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From Rock Bottom to Award-Winning: One Entrepreneur's Story

Inc.

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Winter 2025

A moment of desperation launched Trust Consulting Services, a respected government contracting firm specializing in technology.

From Rock Bottom to Award-Winning: One Entrepreneur's Story

James Radford, founder and CEO, Trust Consulting Services

After a multiple sclerosis diagnosis 10 years ago forced him to retire early from the U.S. Army, James Radford began an entrepreneurial journey marked by passion, determination, frustration, and despair. Newly divorced, he'd taken his four kids to Chipotle, only to discover he didn't have enough money to pay for their meals.

“This light went off inside of me, and I told myself, 'This can't be the end of the chapter. This can't be how this works out for me.' That day, I decided to start my company and to never be in that position again,” he says. Using the skills, values, and experience he'd gained from the Army, Radford created a robust government contracting firm whose specialties include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), project management, and physical security.

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