Senior Program Manager, Global Service Provider
Zalika Miller, Client Manager, EMEA Global Service Provider

In addition to celebrating these outstanding women, Career Communications Group (CCG) also recognized WWT's EVP of HR and DEI, General Bob Ferrell with its inaugural IMPACT award which honors trailblazing leaders advancing women of color in STEM. Congratulations, Bob!

Left: Women of Color STEM Conference winners. Right: The NMSDC Conference

Supplier Diversity Awards and Recognitions

The WWT team was honored to receive the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) of the Year Class IV award, which recognizes the GMSDC Certified Minority Business Enterprises who consistently provide quality products and exceptional service to their customers. The companies exemplify strength, power, and promote the viability of minority businesses.

Receiving the GMSDC of the year Class IV award

For the first time ever, we made the short list of Emerging Corporate Supplier Diversity Program of the Year at the Minority Supplier Development UK and European Supplier Diversity Program Business Diversity Connect conference. What a testament to WWT's growing commitment and investment in this important global initiative.

Lastly, a team of WWT Supplier Diversity leaders attended National Minority Supplier Diversity Council's (NMSDC) Annual Conference in Atlanta. The theme was centered around Defining New Norms, which appropriately aligns with WWT's aspiration to Make a New World Happen! The week was full of networking, starting off with WWT's annual customer event that included more than 150 of our largest customers. WWT also had thought leaders like Aaron Jackson and Nicole Tate speak on the relevance of AI on the mainstage and to an exclusive group of CPOs.

Lots of strategic relationship building and new connections were made at this conference, which is fuel for WWT's business growth. WWT has been a longtime supporter of NMSDC and continues to invest in its success as it is vital to the growth of minority owned businesses and the economy as a whole.

Great Place To Work and More

I continue to be honored and humbled when WWT receives awards from GPTW. It just never gets old! In my first book, Doing Business By The Good Book, I wrote about focusing on "getting the best people and treating them right as my top priority – customers and vendors included." I truly believe WWT has the best and most talented employees who strive to reflect our core values and create a dynamic culture.

Congratulations to every employee and the families that support your work at WWT! This year alone we have received these wonderful distinctions:

A special congratulations to our Global teams in Brazil, India, Singapore and the United Kingdom for being certified as a Great Place to Work again and to Australia, China, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Mexico and the Netherlands for being certified as a Great Place to Work for the first time! The strong WWT culture spans around the world, as a result of strong leadership and a commitment to caring for every employee. Thank you for all that you do!

Job well done!!

Cisco Recognition

WWT was named Global Collaboration Partner of the Year at Cisco Partner Summit 2024. Cisco Partner Awards recognize top-performing partners demonstrating service excellence and innovation in delivering solutions that help our customers succeed. WWT was also honored with the Webex 2024 Global Partner of the Year award, which demonstrates WWT's remarkable dedication to enhancing collaboration and delivering world-class digital experiences. WWT also received several other awards recognizing the power of our partnership!

Global Citizen

A group of WWT leaders attended the annual Global Citizen Festival in New York City's Central Park on Sept. 28. This event encourages political and corporate leaders to take action to end poverty and create a more equal world. WWT is committed to "Demanding equity for all and investing in a sustainable future." Both Michaela Boss, HR Generalist, and Hayden Kantner, Repair Technician II, won a raffle for fly-away trips to attend the Global Citizen Festival through their employee's volunteerism and commitment to the community. Congratulations, Michaela and Hayden!

Mizzou Men's Basketball Visit GHQ

We were excited to welcome the University of Missouri – Columbia (Mizzou) men's basketball team and their Head Coach Dennis Gates to WWT global headquarters on Sept. 9. Understanding the parallels between strong business attributes and student athletes, this session reinforced how discipline, grit and determination, teamwork, and positive attitude translate into success in a given professional career.

We hope this opportunity will lead to an initiative focused on student-athlete recruitment. The day wrapped up with a panel discussion with some of our SHADES employee resource group leaders and Coach Gates.

Mizzou men's basketball team at WWT GHQ.

