{{Short description|American businessman (born 1963)}} {{Infobox person | name = Jim Kavanaugh | image = Jim_Kavanaugh,_World_Wide_Technology.jpg | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1963}} | birth_place = United States | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = Saint Louis University | occupation = CEO of World Wide Technology | boards = {{plainlist| * St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club * Saint Louis University * Stifel<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.stifel.com/investor-relations/board-of-directors/jim-kavanaugh|title=Jim Kavanaugh|work=Stifel|access-date=2023-01-25}}</ref> * Privoro<ref>{{Citation |title=Our Team |work=Privoro |url=https://privoro.com/team |access-date=2023-01-25}}</ref> }} | children = 3 | website = {{URL|www.wwt.com/people/jim-p-kavanaugh/}} }} '''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 from Saint Louis University in 1986.<ref>{{Citation |title=Jim Kavanaugh Honored by St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame |work=Saint Louis University |date=2014-09-26 |url=https://slubillikens.com/news/2014/9/26/209678918.aspx |access-date=2023-01-25}}</ref>
=== Sports === Kavanaugh played soccer at Saint Louis University. In 1983, he was selected as Missouri amateur player of the year and competed for the United States in the 1983 Pan American Games.<ref name="St. Louis Post-Dispatch">{{cite web | url=http://www.stltoday.com/sports/club-sports/questions-with-st-louis-fc-s-jim-kavanaugh/article_d3106996-5d6b-54b2-b4a5-0a27eb8c974b.html |title=Questions with St. Louis FC's Jim Kavanaugh |last1=Lyons |first1=Joe |date=July 26, 2015 |publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |access-date=April 4, 2016 }}</ref> Kavanaugh was also on the U.S. men's team at the 1984 Summer Olympics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=Ryan |date=2024-09-19 |title=Billionaire tech CEO says bosses shouldn't 'BS' employees about the impact AI will have on jobs |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/19/billionaire-tech-ceo-bosses-shouldnt-bs-employees-about-ai-impact.html |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Debter |first=Lauren |date=2019-08-08 |title=The Billionaires Behind The Secret Tech Mecca In America’s Heartland |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2019/08/08/jim-kavanaugh-david-steward-world-wide-technology/ |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>
In 1986, Kavanaugh was drafted to the Los Angeles Lazers, a Major Indoor Soccer League team, as the second overall pick.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-02-21-sp-4630-story.html |title=Lazers Trade Garcia, Kavanaugh |date=February 21, 1987 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=April 4, 2016 }}</ref> The following year, he was traded to the St. Louis Steamers.<ref>{{cite news |last= Debter |first= Lauren |date= August 8, 2019 |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2019/08/08/jim-kavanaugh-david-steward-world-wide-technology/?sh=109a076a54b4 |title= The Billionaires Behind The Secret Tech Mecca In America’s Heartland |publisher= Forbes |accessdate= February 15, 2023 |quote= In 1986, her was drafted by the Los Angeles Lazers and mov across the country with $25 in his pocket. The next year he was traded to the St. Louis Steamers.}}</ref> Kavanaugh was CEO of the United Soccer League's Saint Louis FC from 2014 – 2020, as well as president of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |last=Lyons |first=Joe |date= July 26, 2015 |url= https://www.stltoday.com/sports/soccer/5-questions-with-st-louis-fcs-jim-kavanaugh/article_d3106996-5d6b-54b2-b4a5-0a27eb8c974b.html |title= 5 Questions with St. Louis FC’s Jim Kavanaugh |publisher= St. Louis Post-Dispatch |accessdate= February 15, 2023 |quote= Kavanaugh, 52, is also president of the board for St. Louis Scott Gallagher, CEO of St. Louis FC and an investor/owner of the St. Louis Blues.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://slubillikens.com/news/2014/9/26/209678918.aspx |title= Jim Kavanaugh Honored by St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame |date= September 26, 2014 |publisher= Saint Louis University |access-date= February 15, 2023 |quote= Kavanaugh remains highly active in the soccer world. He is president of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club (SLSG). }}</ref> In 2012, Kavanaugh purchased a minority stake in the St. Louis Blues hockey team.