Cathy Rider

Cathy Rider serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Allegheny National Forest under the U.S. Forest Service, where she manages the acquisition of goods and services critical to sustaining forest health and public safety. Her procurement responsibilities center on supporting active forest management, including vegetation control, habitat restoration, and infrastructure maintenance. She handles a diverse portfolio of contracts aligned with ecological stewardship, primarily procuring specialized environmental services, equipment leasing, and specialty trade contracting. Rider ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while advancing the agency’s mission of conservation, wildfire resilience, and recreational access through strategic, transparent sourcing. She maintains strong working relationships with key contractors including Boh Environmental, L.L.C., and AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, both of which provide technical expertise in environmental remediation, invasive species management, and forestry support services. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration with firms possessing demonstrated capability in ecological operations and field-level execution. These partnerships are built on consistent performance, regulatory adherence, and technical alignment with forest service standards, ensuring reliable delivery of mission-critical services across remote and ecologically sensitive areas. Rider demonstrates a pronounced commitment to small business participation, with 68.4% of her acquisitions set aside for total small businesses under FAR 19.5. She also regularly utilizes service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-asides, reflecting a deliberate effort to promote socioeconomic equity in federal contracting. Her pattern of award distribution prioritizes small, specialized vendors capable of delivering localized, high-impact services, reinforcing the agency’s dedication to community-based environmental stewardship. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), followed by 561730 (Landscaping Services) and 238990 (All Other Specialty Trade Contractors). She routinely acquires herbicide application, soil preparation, invasive species mitigation, and forestry equipment leasing services, demonstrating deep expertise in ecological contracting domains. Her work ensures that forest management activities are executed with precision, environmental compliance, and operational efficiency.