His genius is not confined only to business; he is also a reactionary Catholic, rejecting all changes made by the church since Vatican II. (Full disclosure: I was raised Catholic and attended parochial schools from grades 1 through 12, and was even an altar boy. However, I am of the belief that business and religion should not be intertwined; religion is, or should be, a private matter.)

BlusterCom's CEO recognized no such boundaries, enthusiastically evangelizing (in the original non-techno promotional meaning of the term) any and all who came within earshot. For example, we all lived in dread of "Nun Day," an annual event during which two Sisters of the Society of the Enthusiastic for No Clear Reason would show up at corporate headquarters pushing a cart loaded with holy cards and other religious items. The two nuns would go from cubicle to cubicle, offering to sell us our choice of what they deemed to be excellent Christmas gifts. (I am not making this up.)

Nun Day was never announced in advance, lest hoards of us call in sick that day. This saved us all from an occasion of sin. However, when the day came, most of us acted maturely and hid out in darkened conference rooms. Word would spread virally: "They're on the second floor!"

The CEO didn't limit his brand of testimony to Nun Day, however. At a lunch I attended with BC's head man and two English journalists, he was educating the Brits about the nation's political landscape in the late 1980's. "Everyone in the U.S. loves President Reagan," he explained. "Except the Jews."

I said nothing. That's when I knew I was destined for a career in public relations.

Postscript: BlusterCom soldiers on even to this very day, as does its CEO. I've moved on to other venues, some better, some, … well, all of them were better than that place. There are other jobs I'm leaving off my resume, though.

Bruce Pilgrim is the CEO and janitor of Bruce Pilgrim Marketing Communications, LLC. He recently published his first book, Talking to My Cats: A Small Business Journal.