Van Gresham - A Character With Character

...because interesting people are more fun to work with

by Van Gresham and Reagan Pugh on April 13th, 2012

I am just a good ‘ole boy from southwest Virginia. I was born and raised in the small town of Salem, where high school football is king. Salem is about 30 minutes northeast of Blacksburg, the greatest college football town in America and home to the Virginia Tech Hokies - and no, a Hokie is not a castrated turkey. People say I am a bit neurotic about Virginia Tech football and tailgating before both home and away games. In fact, I gave a name to our tailgate crew and have been known to develop layouts for the tailgate setups. Virginia Tech holds a special place in my heart because I met my wife of 16 years at a bar during country night. We have 2.0 children and a yellow lab named Riggins. I also enjoy boating, red wine, good food, and hanging out on my back porch during the summer.

What is it that you most dislike?

If you were to ask my kids this question they would tell you that I dislike laziness.

Who has had the most influence on you?

My parents have had the most influence on me because they taught me to work hard for the things I wanted in life.

If you were to die and choose what to come back as, what would it be?

A very expensive bottle of red wine.

If you were a fictional character, which character would you be and why?

If I were a fictional character I would have to be Batman. First of all, Batman did not have any super powers and true heroes do not rely on super powers. I also like the fact that Batman operated on a strict code of conduct and ethics, something that I believe gets lost in today’s society. Plus, he always has really cool gadgets - being an engineer, that appeals to my geeky side.

When was a time you were totally and completely lost?

I can’t say that I have ever been totally and completely lost; in fact, people refer to me as Rand McNally for my sense of direction. Although, after Bill Poston told me to drive all the way around the “Road to Hana” on Maui I thought he was purposely trying to make sure that I got lost.

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Van is a Manager. Hiring Characters with Character is one of Kalypso's core values - click here to learn more about our values and firm culture.

Topics: Characters with Character, Kalypso Culture, Kalypso Employees, Kalypso Values, Keep Kalypso Weird, Van Gresham

About the Authors

Van Gresham, Senior Manager Van has over 13 years of extensive cross-industry manufacturing process experience and is an avid Virginia Tech Hokies fan. Read more articles by Van Gresham

Reagan Pugh, Raconteur Reagan likes to watch, read and tell stories. He often wishes he was Batman - you know, grappling hooks. Read more articles by Reagan Pugh