Blacks in Business: David Steward

David Steward of St. Louis, MO (1951- )

David Steward is founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, a St. Louis, MO based firm that specializes in supplying technology and supply chain solutions to customers around the world. It is considered the second African-American owned firm to reach the billion dollar revenue mark in the 1990s (the first was TLC Beatrice International, a global food and beverage distributor led by Reginald F. Lewis in 1987).

After rising in corporate America with companies like Missouri Pacific Railroad and Federal Express, David Steward scratched his entrepreneurial itch and founded (or actually bought) his first enterprise, Transportation Business Specialists in 1984. The function of this business utilized his background in the transportation industry and knowledge of accountancy. With the opening of his second company, Transport Administrative Services, he was able to capture a higher margin business within his same value chain in the transportation industry by pursuing larger corporate customers.

Read more »

Blacks in Business: Dr. Farrah Gray

Farrah Gray of Chicago, IL/ Las Vegas NV (1984 - )

Farrah Gray is a success story out of Chicago, IL. He began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 6 years old! He made $1 million by age 14. Now, 25 years old, with experiences in real estate, consulting, writing, motivational speaking, philanthropy and much more, this serial entrepreneur has done in 19 years what many MBAs dream to do - and he hasn't reached his peak yet. See below for a 20/20 piece on Dr. Gray:



Lessons we can learn from this young man:

• Create the change you want for your life. There is no greater motivator.
• Fear can also be a motivator. Use fear as motivation to get on the other side of it.
• Diversify your business/investment portfolio so that all of your eggs are not in one basket.
• Give, give, give and you will receive.
• Never underestimate what a determined young person can achieve.

Black history month: Annie Malone

Annie Malone of St. Louis, MO (1869-1957)

Annie Malone was a pioneering African-American who some say was actually the first African-American millionaire in the United States (Madam C.J. Walker worked for and was trained by Malone prior to her entrepreneurial journey).

Around the beginning of the 20th century, Malone developed the first chemical straightening product to not damage African-American hair. Since she could not use traditional channels methods of selling products given the racial climate of the time, she became innovative and adopted door-to-door sales, in-person demonstrations, and marketed through the Black press. When she was ready to grow nationally, she hired local agents in cities across the country (and even the world) to do the same thing - providing opportunities similar to what we would find in network marketing today.

Read more »