LINCOLN — The top 16 products that will be competing in the third annual “Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska” bracket-style contest were announced Tuesday, and public voting is to start Sept. 11.
Voting for the first round will continue online until Sept. 22. Advanced rounds of head-to-head matchups will follow through the beginning of October, leading into the annual celebration of Manufacturing Month in the state.
Hosted by the Nebraska Manufacturing Alliance and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the contest has become a popular way to bring awareness to Nebraska’s diverse and abundant manufacturing sector, said Mike Johnson, chief operating officer and executive vice president of manufacturing for the Nebraska Chamber.
“It’s so impressive to see all of the incredible things made right here in Nebraska,” said Johnson.
More than 100,000 Nebraskans work daily in manufacturing, organizers said.
All Nebraskans are invited to vote for their favorite product manufactured in Nebraska until a champion emerges. The 2024 winner is to be announced Oct. 29 at the Manufacturing Summit in La Vista, organized by the Nebraska Chamber.
Finalists will be invited to display their products at the summit.
The original 16 products slated to kick off the tournament were selected from a pool of about 65 entries. A Leadership Nebraska alumni group of statewide business and nonprofit representatives narrowed that field of nominees, and now the public will vote in the winner.
The products that made it to the top 16 and their manufacturers:
- Valley Center Pivot, Valley Irrigation – A Valmont Company, Valley.
- Barrel Aged Lord of Ord, Scratchtown Brewing Company, Ord.
- Toilet Paper, Outlook Nebraska, Omaha.
- Autonomous Feed Truck, ALA Engineering, Scottsbluff.
- 9mm Luger +P Critical Duty, Hornady, Grand Island.
- Conti SilentSync, ContiTech, Lincoln.
- Hand-Painted Wallpaper, Vahallan, Lincoln.
- Convertible Checkout Counter, Lozier, Omaha.
- Grandma’s Fruitcake, Beatrice Bakery Company, Beatrice.
- Sugar, Western Sugar Cooperative, Scottsbluff.
- Insulin Syringes, Embecta, Holdrege.
- Automated Meat Processing System, Marble Technologies, Lincoln.
- USB Charger, Lester Electrical, Lincoln.
- Simply Sunflower Oil, Simply Sunflower, Ord.
- BonnaVilla Modular Home, Chief Industries, Aurora.
- MIRA – miniRAS, Virtual Incision, Lincoln.
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