Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS — And then there were eight. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Coolest Thing Made in Indiana tournament is hitting the home stretch with the quarterfinalists set. The competitors represent nine communities from around the state.
The Coolest Thing Made in Indiana contest, which is intended to celebrate the state’s manufacturing tradition, is sponsored by MCM CPAs & Advisors. Public fan voting for the competition is underway now at www.indianachamber.com/coolestthing. Quarterfinal voting ends Feb. 6, and overall voting wraps up Feb. 14.
In the single-elimination bracket, each winner goes to the next round until the Coolest Thing Made in Indiana champion is crowned Feb. 15 at the Indiana Chamber’s Chamber Day Event at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis. The competition started with 65 companies from nearly 50 locations in 35 counties. For fairness, an online randomizer generated the initial matchups.
The Coolest Thing Made in Indiana quarterfinalists are comprised of the following manufacturers, listed with the product entered and their location:
- 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)
- Old 55 Distillery – bottled-in-bond 100% sweet corn bourbon (Newtown)
- Trek Container Pools – shipping container pools (Anderson)
- Wag’n Tails Mobile Conversions – mobile pet grooming salons and veterinary clinics (South Bend)
- Warm Glow Candle Company – candles with “lumpy, bumpy exterior” (Centerville)
- Wood-Mizer – portable sawmills; various uses include building houses and making baseball bats (Batesville and Indianapolis)
Learn more about each product, and cast your vote, 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.