‘Coolest Thing’ contest features record entries
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The Indiana Chamber of Commerce on Friday unveiled the list of entrants in this year’s Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana competition. A record 90 companies from more than 50 cities are taking part in this year’s event, nearly double the field from last year.
The online, bracket-style tournament allows Hoosiers to vote for their favorites in the contest, which runs through early December.
“With all the great makers and re-manufacturers entered this year, winning–or even making it to the final four–won’t be easy,” Chamber CEO Vanessa Green Sinders said in a news release. “The awesome competition is what makes this event great and it’s helping put the spotlight on all these fantastic companies across Indiana.”
The chamber has provided a list of the entrants and the products they make. Sinders said the goal of the contest is “to showcase the wide variety of manufacturing taking place in the state that has helped our economy thrive.”
To participate in the contest, a company does not need to be headquartered in Indiana, but their product must be manufactured in the state. Companies are limited to one product nomination for the contest.
The companies participating in this year’s competition are:
- 80/20 LLC / Columbia City
- A & A Sheet Metal Products, Inc. / La Porte
- A Rosie Place for Children / South Bend
- Angry Sturgeon Lures / English
- Antique Candle Co. / Lafayette
- Anu / Evansville
- Aqua Blast Corp / Decatur
- ATC Mobility / Roanoke
- Bear Wallow Distillery / Nashville
- Blue Fox Farms LLC / Wawaka
- Bond Technologies / Elkhart
- Boston Scientific / Spencer
- Brinly-Hardy Company / Jeffersonville
- Clabber Girl / Terre Haute
- Cold Hard Art / Brownsburg
- Comfort Option / Greenfield
- Country Roads Coffee / Albion
- Crown Broadcast / Elkhart
- Dabico A-Bridge LLC / Indianapolis
- Dannar / Muncie
- Déjà Vu Art and Fine Craft Show / Columbus
- Dishmaster Faucet / Mitchell
- Electric Jet Aircraft / Pendleton
- Endress+Hauser / Greenwood
- FloorBond / Noblesville
- Foamnasium / Greenfield
- Fort Wayne Metals / Fort Wayne
- Gator / Columbia City
- GE Aerospace – Lafayette Engine Facility / Lafayette
- GE Healthcare / Noblesville
- GEN-Y Hitch / Nappanee
- Goshen Brewing Co. / Goshen
- Guardian Bikes / Seymour
- Hard Truth Distillery / Nashville
- Harpsicle Harps / Rising Sun
- Heartland Footwear, Inc. / South Bend
- Henry Holsters / Spencer
- Hiker Trailers / Columbus
- Hitachi Global Air Power / Michigan City
- Honda Indiana Auto Plant / Greensburg
- Hudson Aquatic Systems LLC / Angola
- Institute for Affordable Transportation / Indianapolis
- iO HVAC Controls / Indianapolis
- J. Carmody Incorporated dba Applicables / Indianapolis
- Kidstuff Playsystems, Inc. / Gary
- Kimball International / Jasper
- KMC Controls / New Paris
- Kraft Heinz / Kendallville
- KW Custom Controls LLC / South Bend
- L3Harris Technologies, Inc. / Fort Wayne
- Labcorp / Indianapolis
- Lafayette Instrument / Lafayette
- Laidig Systems / Mishawaka
- Lambright Country Chimes LLC / Shipshewana
- LM Leather Goods / Anderson
- Maker13 / Jeffersonville
- Marion-Kay Spices / Brownstown
- Marsha’s Specialty Desserts & Tierney’s Catering / Avon
- Middle Davids Artisan Candles & Gifts / Franklin
- Noble Industries / Noblesville
- Not Just Popcorn / Edinburgh
- Original Tractor Cab Co., Inc. / Arlington
- Orion Safety Products / Peru
- Pavashot / Woodburn
- Polygon Company / Walkerton
- Polywood / Syracuse
- Practical Products / Lafayette
- Project R3D LLC / Demotte
- QuickFreeze® / Fort Wayne
- Red Hill Fiber Mill LLC / French Lick
- Riverside Mfg. LLC / Huntertown
- Rolls-Royce North America / Indianapolis
- Room / Huntingburg
- ShedEscape Designs / Bloomfield
- Silver Star Leather / Shipshewana
- Smoker Craft, Inc. / New Paris
- SpaceGuard Products / Seymour
- Standard Locknut LLC / Westfield
- Stant USA Corp / Connersville
- Stella-Jones / Winslow
- Tactile Engineering / Lafayette
- TermoDyne / Elkhart
- Thomas & Skinner, Inc. / Indianapolis
- Toyota Material Handling Heavy Duty / East Chicago
- Tyler Truss Systems / Pendleton
- Urschel / Chesterton
- Wag’n Tails Mobile Conversions / Granger
- Wheelin Water LLC / New Haven
- Wood-Mizer / Batesville and Indianapolis
- Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers / Greenfield
The top finishers from the contest will be presented at the 2024 Best IN Manufacturing Awards Luncheon on Dec. 11 in downtown Indianapolis.
Hoosier Racing Tire in Plymouth won last year’s competition for its racing tire. Previous winners include Maple Leaf Farms in Leesburg for its roast half duck, and Janus Motorcycles in Goshen.