Sterling wins ClearlyRated’s 2026 Best of Staffing Client, Employee, and Talent Awards

Sterling wins ClearlyRated’s 2026 Best of Staffing Client, Employee, and Talent Awards by Pam O'Donnell | Feb 18, 2026 | News PRESS RELEASE Fewer than 2% of all staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada earn the Best of Staffing designation for Client and Talent Satisfaction, and fewer than 1% earn Best of Staffing for Employee Satisfaction. WESTCHESTER, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 18, 2026 – Sterling, a leading outsourced engineering solutions and technical staffing agency, announces that it has won the Best of Staffing 13-year Platinum Client, 12-year Platinum Talent, and 6-year Gold Employee Awards for providing an exceptional experience for its clients, candidates, and employees. ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Award winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients, candidates, and employees. View our ratings Platinum Best of Staffing Client Award (13-Years) Winners of the Platinum Client Award distinction have earned the Best of Staffing Award and consistently achieve industry-leading client satisfaction scores. On average, clients of winning agencies are 1.5 times more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies. Of those firms that have participated in the Best of Staffing program in 2025, only 22% have earned the Platinum Award. STERLING RECEIVED A NET PROMOTER® SCORE OF 73.6% FROM THEIR CLIENTS, SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE INDUSTRY’S AVERAGE OF 45%. Platinum Best of Staffing Talent Award (12-Years) Winners of the Platinum Talent Award have earned the Best of Staffing Award and consistently deliver industry-leading candidate satisfaction. On average, job seekers working with winning agencies are 1.6x more likely to be completely satisfied than those placed by non-winning agencies. In 2025, only 26.3% of participating firms earned the Platinum award. STERLING RECEIVED A NET PROMOTER® SCORE OF 72.5% FROM THEIR CANDIDATES, SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE INDUSTRY’S AVERAGE OF 30%. Gold Best of Staffing Employee Award (6-Years) To participate in the Best of Staffing award program for employee satisfaction, a firm must invite feedback from 100% of its internal staff on the overall experience of working at the firm, as well as the firm’s performance related to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Sterling has received this award for 6 consecutive years. STERLING RECEIVED SATISFACTION SCORES OF 9 OR 10 OUT OF 10 FROM 82.2% OF THEIR INTERNAL EMPLOYEES. As an employee-owned company (ESOP), Sterling gives every employee a vested interest in our current and future success. Our employee-owners serve as ambassadors who differentiate Sterling and help drive growth. We prioritize well-being in and outside the workplace and support health, wellness, DEI, and family/work-life balance; making us especially proud to earn the Best in Staffing Employee Award for the sixth consecutive year. Sterling Honored Once Again with ClearlyRated’s Awards “Earning ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing honors 13-year Platinum Client, 12-year Platinum Talent, and 6-year Gold Employee is an incredible affirmation of what our clients, candidates, and employee-owners experience every day: Sterling shows up, follows through, and delivers,” said Rama Kavaliauskas, President of Sterling. “These awards are especially meaningful because they’re based entirely on direct feedback, and they reflect the trust we’ve built through consistent service and relationships. As an employee-owned (ESOP) organization, we take that trust personally – our team has a vested interest in doing the right thing, solving problems quickly, and creating a high-quality experience for everyone we serve. We’re proud of these results, grateful to our partners, and committed to raising the bar even higher in the year ahead.”  About Sterling About ClearlyRated About Best of Staffing Pamela O’Donnell Marketing Manager p: 630.993.3400 podonnell@sterling-engineering.com