 In years 2001 and 2000, Sterling Financial Investment Group was named by the University of Florida Fischer School of Accounting as the number one fastest-growing privately held firms in the State as well as the fastest-growing minority owned firm in Florida.In mid-2002, the firm earned state certification as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) which helped attract larger companies wanting to include minority firms as part of their syndicate offerings.In August 2002, "Hispanic Business" magazine named Sterling the number one fastest-growing Hispanic company in the United States and it made "Inc. Magazine"s "Inc 500 List" as the # 8 fastest-growing privately held company in the United States.