Inventor has made his mark in city that inspires him.

Working for Warburg Realty Partnership, one of New York City's most respected residential real estate services groups, has not changed the fun loving, adventure seeking, Burt Rubin, associate broker by day and world-famous inventor by night.

Based at the firm's Murray Hill office located just south of Grand Central Terminal, Rubin specializes in the sale of townhouses, cooperatives and condominiums. He's sold hundreds of properties over a real estate career spanning over 20 years and built a reputation that earned him a top broker title from New York Magazine.

Not only does he work in Murray Hill, Rubin also lives there. He's an active member of his community, serving as a Trustee of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association (MHNA).

"I've found that the people who work within walking distance of their homes are much more successful and lead happier lives," said Rubin as he looked out of his window across the tree-lined street in front of PS116; trees which he helped plant. Along with MHNA, Rubin sponsored and installed five planters and tulips that were planted on Earth Day in front of the school, earning him the nickname 'Tree Man' from the children. Another addition to Murray Hill that Rubin is proud to have a hand in was the opening of Murray Hill farmers market in July 2005.

"I have lived here for over 30 years, and I have been a real estate broker for over 20," he said. "Living [in Murray Hill] allows me to be an expert at what I do. If I tell a client with children, for example, that this year PS 116 won the National Chess Championships, I would think that would be more interesting then to just say it's a good school," he said.

"I know the nuances of my neighborhood, the buildings and the people throughout the area."

According to Rubin, because brokering itself is a creative business, it allows room for versatility, which he has taken full advantage of.

In the early 70s, after having already launched a career in real estate, Rubin developed his first invention that would go onto become one of the most common selling brands in the nation--e-z wider cigarette papers.

Along with partner Robert Stiller--who now owns Green Mountain Coffee based in the UK--Rubin set up the e-z wider company in 1978 and grossed over $7 million in sales.

"By the time we sold the company, we had sold 78 million booklets," recalled Rubin, who said disagreements over the future of the business' growth ultimately led to its sale. The experience, though, had already sparked the desire in Rubin to produce helpful gadgets and it wasn't long before he started another company with a telescope he invented after reading an article about record telescope sales the last time Halley's Comet passed the earth.

Rubin invented an easy-to-use telescope, calling it the Halleyscope, and founded Halley Optical Corporation in New York. Although he sold 75,000 Halleyscopes, the company floundered and Rubin ultimately lost a lot of the money he had made through e-z wider.

"They are all part of my experience in life and I wouldn't be right were I am if it weren't for those experiences. Good judgment comes from experience, and bad experience comes from bad judgment," he joked.

He decided to return to school and completed his undergraduate degree in Economics at the NYU's Stern School of Business before going on to law school. After two years, Rubin said he realized he had no desire to spend his lifetime arguing with people and so he switched paths and began studying real estate at NYU.

His first real estate job was at Edward S. Gordon which was subsequently bought by Insignia, at the time one of the biggest private commercial real estate firms in the world.

The inventor in him resurfaced in 1991 when he created the Evo Pen, a miniature kidney shaped pen that fits naturally in your hand and is meant to relieve writing cramps.

"My first customer for Evo Pen was the Museum of Modern Art," said Rubin, who added that that invention has now been on the market for 13 years and is sold in hundreds of museums around the world.

The Evo Pen has been featured in countless publications and has been commended by the Arthritis Foundation.

He said his passion for inventing stems from a desire to make life easier for people. "Most things can always be improved upon and if I felt there was a way I could make things better or easier for people through my invention, I would go ahead with it."

Rubin has traveled to nearly 70 nations around the world, seeking inspiration for both is inventions and his life. He has walked the Himalayas and visited 14 Buddhist Monasteries, and he's currently planning a trip to camp in the deserts of Mongolia and Siberia so that he can watch the solar eclipse in August 2008.

But he admits that through everything, his mind is never far from real estate.

"When I travel, I talk to people about the real estate in their city, because you never know what deals may come of it as time goes by."

No matter where his travels or inventions have led him in life, he has remained faithful to his true love, New York City, where his role as a broker and inventor has existed in harmony all these years.

"Both careers have limitations," said Rubin. "There is defined space when you show an apartment and I think I can understand that space better. Just like with the Evo Pen, if it is meant to fit in the hand, it can't be bigger than the hand."