Sterling recorded a remarkably robust business year in 2021, despite historic challenges affecting all industries (a second year of the coronavirus pandemic; and a worldwide shipping and supply-chain crisis that included ‘Chipageddon’ — a global microchip shortage). Sterling continued to win major IT contracts, expand its business, and add employees (ending the year with an all-time high of 263).
Timeline
January
Sterling trains its focus on branding Client to Cloud™ solutions, promoting a full array of IT-related services: Client Services (installation, deinstallation, just-in-time delivery, etc.); data-center transformation and modernization, data protection, networking; cybersecurity (zero-trust solutions, threat detection and preventions); Managed Services with networking, backup, server configuration and maintenance, systems monitoring, reporting, and metrics; architecture and engineering expertise, compliance, and cloud services.
With Sterling’s new Client to Cloud Solution Center recently installed at headquarters, Sterling’s solution-architects and engineers regularly take emerging manufacturer-technologies for virtual test-runs.
February
2/25/2021
Sterling is the recipient of the Dell Technologies’ Federal Partner of the Year Award (3rd time Sterling has earned this coveted designation). Sterling stands out among Dell partners with the highest overall revenue growth and with record growth of VMware, Dell’s enterprise-virtualization software. https://sterling.com/sterling-named-dell-federal-partner-of-the-year/
March
3/29/2021
Mega container ship Ever Given blocks the Suez Canal and some 369 other vessels, slowing an already pandemic-delayed international microchip supply.
In subsequent blogs, Sterling Cloud Architect Nathan Bennett outlines helpful ways to work around ‘Chipageddon’: https://sterling.com/chipageddon-how-will-you-respond/ and [with Sterling Cloud Architect Billy Downing] https://sterling.com/extending-your-data-center-during-a-chip-shortage/ .
3/30/2021
South Dakota senator John Thune tours Sterling during economic-development visit to area.
April
4/1/2021
Sterling makes the CRN® 2021 Tech Elite 250 list, which highlights “top IT-solution providers of all sizes in North America, with the most in-depth technical knowledge, expertise, and certifications for providing the best level of service for their customers.” https://sterling.com/sterling-honored-on-2021-crn-tech-elite-250-list/
4/5/2021
Sterling announces plans to grow market share in cybersecurity services, “addressing the gaps between traditional solutions and modern requirements.” Leveraging its strong partnerships with leading OEMs and secured supply-chain, Sterling provides secured customized solutions. https://sterling.com/sterling-launches-new-cybersecurity-practice/
4/27/2021
Sterling begins three-part cybersecurity webinar series featuring cyber-experts Stevan Bernard and Keren Elazari. https://sterling.com/cybersecurity/
4/29/2021
Sterling is certified as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) by the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC). https://sterling.com/sterling-earns-certification-as-woman-owned-business/
4/29/2021
Sterling’s headquarters-hometown, North Sioux City, is named South Dakota’s “Small Community of the Year” by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development: “North Sioux City is driven largely by globally recognized companies like FIMCO Industries, Royal Canin, Wytec, and Sterling Computers.” https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/local-news/north-sioux-city-named-as-south-dakota-small-community-of-the-year/
May
5/11/2021
Sterling’s Megan Moore (now Director of Partner Management and Strategic Programs) and Mindy Schweitzer (now Sr. Director of Marketing) make CRN’s elite Women of the Channel Power 60 Solution Providers list. https://sterling.com/sterlings-moore-and-schweitzer-named-crn-women-of-the-channel-power-60/
June
6/2/2021
Sterling places into the elite top 10 percent of the CRN® 2021 Solution Provider 500 list, at #50, up seven spots from 2020. The SP500 list is the industry standard for top-performing technology integrators, strategic service providers, and IT consultants. https://sterling.com/sterling-climbs-to-top-ten-percent-of-crn-solution-provider-500-list/
July
7/27/2021
With Brad Moore continuing as Sterling Chief Executive Officer, Sterling promotes Tim McCabe to the newly created role of Sterling President, Troy Stultz to Senior Vice President of Sales, and Steve Van Ginkel to Senior Vice President of Partner Management. https://sterling.com/sterling-promotes-mccabe-to-president/; https://sterling.com/stultz-named-senior-vice-president-of-sales/; https://sterling.com/van-ginkel-promoted/
August
8/9/2021
Sterling makes the CRN® Fast Growth 150 list for seventh year, placing at #137. The list marks the performance of North American technology integrators, solution providers, and IT consultants over the previous two years. https://sterling.com/sterling-makes-crn-fast-growth-150-list-for-fourth-year/
September
Sterling finishes annual federal-year-end sales marathon, helping numerous federal-government customers find their ideal IT solutions and meet their technology-purchase requirements.
October
10/1/2021
Cisco Systems, Inc. awards Sterling a GSA Letter of Supply (LOS), authorizing Sterling to sell Cisco products and services through Sterling’s GSA IT Schedule 70 contract. Sterling is one of only five recipients ever of this Cisco designation. As a Certified Woman-Owned Small Business with a Cisco LOS, Sterling can work with federal and state governments, higher-ed, and K-12 education customers to retire their small-business goals by specifying Cisco products via the GSA Schedule 70 IT contract and the Air Force’s 2GIT BPA. https://sterling.com/sterling-makes-crn-fast-growth-150-list-for-fourth-year/
10/11/2021
Sterling wins a CRN® Triple Crown by placing on the elite CRN Solution Provider 500 list (the largest IT solution providers in North America, ranked by revenue), the CRN Fast Growth 150 (fastest-growing organizations in the channel), and the CRN Tech Elite 250, for having earned the highest-level certifications from leading vendors in the industry. https://sterling.com/sterling-achieves-crn-triple-crown-status/
10/15/2021
Sterling silver! Sterling celebrates its 25th anniversary in the information-technology solutions business. Employees party the afternoon away with a picnic and live rock band at headquarters.
November
11/1/2021
Sterling earns a VMware Cloud Native VMware Master Services Competency, affirming that Sterling has the organizational expertise to run and manage VMware Modern Application solutions, deeply understands Kubernetes concepts, and is proficient in networking, security, and application-lifecycle management to ensure the continuous delivery of applications on Kubernetes-based platforms. https://sterling.com/sterling-achieves-vmware-master-services-competency-in-cloud-native/
11/16-19/2021
Sterling hosts its well-attended annual National Sales Meeting, held virtually (due to pandemic) for a second year in a row.
11/18/2021
Sterling promotes Tommy Mousel to Vice President of Federal Sales and Lynette Lambing to Vice President of Bids and Contracts.
December
12/15/2021
Sterling concludes philanthropic activity for the year with sizable donation to the Sioux City Journal’s Goodfellow charity and with donation of paid-employee manpower at the Food Bank of Siouxland. Two large groups of Sterling employees assemble 1,400 Food Bank mealpacks for kids.