INDIANA — With entries and anticipation at all-time highs, the Indiana Chamber’s fourth annual Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana online tournament is underway. New in 2024, the Indiana Chamber is joined by the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC) in putting on the program.
Here is who entered locally:
- Dishmaster Faucet / Mitchell
- ShedEscape Designs / Bloomfield
- Marion-Kay Spices / Brownstown
- Hiker Trailers / Columbus
- Déjà Vu Art and Fine Craft Show / Columbus
- Not Just Popcorn / Edinburgh
- Angry Sturgeon Lures / English
- Red Hill Fiber Mill LLC / French Lick
- Kimball International / Jasper
- Bear Wallow Distillery / Nashville
- Hard Truth Distillery / Nashville
- Guardian Bikes / Seymour
- SpaceGuard Products / Seymour
- Henry Holsters / Spencer
- Boston Scientific / Spencer
There were a record 90 entrants from more than 50 cities, nearly doubling the field from last year. The contestants, matchups, and phenomenal products (with descriptions) can now be seen on the event’s website. Fans and followers of the competitors can participate in 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 makes this event great, and it’s helping spotlight all these fantastic companies across Indiana.”
The contest’s goal 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 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.”
The contest is free to enter. A company does not need to be headquartered in Indiana to participate, 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: October 31-November 5
- Round 2: November 6-11
- Round 3: November 12-15
- Round 4: November 16-21
- Round 5: November 22-26
- Semis: November 27 – December 2
- Finals: December 3-5
Last year, Hoosier Racing Tire was crowned 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 December 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
