Lincoln, Neb. — The field in the Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska competition has been set. Tens of thousands of votes were cast in the first round, shrinking the field from 16 products to eight.
The following Nebraska manufacturers and their products are among the top eight contenders.
• 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
• Hand-Painted Wallpaper, Vahallan, Lincoln
• Convertible Checkout Counter, Lozier, Omaha
• Insulin Syringes, embecta, Holdrege
Descriptions of each product and its manufacturer can be found here.
Public voting for the top eight products in the bracket-style competition is now open and will be held Wednesday, September 25, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, September 29. Manufacturers, students and all Nebraskans are invited to vote for their favorite product manufactured in Nebraska each week here. Each voter is permitted one vote per matchup, per round.
“It’s exciting to watch the votes roll in and see results begin to take shape,” said Mike Johnson, NE Chamber COO & EVP of Manufacturing. “These eight products are all so unique and perfectly represent the diversity of Nebraska’s Manufacturing sector.”
The contest, hosted by the NE Manufacturing Alliance and powered by the NE Chamber, celebrates the state’s thriving manufacturing industry with Nebraska residents, students, educators, community leaders, manufacturers and especially, the more than 100,000 Nebraska makers working in manufacturing every day.
The tournament leads Nebraskans into the annual celebration of NE Manufacturing Month this October. The Coolest Thing will be announced October 29 at the NE Chamber’s Manufacturing Summit in La Vista, where the top 16 finalists are invited to display their products.
About NE Manufacturing Alliance
Five statewide manufacturing groups have pledged to coordinate efforts to grow manufacturing and STEM workforce in Nebraska over the next decade. The Alliance aims to bring efficiency and alignment to various programs through new research, policy advocacy, and strengthened partnerships. Learn more at
nemanufacturingalliance.com.
