Henry Ford. Thomas Alva Edison. Adr

Henry Ford. Thomas Alva Edison. Adrian
Chernoff. Adrian Chernoff? Maybe Chernoff
isn’t a household name like the first two inventors, but the 33-year-old Royal Oak, Michigan,
man certainly shows potential. Chernoff’s claim
to fame—a handy little office product called
Rubber Bandits—started gracing the shelves of
every Staples store in North America a few
years ago. The labelling bands, which retail at
$2.99, also have their own Web site and can be
purchased online through Staples.
The General Motors Corp. employee was
one of the finalists in an annual Staples’ Invention Quest. The contest is part of a broad effort
by Staples to develop an exclusive product line
to distinguish its private brand from those of
competitors. Inaugurated several years ago,
the contest is aimed at budding inventors looking to create the next Post-it note or better.