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About The Markerboard People

About The Markerboard People

Family owned and made in the USA since 1982, we specialize in the original non-porous surface dry erase boards and accessories. Unlike other boards that quickly deteriorate due to semi-porous surfaces, our dry erase boards deliver our commitment to premium quality and durability. Even better? We stand behind our craftsmanship with a satisfaction guarantee.

1982

The year Hal built the first board

40+

Years serving educators

100%

Boards, markers and erasers made in the USA

Never

Our surface will not permanently stain. Guaranteed.

Durable + Premium

Routed edges and rounded corners, built to survive a classroom for years.

Multi-Functional

Lined on one side, blank on the other. Two boards in one.

Unique Designs

Graphing, handwriting, ten-frames, music staves. If you need a layout we don't stock, we'll print it.

Family Owned + Operated

Started by Hal and Liz Spaeth. Still run by the family, still in Lansing.

Personalized Customer Care

Call us and a person answers. Not a queue, not a form.

Our Story

Our Story

Hal and Liz Spaeth started The Markerboard People in Lansing, Michigan, and it is still family owned and operated today. Hal comes from a family of educators. They are both passionate about education.

Hal noticed that students struggled to erase pencil and correct their papers. When a child tore a page trying to fix a mistake, the paper was the problem, not the child. He wanted a better way.

More than forty years later we are still here, still in Lansing, still making our printed boards, markers and erasers in the United States and selling them factory direct to schools and educators across the country.

Four decades of firsts

  1. 1982

    Two boards in one

    Hal's first response board was double-sided, in two sizes: 8"x11" and 11"x16". One side smooth, white and non-porous, for dry erase markers or crayons. The other textured, black and non-porous, for chalk. Both sides wiped clean with a soft cloth.

    "Like getting two boards in one," he said.

  2. Who invented the student dry erase board?

    It is not known for certain who invented the first Student Dry Erase Boards. It appears that Hal was the first, but Clyde Connell from Tyler, Texas also presented his Response Boards around the same time.

  3. A first that stuck

    Permanent guidelines

    Later Hal became the first to put permanent guidelines on a dry erase board. The lines were etched and locked into the surface, and he guaranteed they would never come off. We still guarantee it.

  4. Double-sided, as standard

    Hal was also the first to make double-sided whiteboards. That is now what we specialize in: non-porous, double-sided student boards, lined on one side and blank on the other.

  5. Proof by giveaway

    At national education trade shows we hand our boards to teachers to take back to their schools and keep. We would rather you find out from a term of classroom use than from a sales pitch.

  6. Today

    Factory direct from Lansing

    We ship factory direct from Lansing to schools, districts and businesses across the country.

Meet Our Team

Family owned since 1982, and small enough that the person who answers the phone is on this page.

  • Hal Spaeth

    Founder, Owner

  • Josh Struble

    Operations Manager

  • Jason Lightner

    Head Account Specialist

  • Charles Brooks

    Shipping Manager

  • Joshua Scott

    Head Graphic Designer

  • James Courtney

    Eraser Specialist

  • Nate Iversen

    Graphic Department Manager

  • Oran McCauley

    Inventory Manager

Our Mission

Our mission is simple: make your job as an educator easier.

Student boards work because they make thinking visible. Ask a question, and thirty answers come up at once. You can see who has it and who doesn't before the lesson moves on. Students treat the boards as something closer to play than to a worksheet, which is most of why they participate.

Our boards are routed and cornered for safety, and built to hold up in classrooms with students of any age for years with reasonable care. Our prices are low because you are buying from the factory. And when you call, a person answers.

We guarantee your satisfaction.

We've spent over 40 years building boards for classrooms — and we're just as happy to build one for your business, whatever size it is.

We can do custom work for your business

We have spent forty years printing boards for classrooms, and we are just as happy to print one for your company. Tell us what you need and we will quote it.

Hours

Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Eastern time.
West Coast: phones and email 5am to 5pm.

800-DRY-ERASE

800-379-3727

Email

Feedback@DryErase.com

BBB Accredited

Accredited since 1998. Read our BBB review.

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