Dri Mark | Made on Long Island

A Long Island company has been proudly making markers in the USA since the 1970s.

Fabric and metallic markers, ones to make temporary tattoos, mark your wine glass and even remove excess nail polish are just some of the varieties made by Dri Mark. It all takes place inside a 50,000-square-foot warehouse in Bethpage.

But this wasn't always the case. The company imported products from Japan until the 1970s. CEO Charles Reichmann and his family purchased Dri Mark as a way to bring manufacturing back to the states.

Dri Mark employees 40 people from 20 countries. They manufacture 200,000 markers a day and see over $10 million in sales each year. President and CFO Cathy Williams Owen says making the marker is a very intricate process. She says markers are made of six components: barrel, cap, plug, filler, nib, and ink.

Plastic resin goes through overhead pipes. A color cartridge mixes in the color. With the right amount of pressure and heat, each part of the marker is carefully made. It then goes to assembly. A machine does the screen printing and then the markers get packaged. 

Dri Mark products are sold in tens of thousands of stores throughout the country including Walmart and Staples.

The counterfeit detector markers are the best seller. Many stores have transitioned to the pens with UV lights to combat the more sophisticated counterfeiters. Each denomination has a different color strip. For instance, the $50 color is yellow. It's just to the right of Grant.

Larry Henderson is the chemical compounder. He says special quality control tests are done to make sure the markers are airtight. Batches are also sent out for heavy metal testing. The man behind the mixing has been with the company for almost three decades.

The company's goal is to continue coming up with new innovative products while leaving their mark on Long Island.