Vote for ‘cool’ things made in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has launched a new awards event to spotlight some of the “cool” things produced by the state’s manufacturers. The Coolest Thing Made in Indiana competition will allow the public to vote on products manufactured in the Hoosier State.

In recognition of this year’s NCAA March Madness, the competition will be a bracket-style, single-elimination tournament.

“This competition is a fun way to celebrate our manufacturers and pair that with our affection for tournament basketball,” said Kevin Brinegar, Indiana Chamber president and chief executive officer.

The program kicks off in October, but businesses can register now to be notified when they can officially enter. The field will be announced in January, followed by voting in early February.

Brinegar says chamber partners in other states have a similar competition and since Indiana leads the nation in manufacturing, he said creating a challenge in Indiana makes sense.

The competition is open to manufacturers, whether they are longstanding companies or startups.

“Our goal is to showcase the wide variety of manufacturing efforts taking place in the state that have helped our economy thrive,” said Brinegar.

The chamber says a company does not need to be headquartered in Indiana, but the product entered must be manufactured in the state.

“We think it’ll garner a lot of attention, a lot of entries, a lot of voting,” said Brinegar.

Winners will be chosen through public fan voting, with the products receiving the highest votes in each matchup moving to a subsequent round. The number of votes received will be reset at the beginning of each round.

The winner will be announced at the chamber’s legislative day dinner next February.

Click here to learn more about the event.