Sterling Financial Investment Group, Inc., Named Florida's Fastest-Growing Privately Held Company

		STERLING FINANCIAL EXECS WIN AWARDS Alexis C. Korybut, (L) President, Sterling Financial Investment Group, Inc., and Sterling Financial Chairman & CEO, Charles P. Garcia, (R) receive awards and congratulate one another at presentation banquet in Orlando, Florida on the firm being named by the University of Florida as the "Fastest Growing Privately Held Company in the State of Florida." The firm also earned the top spot as the "Fastest Growing Minority-Owned Firm in the State." Charles P. Garcia is Latin American. (PRNewsFoto)[PM] BOCA RATON, FL USA

BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Sterling Financial Investment Group, Inc., was named by the University of Florida as the "Fastest-Growing Privately Held Firm in the State" during the Fifth Annual Florida 100 Awards Program. (Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010117/FLW009 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org) The Fifth Annual Florida 100 Awards Program is sponsored by the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business, and the Fisher School of Accounting -- consistently ranked among the top ten public university accounting programs in the nation. The Florida 100 competition reviews and analyzes privately held firms from across the State, and ranks the top 100 firms. According to the most recent statistics from the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, there were 112,566 "domestic profit" corporations in Florida. The top participants and winners of this highly regarded competition were revealed to a packed audience of nearly 300 entrepreneurs from across the state during a dinner ceremony held January 12, 2001 in Orlando, Florida. According to Arnold A. Heggestad, Ph.D., University of Florida's Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Warrington College of Business, the program highlights the business savvy and creative efforts of the entrepreneurs who make a significant impact on the state's economy each year. "While this year's Florida 100 companies average approximately a 300 percent growth rate, Sterling Financial's growth rate was more than ten times that, at more than 3,000 percent," said Heggestad during the awards presentation. In a letter to Sterling Financial from Governor Jeb Bush, the Governor writes: "[You] embody the spirit of entrepreneurship upon which our nation's economic framework was built. I applaud your efforts to provide increased opportunities for Florida's residents ... and the innovation and creativity that move our economy forward." Sterling Financial Investment Group, Inc., was founded in 1997 with three people and today boasts a worldwide network of more than 400 investment professionals. The firm's explosive growth has put the company on the radar screen of the investment banking community throughout the country. On September 29, 2000, the South Florida Business Journal ranked Sterling Financial the 10th largest financial services firm in Florida, ranked behind some of the nations leading firms such as Merrill Lynch, Prudential Securities, Salomon Smith Barney, and Paine Webber. In 1997, the year the firm was founded the firm had one broker and two employees; in 1998 the firm grew to 15 brokers and 9 employees; in 1999 the firm was 85 brokers strong with 30 employees; and by late 2000, Sterling Financial was home to 216 registered representatives, 225 insurance agents and 70 employees, with 2001 revenues expected to top $45 million. Sterling Financial was founded by Charles Patrick Garcia, a top graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, a former White House Fellow, attorney and adviser to some of the nation's leading businessmen, including former Goldman Sachs Chairman John C. Whitehead. Sterling Financial also secured the top spot as the State's "Fastest Growing Minority Owned Firm." In November 2000, Hispanic Business Magazine identified Garcia as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics" in the United States. This past year, Garcia has received a number of awards, including being selected as the entrepreneur of the year for Palm Beach County by Northwood University's Excellence in Entrepreneurship program. Northwood University is consistently ranked as one of the leading schools for entrepreneurship in the country. Garcia was also a finalist in last year's Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year Award." "To build a great company you have to surround yourself with great people," says Garcia. Garcia has made it a point of recruiting the best and brightest talent from Wall Street, which includes the February 1999 hire of Alexis C. Korybut, as Sterling Financial's President. Korybut's exceptional academic and financial credentials include a distinguished career in New York City as one of the top producers for Salomon Smith Barney's institutional bond division where he concentrated on international markets. Mr. Korybut, who speaks five languages, has applied his international expertise to fuel the firm's global expansion. Sterling Financial currently has six offices abroad, one each in Spain, Panama, Italy, Chile, Brazil, and Greece. The firm has recently signed a deal to open 12 new offices in Latin America during the next 18 months. "The fulfillment of this agreement will make us the 2nd largest U.S. investment banking firm with a presence in Latin America after Merrill Lynch," says Korybut. In a bold move, the firm's parent company, Sterling Financial Holdings, Inc., opened an Internet subsidiary, http://www.myPrivates.com, whose name is an intentional play on words to attract attention to its website, which specializes in "private placements on line." Sterling Financial Holdings, Inc. last year completed its own $5.35 million private placement of equity securities to private and institutional investors. According to Garcia, the proceeds were used to fuel its U.S. and international expansion for its three companies: Sterling Financial and its global network of more than 400 investment professionals; Sterling Financial Insurance Group, an insurance agency with over 200 agents; and its web portal, myPrivates.com. Garcia recruited Brad Baker as CEO of myPrivates.com. Baker was identified by The Young Entrepreneur's organization as one of the 100 Top Entrepreneurs in the United States. In 1985, the Florida Business Journal selected his company, Tech.Time, Inc., as one of the ten outstanding publicly held companies in Florida. Money Magazine, Venture and Nation's Business have recognized his accomplishments nationally and he was also identified by Florida Trend, a leading business publication in Florida as a "Floridian to Watch in the Next 10 Years." MyPrivates.com went on line in November 2000. "Unlike our competitors we focused on building the 'bricks' before integrating the 'clicks,'" says Baker. "Now we're ready and looking forward to making a huge impact in this arena." Myprivates.com, whose slogan is "Where Smart Money Meets Bright Ideas," offers three distinct components: it offers accredited investors the opportunity to preview and invest in private placements online; it provides entrepreneurs access to capital markets and it also provides the public access to one of the most comprehensive financial services content web portals offering research, resources and networking opportunities for visitors and members. For more information about Sterling Financial, its management, its high- profile Board of Advisors, the company's television commercials, business plans and services, visit its website: http://www.mysterling.com . To see Charles Patrick Garcia and Brad Baker, CEO of myPrivates.com visit http://www.myprivates.com for streaming video introductory speeches to the site along with those of other company principals; through the site's streaming video visitors can view its new television campaign or explore the site's many services.