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 is one of the most credentialed independent insurance agents serving Martha's Vineyard. He holds the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Licensed Insurance Advisor (LIA), Accredited Adviser in Insurance (AAI), and Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designations, and is licensed for Life, Accident, Health, and Property & Casualty insurance 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 three areas where expertise is not optional: high-value coastal and waterfront homes on Martha's Vineyard and throughout Massachusetts, restaurant and Asian restaurant insurance, and trade contractor insurance for electricians, plumbers, and HVAC companies. His deep familiarity with the unique risk environment of Martha's Vineyard, including the challenges of coastal exposure, historic structures, seasonal occupancy, and limited carrier options on the Island, makes him the go-to resource for complex, hard-to-place, and high-value accounts.

Through Soo Hoo Insurance, Rich helped develop one of Massachusetts' first dedicated Asian restaurant insurance programs, tailored to the needs of family-owned restaurants and food businesses navigating a challenging commercial market.

A graduate of Babson College (Class of 2006), Rich also holds a Massachusetts Initial Teacher Licensure for middle school mathematics. That background shaped his belief that education is central to great insurance service, and he regularly develops written resources and training materials to help clients and teammates understand their coverage clearly.

Rich is an active volunteer firefighter, a National ProBoard-certified Fire III 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.