Bowling Green’s 40 Under 40: Christina Ranger

Story by Amelia Bowen

Long before running daily operations at BlueCotton, Christina Ranger received a masterclass in business around her family’s kitchen table. Watching her dad run a small business taught her that true leadership isn’t about sitting in a corner office, it is about servant leadership, caring for people and getting your hands dirty to solve hard problems. Now, as Chief Operating Officer, the Bowling Green native and Western Kentucky University graduate channels that same quiet grit into keeping the company moving forward while creating room for others to step into their own potential. Christina thrives on momentum, leading the executive team and running weekly leadership classes for managers across the company. She constantly pushes her team to take smart risks, living by her own motto to “fail faster, because waiting for something to be perfect before you make an attempt leaves you waiting forever.” For Christina, business success is meaningless if it isn’t paired with lifting people up, whether that means offering an encouraging word to a coworker or pouring seven years into mentoring young women through Crossland’s Fortify Youth Ministry. Supported by her husband Jeff as they prepare for their first child, Christina remains deeply rooted in Bowling Green, driven to leave her company and her hometown better than she found them.