World Wide Technology Championship and APGA

As you read this, a group of WWT executives and leaders are in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for the PGA TOUR's World Wide Technology Championship. This year's event — now in its fourth iteration — is a truly unique opportunity for us to connect with key stakeholders from our esteemed clients and trusted partners.

As in previous years, the World Wide Technology Championship is highlighted by a Business Innovation Summit that brings together visionary industry speakers to talk about important topics to our audience such as AI, cyber and leadership. This year's summit is headlined by perhaps the most in-demand speaker in today's business landscape — Jensen Huang, the founder, CEO and President of NVIDIA. Jensen's participation in the summit is a testament to the deep and flourishing partnership between WWT and NVIDIA as we help our clients lead the AI and digital revolution.

Thank you to Sara Goellner, Cari Wilber, Kristin Casey, Sarah Waier and team for your spearheading efforts to make the championship an unforgettable and wonderfully successful event.

Competing in a PGA TOUR tournament like the World Wide Technology Championship is regarded as one of the most formidable achievements in professional sports. It is not just about the financial rewards; performing well can open doors to other prestigious tournaments and potentially lead to full-time status on the PGA TOUR.

Keeping with our commitment to creating pathways to prosperity for others — particularly in underserved communities — we were proud to have provided Andrew Walker, the winner of the APGA Ascension Classic held in St. Louis earlier this year, an exemption into our tournament.

The exemption is part of our support of the Advocates Professional Golf Association, a tour dedicated to growing the number of golfers from diverse and historically underrepresented communities in the professional ranks. WWT serves as title sponsor of the APGA Player Development Bonus Program, which helps provide resources and equipment to assist young, minority golfers continue chasing their dreams.

Please take a moment to watch the video below that highlights Andrew's journey and join me in rooting for him this week and the remainder of his career!

ATC Barbecue

In 2014, our ATC team members began hosting a small potluck and parking lot barbecue gathering on the tech campus. This has now evolved into an annual tradition every September in recognition and appreciation of the 250+ employees of the ATC and the surrounding tech buildings. The barbecue grills have been replaced with multiple food trucks and a host of games for a little friendly competition.

This year, entertainment was provided by a band comprising WWT employees Marc DeSantis, Jeff McDonald, Kurt Pankau, Dave Caldwell, Mark Scheer, Daniel Luedders, Dino Nicastro, Missy Robison, Kris Reese and Michael McDonagh.

A 50/50 raffle raised a total of $1800. Brooke Deffenbaugh, ATC Data Center Ops Analyst II, was the winner of the raffle and received $900, and a donation of $900 was made to Operation Food Search.

I know everyone is already looking forward to next year's fun and fellowship!

Left: Mike Foley (Director of Development OFS), John Crandall (Senior PM ATC), Aaron Freidenberg (Director of ATC) and Rachelle Lybarger (PM ATC) at the ATC barbecue; Right: 8th Annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 INDYCAR winners.

WWT Raceway

World Wide Technology Raceway hosted the 8th Annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 INDYCAR Series race on Aug. 17. It was another exciting race as two-time Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden from Team Penske came away with the first place trophy.

The NHRA Midwest Nationals once again came to WWT Raceway Sept. 27-29. Tony Schumacher came away with the win in Top Fuel, while Pro Stock saw a win by Dallas Glenn and St. Louis champion Gaige Herrera claimed his 19th win in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Although Jack Beckman took the top spot in Funny Car, it was Austin Prock who set a new track record for Funny Car elapsed time of 3.814 seconds beating the previous track record of an elapsed time of 3.830 seconds set by Robert Hight in 2017.

We are so excited to welcome a NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race when the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series moves from the month of June to September. Welcoming a playoff race to WWTR is a phenomenal testament to the incredible NASCAR fans in our region, especially after hosting only three races in as many years. The 2024 Enjoy Illinois 300 generated over 8,700 media stories and over 30 billion earned media impressions, along with another sellout crowd!

