MADISON – Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and Johnson Financial Group announced on Wednesday the eight products moving on in the eighth annual Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest. The eight Wisconsin-made products each won a head-to-head matchup in the Top 16 bracket-style tournament known as Manufacturing Madness.
The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest aims to highlight Wisconsin’s vibrant and diverse manufacturing industry, which employs nearly half a million people and creates almost $70 billion in economic output each year.
“This contest showcases not just the cool products made in our own backyard, but the hundreds of thousands of hardworking Wisconsinites who make them,” said WMC’s Vice President of Communications & Marketing Nick Novak. “The Top 8 products show the diversity of cool things we make in Wisconsin, and we can’t wait to see which product will be crowned the coolest.”
The Top 8 products moving on will compete in head-to-head matchups once again to determine the Top 4. Those four products will compete in one final popular vote round to determine the ultimate winner. WMC will announce the 2023 Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin on Oct. 19 at Business Day in Madison.
WMC announced the Top 8 via a livestream broadcast on Facebook, YouTube and at www.madeinwis.com. The announcement show can be viewed by clicking here.
2023 Top 8 Finalists:
Seed 1: Plexus Corp. – Neenah: Bevi Bottleless Water Dispenser
Seed 2: Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats – Wittenberg: Applewood Smoked Bacon
Seed 3: AriensCo – Brillion: Ariens® 90th Anniversary Limited Edition Sno-Thro
Seed 6: Krier Foods – Random Lake: Jolly Good Soda
Seed 8: John Deere Horicon Works – Horicon: Gator XUV 835R Signature Edition
Seed 10: Cedar Valley – Belgium: String Cheese
Seed 12: Thorogood – Merrill: American Heritage 6” Tobacco Safety Toe Work Boot
Seed 13: Bay Tek Entertainment, Inc. – Pulaski: Skee-Ball
Voting in the next round will begin on Thursday, Oct. 5 at 8:00am and continue until Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 5:00pm. Individuals can vote once per day, per device in all four matchups at www.madeinwis.com.
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