Exhibit 99.1


                                        Kathleen S. Dvorak
                                        Sr. Vice President, Investor Relations
                                          and Financial Administration
                                                       or
                                        Randall W. Larrimore
                                        President and Chief Executive Officer
                                        United Stationers Inc.
                                        (847) 699-5000


                              FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


         UNITED STATIONERS INC. ELECTS ZOGHLIN TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

     DES PLAINES, Ill., Nov. 21, 2000--United Stationers Inc. (Nasdaq: USTR),
announced today that Alex D. Zoghlin has joined its board of directors.

     Zoghlin, 30, is chief technology officer of Orbitz, a consumer-oriented
travel industry portal backed by many of the world's leading airlines, including
American, United, Delta, Northwest and Continental. Before joining Orbitz,
Zoghlin founded then later sold Sportsgear.com, a business-to-business sporting
goods enterprise. Prior to this, Zoghlin was the founder and chief executive
officer for Neoglyphics Media Corporation, a leading Web developer serving
"Fortune 500" companies, selected government and non-profit organizations. Under
Zoghlin's leadership, Neoglyphics was responsible for putting some very
high-profile companies--General Motors, Ford, Citibank and Sears--on the Web.

     "We are very pleased to have Alex on our board," stated Randall Larrimore,
president and chief executive officer of United Stationers. "His credentials and
reputation as an innovator, a successful leader, and an astute technology
strategist are extremely impressive. We look forward to the contributions he
will make in guiding United Stationers' e-commerce initiatives."

     In 1997, Zoghlin was honored as one of four winners of the KPMG Illinois
High Tech Award for contributing to the advancement of high technology business
in Illinois. In 1998, he won Sears, Roebuck and Co.'s "Partner In Progress"
award. Zoghlin also has been profiled in CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS as one of "The
100 Most Influential Technology Players". He attended the University of Illinois
at Urbana/Champaign, where he worked toward a double degree in Asian studies and
statistical economics, and was nominated for a Rhodes scholarship. He co-wrote
the first Internet Web server and has an honorary Ph.D. from the University of
Gothenburg in Sweden for his work on transactional theory and the Internet.
Zoghlin served four years of active duty in the United States Navy as a
cryptography specialist. He currently serves on UNICEF's board.

ABOUT UNITED STATIONERS

     United Stationers Inc., with trailing 12-month sales of $3.8 billion, is
North America's largest distributor of business products to resellers. Its
integrated computer-based distribution system makes more than 35,000 items
available to 20,000 resellers. United is able to ship products within 24 hours
of order placement because of its 39 United Stationers Supply Co. regional
distribution centers, 21 Lagasse distribution centers that serve the janitorial
and sanitation industry, six Azerty distribution centers that serve computer
supply resellers, three distribution centers that serve the Canadian
marketplace, and a dedicated distribution center that will service clients of
THE ORDER PEOPLE. Its focus on fulfillment excellence has given the company a
98+ percent order fill rate, a 99.5 percent order accuracy rate, and a 99
percent on-time delivery rate. For more information, visit
WWW.UNITEDSTATIONERS.COM.

     The company's common stock trades on the Nasdaq National Market System
under the symbol USTR and is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index.


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