James P. Kavanaugh (born 1963) is an American businessman, and the CEO and co-founder of World Wide Technology.

Early life

Kavanaugh received his Bsc. in

Business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

in 1986.

Sports

Kavanaugh played soccer at

. In 1983, he was selected as

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

amateur player of the year and competed for the United States in the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games, officially known as the IX Pan American Games () and commonly known as Caracas 1983, were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to inclu ...

. Kavanaugh was also on the U.S. men's team at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

. In 1986, Kavanaugh was drafted to the

Los Angeles Lazers The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the Major Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982 to 1989. History Jerry Buss, the owner of California Sports, the parent company of the Los Angeles Lakers, Los ...

, a Major Indoor Soccer League team, as the second overall pick. The following year, he was traded to the St. Louis Steamers. Kavanaugh was CEO of the United Soccer League's

Saint Louis FC Saint Louis FC was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded in May 2014, and competed in the USL Championship. The team played their matches at West Community Stadium, a venue inside the World Wide ...

from 2014 – 2020, as well as president of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club. In 2012, Kavanaugh purchased a minority stake in the St. Louis Blues hockey team. He is also a minority investor in

St. Louis City SC St. Louis City Soccer Club (stylized as St. Louis CITY SC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in St. Louis. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Con ...

, a

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

franchise launched in 2023.

Career

Kavanaugh worked as a sales manager for Future Electronics. In 1990, Kavanaugh and David Steward co-founded World Wide Technology (WWT), a company that provides technology products and services. He was chief executive officer (CEO), while the company grew to billions of dollars in revenue. By 2015 it had become one of the largest companies in the St. Louis area. In 2021, WWT revenues were over $13 billion.

Awards

* 2022:

Junior Achievement JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization. It was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential ...

of Greater St. Louis Hall of Fame

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kavanaugh, Jim Living people Pan American Games competitors for the United States Footballers at the 1983 Pan American Games Soccer players from Missouri American men's soccer players Technology business executives Businesspeople from St. Louis Saint Louis University alumni 1963 births Men's association football players not categorized by position 20th-century American sportsmen