INDIANA – After thousands of votes cast, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s second Coolest Thing Made in Indiana tournament – which celebrates the state’s rich manufacturing history – is nearing the home stretch with the quarterfinalists now set.
Companies still in the field are:
- Hard Truth Distilling Co. in Nashville
- Hiker Trailers in Columbus
- Grinds Coffee Pouches in Westfield;
- Hudson Aquatic Systems LLC in Angola
- Kidstuff Play Systems in Gary
- Maple Leaf Farms in Leesburg
- Polywood in Syracuse
- Wag’n Tails Mobile Conversions in Granger/South Bend.
The tournament kicked off with 54 companies representing 43 communities.
Public fan voting for the quarterfinal round is now underway and ends November 18 at 10 p.m. EST. In the single-elimination bracket, each winner goes to the next round until the Coolest Thing Made in Indiana champion is crowned. To learn more about the manufacturers remaining in the competition and to cast your online vote, visit www.indianachamber.com/coolestthing.
The tournament concludes on November 30. The champion will be announced on December 14 at the Indiana Chamber’s Best IN Manufacturing Luncheon, which also features the first honorees in the Indiana Best Places to Work in Manufacturing program.
Coolest Thing Made in Indiana sponsors are spirit sponsor Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP); gold sponsor Gibson; and silver sponsors Evonik Corporation, Insperity, Nucor Steel Indiana, SMC Corporation of America, and The Horton Group.
Entry into the tournament 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.
For fairness, the initial matchups were generated via an online randomizer, notes the Indiana Chamber.
