A history in progress
Success has taken Sterling from a tiny tech startup based in California, staffed by a handful of employees — most from the Midwest — to a staff of more than 260 employees across eight locations, including, since 2019, the newly remodeled 83,000-square-foot headquarters and innovation center on the former Gateway campus in southeast South Dakota. In 2021 Sterling celebrates 25 years in the information-technology solutions business.
Though Sterling’s first clients were California-based commercial entities, their current client base is predominately the public sector, beginning with the federal government. A defense contractor, Sterling provides IT systems, services, and solutions to all branches of the military — even the recently created Space Force. Sterling also serves the SLED (state, local, and education) and commercial markets. Sterling supplies school systems across the country with custom computer services, hardware, software, and networking packages. Sterling offers critical infrastructure and cybersecurity solutions to meet growing demand across all sectors.
Sterling was founded in 1996 by Nebraskans Troy and Maggi Jones who eventually sold the entity to their extended family in 2012. Brad and Jean Moore and Darrell Moore are the current owners. Brad Moore is now Sterling’s CEO, with Tim McCabe recently named to the new role of president. McCabe was one of a cadre of former Gateway employees who brought their executive marketing and sales expertise to Sterling in the 2000’s.
For the past 14 years, Sterling has moved up the IT industry’s prestigious CRN Solutions Provider 500 list, now ranking in the top 10 percent (at #50 this year). Dedicated to a business identity that is “ethical, transparent, consistent, and predictable,” Sterling has earned not only multimillion-dollar sales contracts but coveted manufacturer certifications. Dell Technologies has named Sterling their Federal Partner of the Year three times, Cisco software has deemed them a Gold Partner, Boeing has given them Performance Excellence honors. In 2019, Sterling made their 8th appearance on Inc.’s 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America list (only 4% of companies have made the list six times).
Says CEO Brad Moore, “Getting to this quarter-century mark has been an amazing, moving accomplishment, full of challenges, triumphs, and the making of so many memories. Essentially, the “family” in our family business has grown to extend to 250+ people whose talent and hard work have earned Sterling the trust of the federal government and other major clients. Together we’re poised for many more great things in the IT industry.”