Bert DuMars Vice President E-Business & Interactive Marketing Newell Rubbermaid

Last week I announced a new weekly series here on where we will ask office supply industry experts for their insight into what are cool or “must have” office supplies for them.  Being that these folks have extensive knowledge of the industry, I thought it would be fun to find out what products they rely on to get the job done at their desks.  Our first participant in this series is Bert DuMars, Vice President of E-Business & Interactive Marketing at Newell Rubbermaid.  I think we all know Newell Rubbermaid for some of their great office products such as Sharpie, Uniball, PaperMate, Expo, and Waterman.

Bert DuMars is Vice President E-Business and Interactive Marketing for Newell Rubbermaid.  He joined Newell Rubbermaid in 2007 and is responsible for directing and coordinating E-Marketing, Ecommerce, Mobile Marketing and Social Media Marketing initiatives for Newell Rubbermaid’s externally-facing online efforts. Prior to joining Newell Rubbermaid, Mr. DuMars held leadership positions in technology, strategy and marketing at the Internal Revenue Service, Trend Micro, Intel, Dell and Southern California Edison.  Mr. DuMars earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Pomona College in 1984 and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business in 1996.  Now that we know a little more about Bert, lets take a look at what he has identified as his top three office supplies, and hear what he has to say about what makes these particular office supplies so important to him.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that we gave Bert a limit of only selecting one product from the Newell Rubbermaid product line.

A Nice Photo of Bert’s Stainless Steel Sharpie at His Desk

1. The Stainless Steel Sharpie Marker or Sharpie Premium – {Full Disclosure – Sharpie is a Newell Rubbermaid brand}

This is my favorite Sharpie Marker because it is an elegant product that looks great and works perfectly.  I like the classic look of the brushed aluminum and etched Sharpie logo.  I also like that it is refillable.  Not only do I love using this marker, I also give them out as gifts to friends, family, my kids teachers and business associates.  I like to describe them as a little piece of luxury for under $10.

Bert’s Stainless Steel Sharpie, Swingline Stapler, and Moleskine Notebook

2. Swingline Model 747 Black Stapler

I love this stapler because it is a simple and rugged design that not only works flawlessly for me but also looks beautiful on my desk.  I like the fact it has weight to it, feels solid and, most important of all, staples efficiently and effectively.

3. Moleskine Pocket Plain Notebook

I like the Moleskine notebooks because they are small enough to carry around in my coat pocket and ready and available when I need to take notes, jot down an idea or draw a diagram.  I would describe them as elegant and sophisticated but most important of all, practical.

So there you have it, now you have a little bit of insight into what’s on the desk of an executive who is actually part of the office supply industry.  Are these some of your favorites as well?  I know he hit on one of my favorites, the Stainless Steel Sharpie, which I even selected as my best new office supply product last year.

Big thanks to Bert, for agreeing to help kick off this series.  In addition to helping us out with this new series, Bert has been a great friend to the blog over the last two years by helping to answer reader questions and spread the word about some of our reviews.  The following links are where you can find Bert on Twitter – @bwdumars, on FaceBook, and also on LinkedIn.

Dont forget to check back next Tuesday to see who our next office supply industry expert is, and what office supplies make their list.

©2015, Brian Greene. All rights reserved.