With entries and anticipation at all-time highs, the Indiana Chamber’s fourth annual Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana online tournament is now underway. New in 2024, the Indiana Chamber is joined by the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC) in sponsoring the program.
A record 90 entrants from more than 50 cities are in the running, nearly doubling the field from last year. The contestants, matchups and vast array of phenomenal products (with descriptions) can now be seen on the event’s website. Fans and followers of the competitors can be part of the competition by voting online at www.indianachamber.com/coolestthing. Voters must vote for all matchups in any given round in which they vote.
The IDDC’s “IN Indiana” marketing campaign is incorporated into the contest, which is run like a single-elimination, Hoosier Hysteria-style tournament.
“With all the great makers and re-manufacturers entered this year, winning – or even making it to the final four – won’t be easy,” shares Vanessa Green Sinders, Indiana Chamber president and CEO. “The awesome competition is what makes this event great and it’s helping put the spotlight on all these fantastic companies across Indiana.”
The goal of the contest is “to showcase the wide variety of manufacturing taking place in the state that has helped our economy thrive,” Sinders adds.
“Indiana’s great quality of life starts with the opportunities that are available to our residents,” says Elaine Bedel, IDDC secretary and CEO. “Indiana’s evolving manufacturing industry employs roughly 527,000 Hoosiers, and we are thrilled to join the Indiana Chamber in telling the story of a few of these incredible manufacturers.”
Entry in the contest is free. To participate, a company did not need to be headquartered in Indiana, but the product entered must be manufactured in the state. Companies are limited to having one product nominated for entry.
The tournament, which features seven rounds, concludes in early December. Round one features 26 matchups, with the winners populating the traditional 64-field bracket for round two. Due to the number of entrants, some companies received byes into the second round. For fairness, matchups were determined through an online randomizer.
Below is the voting period for each round; all times noted are in Eastern Time. Rounds conclude at 9 p.m. with a 9 a.m. start time for rounds two through to the finals.
Round 1: Oct. 31-Nov. 5
Round 2: Nov. 6-11
Round 3: Nov. 12-15
Round 4: Nov. 16-21
Round 5: Nov. 22-26
Semis: Nov. 27-Dec. 2
Finals: Dec. 3-5
Last year, Hoosier Racing Tire was crowned as the producer of the Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana for its racing tire. Janus Motorcycles of Goshen took top honors in the inaugural competition, and in 2022, the Indiana Chamber honored Maple Leaf Farms of Leesburg for its roast half duck.
Awards for this year’s top finishers will be presented at the 2024 Best IN Manufacturing Awards Luncheon on Dec. 11 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.
The Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana and Best IN Manufacturing endeavors are supported by spirit sponsor Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Purdue MEP), with gold sponsor Kalenborn Abresist Corporation and silver sponsors Evonik Tippecanoe Laboratories and Kimball Electronics Jasper.
The full list of the companies making the 2024 Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana, in alphabetical order with location:
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
