Rider Jet Center's Reputation for Service Extends Beyond Business and Into the Community

HAGERSTOWN, Md., Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On most days, a large hangar at Rider Jet Center in Hagerstown, Md., houses corporate and small personal planes. But on one gray September evening each year, the aircraft give way to tables, a stage and a dance floor as more than 500 people (and often more than 1,000) gather for Hangarfest. Patrons from young adults to 60-somethings and beyond sway to classic rock and blues from opening act Jill Fulton Band, followed by headliner The Reagan Years and its energetic '80s dance music, while enjoying drinks and food truck offerings outside.

The evening isn't just about rock and roll. Hangarfest is an annual fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness Inc., a local nonprofit that provides services to people battling breast cancer, and it delivers a major annual financial boost to the organization. Rider Jet Center, a full-service fixed-base operator at Hagerstown Regional Airport, has hosted the event for 15 years, and other nonprofits, including Discovery Station, an interactive children's museum, have benefited as well. Hangarfest is one way Rider Jet Center gives back to its Western Maryland community.

On November 6, the jet center will donate its hangar space to host the 20th Annual Aviation Education & Career Expo, giving high school and college students a chance to meet aviation professionals from nearly 70 organizations and apply for more than $275,000 in scholarships provided by event sponsors. 

In 2025, more than 1,300 students aspiring to aviation careers attended the Aviation Education & Career Expo, the largest event of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic. To date, the event has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to students who've attended, including the David Rider Legacy Scholarship. 

Rider Jet Center is donating fuel for all the aircraft coming in for the expo.

A family tradition 

Rider Jet Center was founded by the late David Rider, known locally as a developer, aviation enthusiast, and philanthropist. 

As a general contractor, Rider had built more than homes and commercial buildings in the Hagerstown area. He started the jet center in 2003 to serve pilots using the Hagerstown Regional Airport. 

But beyond that service — and its subsequent contribution to the local economy — Rider set a standard for giving back to the community in other ways. Since his passing in 2019, his son Ben has operated the jet center and continued the family's legacy of philanthropy and service. 

Giving back to the community is "part of his DNA," said Ben, president and CEO of Rider Jet Center.

He said his father instilled in him a philosophy of helping whenever possible. 

"My father donated the construction of Brooke's House here in Hagerstown," he said. "We have always helped whenever possible. We have several charities that we help regularly, including Breast Cancer Awareness, the Hagerstown Aviation Museum, various public education and arts initiatives, and a lot more." 

Rider also noted that his restaurant, the Grille at Runways, often gives a portion of a day's proceeds to various charitable causes. Also, first responders and military personnel get 10% discounts at The Grille at Runways. 

Over the years, organizations aided by the Rider family have included: 

• Schools in Washington County, Md., and Franklin County, Pa.
  
  
• Salvation Army Hagerstown — The Grille at Runways, sponsored a fundraiser after the nonprofit's thrift store was damaged in a fire earlier this year, raising $700
  
  
• Humane Society of Washington County donations and also the Humane Society of the United States — with free ramp fees and "precious cargo" unloading provided for all flights of animals in crates
   
• Hagerstown Community Concert Association
   
• Scouting, Shenandoah Area Council
   
• Washington County Chamber of Commerce
  
  
• ARC of Washington County
  
  
• Hagerstown and Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau
  
  
• American Legion fundraisers
   
• Fire and ambulance services
  
  
• Maryland Film Industry Coalition
   
• Citizens Assisting and Sheltering the Abused Inc.
   
• Tuscarora Area Chamber of Commerce
   
• Pennies from Heaven Fund, which aids families with critically ill children
  
  
• Washington County Arts Council
   
• Girls Inc. of Washington County

Rider Jet Center also provides internships, job-shadowing, and donations to the Hagerstown campus of the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics and contributed storage space for construction materials for its recent expansion. 

In addition to in-kind contributions, Rider Jet Center has made cash donations of tens of thousands of dollars so far in 2026. 

Causes and effects 

How far does the impact of Rider Jet Center's contributions reach?

Breast Cancer Awareness, the area's most comprehensive breast cancer support organization, offers its clients a number of free services, including: 

• Early detection services through its mammogram/ultrasound program
  
  
• Moving Forward: Counseling and support after diagnosis, educational resources, comfort items for after surgery, and a post-surgical bra and camisole
  
  
• For Our Kids: Children of patients are given a teddy bear and care package;
  
  
• Dinner's Ready: Gift cards are given to the patient to help put meals on the table during treatment
   
• Clean Sweep: Patients are given a gift certificate for a 2-hour professional house cleaning. 

BCA Inc. also operates a full-service wig boutique open to all cancer patients who have had hair loss from chemotherapy treatment.

Rider also donates fuel to the nearby Hagerstown Aviation Museum, housed in the 1943 Fairchild Aircraft Flight Test Hangar and the 1945 Executive Hangar adjacent to the Hagerstown Regional Airport. The museum, dedicated to the region's vast aviation history, holds the world's largest collection of historic Fairchild aircraft. For many years, Rider Jet Center's founder Dave Rider flew the museum's historic PT19 World War II trainers during many of the nonprofit's discovery flight fundraising flights.

And in one of his last development projects, Dave Rider donated construction for Brooke's House, a Hagerstown sober living and addiction treatment facility for women. 

Of the thousands of homes he built, it was the one in which he took the most pride. 

Founded by former Hagerstown police officer Kevin Simmers in memory of his daughter, Brooke's House not only provides treatment and counseling, but employment training and opportunities for its clients. 

The Brooke's House story is now being told in a feature film called "Clean Hands." Following its Hagerstown premiere, Brooke's House co-founder Dana Simmers posted a tribute to Dave Rider's contribution. 

"There are really no words to convey the love and gratitude we hold so closely to our hearts for Dave Rider. He was a close friend to Kevin and I. He was (a) humble, but tough businessman with great talents that he shared with so many. We are honored and so very proud that he believed in us and supported us in every way he possibly could. All of this while fighting the battle of his life. 

"Brooke's House is definitely a project that Dave was so very proud of. 

"He loved to (take) people on tours and tell them about what was to come with the mission of Brooke's House. We miss him every day and are reminded every time (we) enter the front door … of all he did to help build Brooke's House." 

About Rider Jet Center
Rider Jet Center is a full-service Fixed Base Operator at Hagerstown Regional Airport, known for its customer-first approach, premium amenities and on-site jet and propeller maintenance. Serving both civilian and military clients, it offers seamless aviation support with a focus on hospitality, efficiency, and operational excellence. See: www.riderjetcenter.com.

SOURCE Rider Jet Center