Rich Soo Hoo

Rich Soo Hoo is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Sterling Insurance Group, which he established in 2017 alongside his wife Libby on Martha's Vineyard. He brings more than 20 years of hands-on insurance experience to the role, and a lifetime of industry perspective, having grown up in a family active on both the carrier and agency sides of the business.

Rich holds a distinguished portfolio of credentials: he is a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Licensed Insurance Advisor (LIA), Accredited Adviser in Insurance (AAI), and Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR), and is licensed for Life, Accident, Health, Property & Casualty in multiple states. He is a past Young Agent of the Year Nominee through the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA), a recipient of Martha's Vineyard's 40 Under 40 award, and has served on advisory councils for Providence Mutual and Plymouth Rock Assurance Company.

Rich specializes in insuring restaurants and Asian restaurants, high-value coastal and waterfront homes, and trade contractors, including electricians, plumbers, and HVAC companies throughout Massachusetts. His deep familiarity with the unique risk environment of Martha's Vineyard, combined with his Boston-market fluency, makes him a trusted resource for complex or hard-to-place accounts. Through Soo Hoo Insurance, he helped develop one of Massachusetts’ first dedicated Asian restaurant insurance programs, tailored to the needs of family‑owned restaurants and food businesses.

A graduate of Babson College (Class of 2006), Rich also holds a Massachusetts Initial Teacher Licensure for middle school mathematics, a background that shaped his belief that education is central to great insurance service. He regularly develops written resources and training materials to help clients and teammates understand their coverage. Rich is an active volunteer firefighter, a National ProBoard-certified Fire I/II holder, and a Massachusetts Fire Academy-certified technical rescue and high-angle rope access operator. He is a past business advisory council member of the Asian American Civic Association and an advisory board member of Vineyard Montessori.

A self-described home chef with a passion for low-sodium, gout-friendly, and spicy cooking, Rich splits his time between Martha's Vineyard and Boston and considers both places home.