"The St. Louis region is accustomed to great playoff event memories with the Blues, Cardinals and other sports teams over the years and now we can finally add NASCAR to that esteemed list," WWTR owner Curtis Francois said. "NASCAR selecting us for a prized Cup Series Playoff race is a tribute to all the support, especially from our dedicated fans, that they witnessed the first three years we hosted sold-out races. The continued evolution of World Wide Technology Raceway could not be possible without the unwavering support and commitment from David Steward and his entire [World Wide Technology] family."

We are incredibly blessed to be in partnership with Curtis and his tremendous team. It is an honor and privilege to work together to put St. Louis on the map as a top destination for NASCAR! Mark your calendars for Sept. 7, 2025!

Community Involvement

The Steward Center for Jazz

This fall, Jazz St. Louis held a rare, two-night concert — "Paquito D'Rivera and Chucho Valdés, Together Again!" — to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Longtime friends and collaborators, Paquito D'Rivera and Chucho Valdés have a combined 29 GRAMMY Awards and Latin GRAMMY Awards between them.

Nearly 700 fans watched these icons perform at the Steward Center on Sept. 18 and The Sheldon Concert Hall on Sept. 19, in their first collaboration in St. Louis since they met in 1962. This once-in-a-lifetime event celebrated both their extraordinary talents and long-standing friendship, while honoring their cultural roots and supporting Jazz St. Louis' mission to advance jazz education and community engagement. World Wide Technology is a proud supporter of Jazz St. Louis.

Left: On behalf of St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, Gilberto Pinela, director of the Office of New Americans, presents a proclamation that it is "Paquito D'Rivera Day" and "Chucho Valdés Day" in the City of St. Louis at Paquito D'Rivera and Chucho Valdés, Together Again! at The Sheldon Concert Hall. From left: Victor Goines, CEO of Jazz St. Louis; Chucho Valdés; Gilberto Pinela, director of the Office of New Americans for St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones; Paquito D'Rivera; Robert Steward, chairman of the Jazz St. Louis Board of Directors. Photo courtesy of Jon Gitchoff. Right: Michael Holmes, David Steward, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Thelma Steward, Dr. Donald Suggs at the St. Louis American Foundation's Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala.

The St. Louis American

The St. Louis American Foundation's 37th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala was held Oct. 12. This year, decorated Olympian and East St. Louis native, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Thelma and I were honored and privileged to be co-chairs for this year's gala, and we can think of no one more deserving of such an honor.

Jackie is an inspiration to everyone but in particular to children in underserved communities, as a four-time Olympian with six Olympic medals (three gold!), four World Outdoor Championship gold meals and the world record of 7,291 points in the women's heptathlon. And if that was not enough of an accomplished resume, Jackie was names by Sports Illustrated as the "Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century."

Despite all her success and accolades, Jackie has never forgotten her roots. She has dedicated her post athletic career to providing youth, adults, and families with resources to improve their quality of their life through the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which she founded in 1988. The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Community Center, located in her hometown of East St. Louis, is undergoing a $20 million expansion to serve even more community needs.

Goldman Sachs Event

Last month, I was invited to speak at the inaugural Garland Summit, an extraordinary event named for Garland E. Wood, Goldman Sachs' first Black partner. The event convened a group of 100+ Black leaders and clients to discuss legacy, leadership, and transformation.

I participated in a fireside chat with Asahi Pompey, Global Head of Corporate Engagement and President of the Goldman Sachs Foundation and Goldman Sachs Gives. While telling my life story, I conveyed my commitment to creating EROI – Eternal Return On Investment. It was a delightful evening, highlighted by excellent questions from a very engaged audience.

Earlier in the day, the chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, hosted me, David II and Kimberly, to a luncheon and deep discussion about our common interests and goals, including initiatives for small businesses and Black women that Asahi and her team are leading — making a difference and creating EROI!

I am thankful for the opportunity to share my story and meet the amazing team at Goldman Sachs. I look forward to hosting David and his team here in St. Louis for a tour of the ATC, WWT Global Headquarters and further discussion on collaboration opportunities.

Left: Dave II, Kimberly Steward and Emmanuel Onyeukwu of Goldman Sachs at the Goldman Sachs event. Right: Asahi Pompey (Global Head of Corporate Engagement and President of the Goldman Sachs Foundation and Goldman Sachs Gives) and David Steward during the Fireside Chat at the Garland Summit.

