Caring companies commit to community

There?s no law that says a company must give something back to the community in which it operates. Nevertheless, many of the 1,200 nonprofits in the Boulder Valley rely heavily on area businesses to help sustain their operations.

For Rick Sterling, president of Sterling-Rice Group in Boulder, the ethical decision to donate was executed when he and the company?s other co-founder, Michael Rice, launched the consulting and advertising agency in 1984.

?From day one we committed to giving 5 percent of our operating income to charity in some fashion,? says Sterling, which is a pledge the company continues to uphold.…