INDIANA — Hoosier Racing Tire of Plymouth captured the top honor in the Indiana Chamber’s third annual Coolest Thing Made in Indiana competition.
Hoosier Racing Tire, which is known globally for its auto racing tires, beat Nashville-based Hard Truth Distilling Company, which entered its Maple Bourbon Cream, in the final. The results were announced at today’s 2023 Best IN Manufacturing Awards Luncheon.
The contest started with 47 competitors from 38 Hoosier communities, and interest remained high with thousands of votes cast in each round.
“This competition continues to garner strong interest from around the state and showcases Indiana’s deep manufacturing roots,” says Indiana Chamber CEO Kevin Brinegar. “Looking at this field of competitors and the array of awe-inspiring products they entered, it’s easy to see the unparalleled quality of producers in this state from South Bend to Evansville and Terre Haute to Richmond and everywhere in between.”
Founded in 1957 in an abandoned South Bend horse barn, Hoosier Racing Tire was the brainchild of race car driver Bob Newton and his wife, Joyce, who decided to begin producing their race tires by re-treading street tires with softer compounds. Having grown to produce more than 1,000 types of race tires, Hoosier Racing Tire is now the largest race tire manufacturer in the world. The company has its 300-mph test wheel; a technology center; state-of-the-art, fully integrated production facilities; and a high-tech mixing plant.
Joining Hoosier Racing Tire and Hard Truth Distilling Company in the semi-final round were Blue Fox Farms, a producer of dormant native plant roots in Wawaka, and Guardian Bikes, a maker of safe and innovative children’s bicycles in Seymour. Rounding out the top eight: Hiker Trailers, of Columbus; POLYWOOD, of Syracuse; Birthday Chocolates, of Greens Fork; and Aqua Blast Corp., of Decatur.
“Indiana is fortunate to be home to companies that grow and make all kinds of things,” Brinegar stresses. “We are thrilled to recognize and bring attention to some of the state’s best and most innovative manufacturers. We especially congratulate Hoosier Racing Tire on its well-deserved victory. Besting this elite field of makers is no easy feat.”
An online randomizer generated the initial Coolest Thing Made in Indiana matchups, with online public voting determining the winners in each round. There was no entry fee to participate.
Janus Motorcycles of Goshen took top honors in the inaugural competition and the Indiana Chamber honored Leesburg-based Maple Leaf Farms for its roast half duck in the subsequent Coolest Thing Made in Indiana tournament.
The second annual Indiana’s Best Places to Work in Manufacturing program saw 17 companies recognized with Kalenborn Abresist Corporation of Urbana repeating as the champion. The Wabash County company develops and manufactures custom solutions for the protection of industrial facilities from wear and impact damage to ensure the proper flow of materials in the production process.
“Manufacturing workplaces must adhere to various safety and other regulations in addition to being profitable businesses,” Brinegar offers. “So it’s a challenging endeavor to be a top workplace, but these Hoosier companies are going above and beyond.”
“Kalenborn Abresist was so impressive once again in reclaiming the No. 1 position. The company is treating its employees the right way.”
The 2023 Indiana Best Places to Work in Manufacturing companies range in Hoosier employee count from 32 to nearly 930. The list by ranking:
- Kalenborn Abresist Corporation in Urbana
- Warsaw Chemical Holdings in Warsaw
- CrossPoint Polymer Technologies in Evansville
- Nix Companies in Poseyville
- Nexxt Spine LLC in Noblesville
- IBC Materials & Technologies in Lebanon
- Kimball Electronics in Jasper
- High Performance Alloys, Inc. in Tipton
- AMPG in Indianapolis
- POLYWOOD in Syracuse
- Viewrail in Goshen
- Wieland Designs in Goshen
- SMC Corporation of America in Noblesville
- IBC Coatings Technologies in Lebanon
- Functional Devices in Sharpsville
- Joyce/Dayton Corp. in Portland
- DD Dannar in Muncie
Recognized Best Places companies were determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. The Workforce Research Group handled the selection process.
Learn more about Indiana’s Best Places to Work in Manufacturing in the current issue of BizVoice magazine at www.bizvoicemagazine.com.
The Coolest Thing Made in Indiana and Indiana Best Places to Work in Manufacturing programs are supported by spirit sponsor Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Purdue MEP); platinum sponsor Talent Resource Navigator; gold sponsor Kalenborn Abresist Corporation; and silver sponsors Evonik Corporation and Tippecanoe Labs and Joyce/Dayton Corp.