FMSC Event

Every year, millions of children across the globe die from malnutrition. Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a Christian nonprofit dedicated to providing nutritious meals developed by food science and nutrition professionals to help reduce problems with malnutrition existing in underdeveloped countries.

Gateway Christian Church in Des Peres, Missouri, hosted an FMSC MobilePack event in October that yielded enough meals to feed over 3,700 children a nutritious meal for an entire year. WWT had two teams participate in this year's MobilePack. Together, they packed 97,560 meals to ensure 265 children will receive a nutritious meal every day for an entire year.

Way to go WWT! Thank you for using your Day of Caring to reach the less fortunate. As Matthew 10:42 tells us, "And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded."

WWT employees at the Feed My Starving Children Day of Caring event.

United Way

Every year, we kick off the United Way campaign in October.

This year, we welcomed United Way CEO Michelle Tucker to our global headquarters for Donut Day with United Way. The event included a fireside chat with Michelle, a "Get On Board" panel that discussed the experience of serving on a nonprofit board, and an agency fair where employees learned more about the organizations supported by United Way to make a positive difference in our community.

Thank you to everyone who made an annual pledge, purchased raffle tickets and/or purchased WWT swag through our United Way sale! Your contributions are changing lives!

Ministry

As you are aware, Thelma and I are very pleased to host the bi-weekly WWT Family and Friends prayer call. This ministry has blessed so many people over the past five years, including the Steward family. What started out as a call to bring messages of faith, hope and encouragement during a time of worldwide pandemic stress has blossomed into a steadfast ministry.

We praise God for His faithfulness and using this platform to "let His light shine forth for all to see."

I want to say a special thank you to the core team responsible for bringing the calls to life — Craig Corbin, Rick Pina, Steven Bender, Michelle Gagliano, Brian Gagliano, Jay Santiago and Michele Stallmann. Each of them do an exemplary job of making all the moving parts work like a fine-tuned machine.

I also want to welcome the newest member of the prayer call team, our new resident artist, Laura McLaughlin! If you have had the pleasure of joining any of the prayers calls when Laura has been our guest artist, you will quickly understand why we wanted to invite her to become a more permanent part of the prayer call team. Laura has a beautiful, God-given talent for singing and has blessed us on several previous prayer calls. Inviting Laura to become the resident artist will bring a welcome consistency to the calls as she joins us once a month to set the tone for the call with her lovely voice and praise songs. Please join me in welcoming Laura to the team!

Thank you to this amazing team! I believe each of you will someday hear the beautiful words from Matthew 25:21: "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much."

Recently, we received two letters of encouragement that were so uplifting I wanted to share excerpts from each of them:

Sent from Vaneisha: It is with a great deal of gratefulness and emotion that I say thank you today! I'm sure glad I joined the prayer call today. What a real time inspiration [the speaker] was to me. I had a bit of a rough day today and have been walking around all day asking "what happened...what's going on... how did we get here" but God had a message for me today and I so thank you all for this company and platform that provides so much encouragement. God bless you all and thank you for blessing me.

Sent from Chris: Just a quick note to say "Thank You." I follow a slightly different path (Muslim) yet am very grateful to see this level of leadership AND personal care inside WWT. It IS appreciated, and I'll stick my head in as I get chance.

Thank you, Vaneisha and Chris, for your encouragement, and your willingness to allow us to share your emails!

If you have missed any of the calls and would like to view them, you can find all the recordings here. As always, participation in the prayer calls remains completely voluntary and open to all, with respect for people of all faiths, or no faith. All are welcome!

Please remember our faithful prayer team is ready to lift up your petitions. If you have a prayer request, you may send a confidential email to prayer@wwt.com.

If you are interested in participating in a workplace Bible Study, check out opportunities at Biblical Business Training (b-b-t.org/wwt).

Family Matters

Recently, my high school classmates gathered for our 55th class reunion! I cannot believe it has been 55 years since we all walked the halls of Clinton High School. My, how the time has flown!

