Southern Indiana Business Report
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Coolest Thing Made in Indiana tournament is down to the Sweet 16. Public fan voting is now underway in the third round, with companies representing 15 communities from around the state.
The Coolest Thing Made in Indiana contest is designed to celebrates the state’s rich manufacturing history, and it’s sponsored by MCM CPAs & Advisors. Online voting for the competition takes place at www.indianachamber.com/coolestthing. Voting for the Sweet 16 round ends Sunday, Jan. 30. Overall voting will end Feb. 14.
In the single-elimination bracket, each winner goes to the next round until the Coolest Thing Made in Indiana champion is crowned. The competition started with 65 companies from nearly 50 locations in 35 counties.
With thousands of votes cast in each round-of-32 matchup, two of the battles were decided by less than 25 votes, according to the Indiana Chamber.
“We encourage the remaining entrants to continue to get the word out to their employees, customers and partners, to local media and on their social media accounts to rally support for their product. A little extra effort may make the difference in moving on to the next round,” said Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar.
The Sweet 16 field is comprised of the following manufacturers, listed with the product entered and their location:
- Anchor Industries – fire shelters (Evansville)
- Birthday Chocolates – birthday chocolate candy (Greens Fork)
- ChefsFridge Co. – ArcticRx, #VaccinEquity in a box (Anderson)
- Coal Iron Works – forging presses (Anderson)
- Glasses Gripper – glasses gripper (Decatur)
- Hoosier Bat Co. – wood baseball bats used in Major League Baseball (Valparaiso)
- Hudson Aquatic Systems LLC – underwater treadmills for dogs, horses and humans (Angola)
- Janus Motorcycles – production motorcycle (Goshen)
- Lafayette Instrument Co. – LX6 polygraph instrument (Lafayette)
- Old 55 Distillery – bottled-in-bond 100% sweet corn bourbon (Newtown)
- Trek Container Pools – shipping container pools (Anderson)
- Valeo Thermal Commercial Vehicles – UV purifier (Elkhart)
- Wag’n Tails Mobile Conversions – mobile pet grooming salons and veterinary clinics (South Bend)
- Warm Glow Candle Company – candles (Centerville)
- Wheelin’ Water – portable hydration sports equipment; used by Kansas City Chiefs (Fort Wayne)
- Wood-Mizer – portable sawmills; various uses include building houses and making baseball bats (Batesville and Indianapolis)
Learn more about each product at www.indianachamber.com/coolestthing.
Entry in 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. The initial matchups were generated via an online randomizer for fairness.
The champion will be announced Feb. 15 at the Indiana Chamber’s Chamber Day Event at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.
Big plans for Feb. 15 event
J.C. Watts, a conservative leader with a passion for health care, education and national security, will be the featured speaker at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Day Dinner.
Watts has held many roles in his career including Oklahoma congressman, chairman of the House Republican Conference, co-chairman of the 2000 Republican National Convention, chairman of the Black News Channel, ordained minister, college quarterback and two-time author.
“This Chamber Day Dinner will be loaded with excitement,” said Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar. “J.C. Watts will certainly shed some light on the matters of the day that are most on people’s mind, and it will be great to celebrate the Coolest Thing Made in Indiana winner and the other finalists.”
Chamber Day Dinner tickets are $250 per person or $165 for Indiana Chamber members; tables are also available. Visit www.indianachamber.com/event/chamberday to purchase.
The reception sponsor is Amazon. Gold sponsors are Eli Lilly and Company, Indiana State University, NIPSCO and The National Bank of Indianapolis.
Silver sponsors are American Chemistry Council, AT&T Indiana, Charter Spectrum TV/Internet/Voice, Delta Dental of Indiana, First Merchants Bank, French Lick Resort, Hoosiers Work for Health, IGT Indiana, Keystone Group & Indy Eleven, Old National Bank, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Ruoff Mortgage, Smithville, and The Kroger Co.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Jim Wagner at [email protected].