BRITANY WADE: Back home at last
By Sam Terry
Managing Editor
Jobe Publishing, Inc.
Britany Wade
“This is where I feel at home and at peace,” Britany Wade says, describing her feelings about returning to her Barren County roots as a young adult. “I’m excited about our community and I’m excited to see where we go and what we’re going to do,” Wade said about her hope for the future of Glasgow and Barren County.
“We have wonderful industries in our community. Our schools are some of the best in the state. Our agriculture is second to none in Kentucky. We have excellent healthcare and banking businesses in our community,” Wade said. However, “I think we are struggling economically.”
Wade says she feels one of the keys to Glasgow and Barren County’s future is listening to young adults – from those who are just out of high school and college and years into adulthood. Always listening for fresh ideas, Wade says the energy she feels among local young adults, particularly those involved in the Young Professionals, is enlivening.
“When you throw that many people together – with all the different experiences, backgrounds, talents – and you put them all together, we’re going to come up with something wonderful and do some great things for our community,” Wade said.
Now an agent with Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance, Wade grew up in the community where her parents, David and Veronica Gilbert, own and operate Gilbert & Gilbert CPAs. After high school, Britany was off to college at Western Kentucky University where she earned a degree in marketing. Having a few years of life experience behind her along with her work in the insurance industry, Britany seized the opportunity to join the Barren County KFB Insurance staff headed by Matt London.
“It was a great opportunity for my career and a chance to return to my hometown. No matter where I’ve lived as an adult, I’ve always told people Glasgow is my home and always has been,” Wade said. “For those of us who grew up here, I think we take for granted the quality of our community but after living elsewhere, you begin to truly appreciate what we have here.”
Wade says one of the aspects of living back in her hometown is recognizing how people help one another. “In my line of business as an insurance agent, when a tornado comes through, yes, we’re there but the community comes together to do whatever helps. If it’s feeding the cattle or getting livestock to a safe location – whatever the need, people are there. They’re not doing it for show, they’re doing it because they care. You don’t see that in bigger communities,” Wade said.
When she’s not looking after the needs of her insurance clients, Wade can be found astride one of her horses on a trail ride through the area. A farm girl at heart, she’s also part of Barren County’s beef industry as a producer of Hereford cattle. Off the farm, being on the water – whether in a boat or a kayak – is a favorite pastime.
This is the eleventh in our series, “Forty Under Forty,” highlighting 40 Barren County residents, all under the age of 40, who are bringing vitality and vision to their careers, professions, and the local community.
If you would like to suggest an individual for the “Forty Under Forty” series, send an email to progress@jpinews.com or call 270-670-3588.
Learn more about Britany Wade and her commitment to her community when Kellie McKay interviews her on NASH Icon 103.7