<ref name="auto"/> He is also a minority investor in St. Louis City SC, a Major League Soccer franchise launched in 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last= Lyons |first= Joe |date= August 25, 2020 |url= https://www.stltoday.com/sports/soccer/professional/st-louis-fc-to-shut-down-after-2020-season/article_daff5c26-6f10-5730-b191-0b2370f72164.html |title= St. Louis FC to shut down after 2020 season |publisher= St. Louis Post-Dispatch |accessdate= February 15, 2023 |quote= According to a story posted by Sports Illustrated on Tuesday morning, STLFC will shut at the end of the 2020 season. The club’s owner, World Wide Technology CEO and former St. Louis University soccer standout Jim Kavanaugh, is also a minority investor in the new MLS team, St. Louis City SC... St. Louis City SC is expected to begin MLS play in 2023 at a 22,500-seat stadium downtown.}}</ref>
==Career== [[File:President George W. Bush and Jim Kavanaugh, CEO and co-founder of World Wide Technology.jpg|thumb|right|Kavanaugh with President George W. Bush in 2008]] Kavanaugh worked as a sales manager for Future Electronics.<ref>{{Cite news |title= CEO Spotlight: World Wide Technology’s Jim Kavanaugh |date= December 10, 2017 |url= https://born2invest.com/articles/world-wide-technology-jim-kavanaugh/ |work= Born 2 Invest |author= Anthony Donaghue |access-date= February 3, 2022 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="bizjournals.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2017/01/13/how-world-wide-technology-used-innovation-to.html |last1=Feldt |first1=Brian |date=January 13, 2017 |title=How World Wide Technology used innovation to become a $9 billion giant |work=St. Louis Business Journal |access-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203162035/http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2017/01/13/how-world-wide-technology-used-innovation-to.html |archive-date=February 3, 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> By 2015 it had become one of the largest companies in the St. Louis area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/world-wide-technology-readies-strategy-for-continued-growth/article_8ebe6139-9fc0-504c-9446-eac52d875f8a.html | title=World Wide Technology readies strategy for continued growth |last1=Barker |first1=Jacob |date=June 14, 2015 |publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |access-date= February 2, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180422004707/http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/world-wide-technology-readies-strategy-for-continued-growth/article_8ebe6139-9fc0-504c-9446-eac52d875f8a.html |archive-date= April 22, 2018 }}</ref> In 2021, WWT revenues were over $13 billion.<ref>{{Cite news |title= How WWT’s Jim Kavanaugh Got the Goal He Wanted: The former professional soccer player reveals the mentors he turned to while building a successful high-tech company |author= Joann S. Lublin |date= January 2, 2021 |work= Wall Street Journal |access-date= February 2, 2022 |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/wwt-ceo-jim-kavanaugh-got-the-goal-he-wanted-11609455083 }}</ref>
==Awards== * 2022: Junior Achievement of Greater St. Louis Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite news |date= May 17, 2022 |title= Junior Achievement of Greater St. Louis names two to Hall of Fame |url= https://www.ibjonline.com/2022/05/17/junior-achievement-of-greater-st-louis-names-two-to-hall-of-fame/ |publisher= Illinois Business Journal |access-date= May 17, 2022 |quote= David Farr, former CEO of Emerson, also serving as the 2022 Junior Achievement Hall of Fame event chair, has announced that Jim Kavanaugh, co-founder and CEO of World Wide Technology and Rob Vitale, president and CEO of Post Holdings Inc., will be inducted into the JA Business Hall of Fame.}}</ref>
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==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kavanaugh, Jim}} Category:Living people Category:Pan American Games competitors for the United States Category:Footballers at the 1983 Pan American Games Category:Soccer players from Missouri Category:American men's soccer players Category:Business executives in technology Category:Businesspeople from St. Louis Category:Saint Louis University alumni Category:1963 births Category:Men's association football players not categorized by position Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:Major League Soccer owners