Unfortunately, I was unable to join the class for this reunion because of scheduling conflicts, but Thelma and I were with them in spirit. It was a blessing to receive a few photos and see the faces of the people with whom I shared life so many years ago. It is a true blessing to have friendships that last a lifetime! Congratulations to the Clinton High School Class of 1969!

As the words of 1 Peter 4:8 tell us, "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." God has abundantly blessed me with an incredibly loving wife, two beautiful children and two tremendous grandsons. I praise God for them every day! Next to your relationship with God, your relationship with your family is the most important thing in your life.

To that end, I want to recognize my wonderful mother-in-love, Dorothy Willis, who recently celebrated her 91st birthday! She is a woman of incredible strength and devout faith who has comforted me with kind words and Scripture more times than I can count. I am thankful and grateful to have her in my life!

I also want to recognize the passing of Mrs. Ruth Mann, the mother of board advisor Brandon Mann. Mama Ruth was a very special woman who exemplified grace and was the essence of a godly woman, wife, mother and grandmother. She had a pioneering spirit as a dedicated nurse and a commercial pilot at a time when women were conspicuously absent in aviation.

I encourage you to read a bit more about the inspirational Mama Ruth, as the Board devotion centered around her amazing life and the beautiful words of Psalm 139.

The world is a better place for having known Mama Ruth, and I offer my sincere condolences and prayers for peace and comfort to the Mann family.

Special Encouragement

It is always such a pleasure to meet new members of the WWT family. Recently, I had a conversation with Jung Lee, who joined WWT about eight months ago as vice president of corporate development and acquisitions. I was so encouraged and inspired by our conversation that I wanted to share it with you in his words below:

"In 2023, I made the decision to leave my ~20-year career in investment banking. As I contemplated the next chapter of my life, I prayed to God for guidance, asking for the same blessing He granted Abraham's servant when He led him straight to Rebekah according to His will (Genesis 24).

Soon after, I applied for the VP of Corporate Development position at WWT, a company I did not know previously. Just a few days later, a couple of former colleagues from Bank of America, unaware of my application, reached out to discuss a potential opening they had learned about at WWT. This felt like a sign.

As I learned more about WWT and interviewed with our top executives, my conviction grew that this was my "Rebekah." During the recruitment process, I stumbled upon the December 2023 Chairman's Newsletter, which included Bible quotes and mentioned that every WWT Board meeting begins with a devotion and prayer. This further reinforced my belief.

God's assurance didn't stop there. The very Sunday after relocating to St. Louis and joining WWT, my wife and I attended a local church service. The pastor, whom we had never met, delivered a sermon based on Genesis 24, the very story of Abraham's servant's prayer. This confirmed to me that I am here because it is God's will. I believe God has plans for WWT, and I am grateful that He has given me the opportunity to be a small part of that plan."

Thank you, Jung, for sharing this remarkable testimony of God's faithfulness in your life. WWT is blessed to have you on our team!

In Closing

As we close 2024, I am mindful that 2025 will ring in the 35-year anniversary of World Wide Technology! As John Newton wrote in the beautiful hymn, Amazing Grace, through many toils and snares we have come! It is only by God's grace that WWT has grown from a small start up technology company with handful of employees to a global technology business serving thousands of clients. Praise God for all He has accomplished!!

I am especially thankful to Jim Kavanaugh and Julene Tojo. Jim and Julene have been with me from the beginning, and I can honestly say my appreciation for all they have done goes much deeper than mere words can express. Their support, dedication, and relentless work ethic helped build WWT into the global technology leader it is today. Thank you, Jim and Julene, for believing in what was possible and making it happen!

As you gather with your loved ones this holiday season, I pray you will take a moment to remember the blessings God has bestowed upon you in 2024 and give thanks to Him in all things. No matter your faith background, we always have something for which we can be thankful and grateful.

If you are celebrating Hannukkah, Diwali, Christmas or just gathering together to spend time with family and friends, may God bless you, keep you safe and fill your hearts with His love.

My prayer for you comes from Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

May God continue to richly and abundantly bless you and your precious family.

God bless,

Dave