Most GovCon coaches learned the process from the outside — they were contractors who won some contracts and built a course. Ferdinand Risco's path was different. He spent decades inside government, running the very programs his clients are trying to navigate.
Ferdinand began his career as an enlisted soldier in the United States Army — serving across all three components: active duty, reserves, and the National Guard. He later earned his commission as an Infantry and Logistics Officer, graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate.
The discipline, accountability, and mission clarity he learned in uniform is the foundation of everything B2G Coach teaches today. How to plan under pressure. How to execute when the margin for error is zero. How to take care of the people in your charge and be accountable for results.
Ferdinand held senior roles across some of the largest public agencies in the country. As a Chief Compliance Officer, he oversaw Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Title VI programs — sitting on the government side of the table and determining which small businesses gained access to contract opportunities.
In that role, he grew supplier participation from 13% to 57%, unlocking over $475 million in new contract opportunities for certified firms. As agency CEO he led nearly 1,000 employees, managed a nine-figure budget, and generated $221 million in annual regional economic impact.
He didn't study government contracting. He ran it. And now that institutional knowledge is available to the small businesses that government was always supposed to serve.
Ferdinand has served as a gubernatorial appointee to a State Board of Education, a mayoral appointee to a municipal Board of Education, a member of the Federal Reserve Bank's Transportation Industry Council, and on the boards of national associations, civic organizations, and chambers of commerce.
He holds an MBA from the University of New Haven and a BBA from Temple University, has taught business at the college level, and is a frequent speaker on leadership, contracting, economic development, and workforce strategy.
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