You know how your dry-erase markers allow us to simply wipe off bad ideas, wrong answers in class, and un-Picasso-like doodles from whiteboards? Well, Dri Mark is to thank for that.
Dri Mark has been producing markers in Long Island since the 1970s. Originally started in 1958 in Mount Vernon, New York, the company produced permanent markers before pivoting to instant dry markers and becoming the first ever company in the U.S. to do so.
This change came along after instant dry markers were invented in Japan around the same time. Dri Mark has been producing its goods in Long Island since around the 1970s — all within a 50,000 square feet warehouse in Bethpage, New York. In fact, before CEO Charles Reichmann and his family purchased Dri Mark, the company was still importing its products from Japan.
But what is really Dri Mark’s claim to fame came in 1991, when it purchased a patent for the first counterfeit detector pen. Now the company also holds patents for other counterfeit detection devices in addition to the markers, which are newly available in specialty ink varieties.
The counterfeit detector pen allows users to test their cash to ensure they haven’t been duped by some smooth-talking salesman. It is also simple enough to use. First, ‘x’ marks the spot, so make a small mark on the U.S. bill. Now, if the x looks slightly faded, you have yourself an authentic dollar note. But if the currency paper stock is unauthentic, then the x mark will be darker, making it a counterfeit.
When the CFO, Cathay Williams Owen spoke to Fox5 in 2016, she told them that what makes the markers special is the intricate process all six components of the markers— barrel, cap, plug, filler, nib, and ink — are made by.
The company also makes fabric markers, metallic markers, and temporary tattoo markers among others. These products are sold in tens and thousands of stores in the U.S. including Walmart and Staples. Dri Mark now employs over 40 people from 20 different countries, manufacturing over 200,000 markers a day and earning them over $10 million in sales every year.
