Public voting open for annual statewide manufacturing contest

RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, the NC Chamber announced the 80 nominees for its annual “Coolest Thing Made in NC” online competition. This is the third year that the NC Chamber has held the popular, public-driven contest, which spotlights North Carolina’s cutting-edge manufacturing industry—an industry that generates more than 17% of the gross state product and employs more than 10% of the state’s workforce.

New for 2022, the contest will recognize two winners as opposed to one: one for businesses with fewer than 100 employees, and one for businesses with 100+ employees.

“Congratulations to our 2022 nominees; each product tells a special story of the impact and innovation manufacturers have on our great state,” said NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido. “As we always say at the NC Chamber: what’s made in North Carolina makes North Carolina.”

In 2020, the NC Chamber launched the “Coolest Thing Made in NC” competition to celebrate North Carolina’s vital manufacturing community – and champion the next generation of manufacturers and creators by raising awareness about the rewarding careers of modern manufacturing. Last year, after 68 products nominated and 41,700 votes counted, Western Star won the 2021 title for its 49X Vocational Truck.

The North Carolina Farm Bureau is serving as the Presenting Sponsor of the online competition, and Business North Carolina is this year’s Media Partner. As the exclusive North Carolina affiliate for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the NC Chamber knows that a strong manufacturing industry is crucial to the state’s economic and competitive success. The North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP) is collaborating on the annual contest as a Supporting Organization.

“These 80 nominees showcase the broad diversity and creativity of North Carolina businesses, big and small, whose products and innovations enhance our lives,” said North Carolina Farm Bureau President Shawn Harding.

How to Vote:

Go to coolestthingmadeinnc.com to vote for the coolest thing made in NC; the 10 semifinalists will be announced on Thursday, September 8. The field of candidates will narrow with each round of voting, and the winning product will be revealed on Thursday, October 6, the day before National Manufacturing (MFG) Day. October is Manufacturing Month, and MFG Day, organized nationally by the NAM and The Manufacturing Institute, highlights the rewarding career opportunities of modern manufacturing.

Join the contest’s social media campaign by following #CoolestThingMadeinNC. In addition to receiving a trophy, the victorious company and product will be featured in NC Chamber and Business North Carolina publications, podcasts, social and digital media, among additional statewide publicity efforts. Information on last year’s winner and runners-up can be found here.

“The Coolest Thing Made in NC Nominees (in alphabetical order by manufacturing location):

*Designates Small Business Category

City	Company Name	Product Nominated
Asheboro	LipLidz*	LipLidz Cocktail Glasses
Asheboro	Cargo Caddie*	Cargo Caddie
Asheboro/ Asheville/Raleigh	Shibumi Shade*	Shibumi Shade
Asheville	Moog Music	Etherwave Theremin
Benson	Shiner Stash Jerky*	Bloody Mary Beef Jerky
Boone	Tarpestry*	Outdoor blankets
Boone	Hospitality Mints	Buttermints
Brevard	TVS (Transylvania Vocational Services)	SuperCereal Plus
Butner	Nugget	Nugget Comfort Kids Couch
Chapel Hill, Pittsboro	Bleep Sleep*	Eclipse PAP Therapy Mask
Charlotte	Collins Aerospace	Commercial Aircraft Seats
Charlotte	Bojangles	Bojangles’s Biscuits
Chimney Rock	The Rustic Lamp*	Copper Shades and Lamps
Chinquapin	Carolina Pickle Company*	Sweet Thai Pickles
Clayton	Caterpillar	Caterpillar 299D3 XE Land Management Machine
Conover, Asheboro	Nufabrx*	Compression Sleeves
Cooleemee	Memory Lane Boutique*	Handmade Memory Bears
Cornelius	Huck Cycles*	Rebel Series
Davidson	Boomerang Water*	Boomerang Water
Denver	WaterDog*	WaterDog Adventure Gear® (WAG) Boarding Steps
Durham	Dusky Electronics*	D₂O Amplifier
Durham	Durham Distillery*	Conniption Gin
Durham	Wolfspeed	Silicon Carbide
Durham	Bright Black Candles*	Bright Black Candles
Elizabeth City	TCOM	TCOM Aerostats
Franklin	TekTone*	Tek-CARE Nurse Call Product Line
Fuquay Varina	McKenzie Penworks*	Diamondcast Resin Pen Blanks
Graham	Benevolence Farm*	Chamomile & Lavender Healing Salve
Greensboro	HondaJet	HondaJet Elite S
Greensboro	BeachBUB*	beachBUB Umbrella System
Greensboro	Procter & Gamble	Vick’s VapoRub
Greensboro	SIPPIN SNAX Gourmet Bar Snacks*	Vineyard Red Craft Peanuts
Greensboro	Neese’s	Neese’s Sausage
Haw River	Andersen Sterilizers	Ethylene Oxide Sterilization Systems
Henderson	Carolina Country Snacks	Fried Pork Skins
Henderson	Nutro	Nutro Dog Food
Hendersonville	Byers Precision*	Byers Precision Fabricated Panels
High Point	Rifled Air Conditioning*	School Bus Air Conditioners
Holly Springs	SOLOCART*	SOLOCART
Huntersville	Carrier	Carrier Commercial Air Conditioners
Indian Trail	Eco-Twist*	Eco-Twist Lavender Detergent
Jacksonville	Walton’s Distillery*	E.M. Walton’s Premium Salted Caramel
Kernersville	John Deere	John Deere 470 P-tier Excavator
Kings Mountain	Appalachian Gear Company*	All-Paca Hoodie
Lewisville	Old Nick Whiskey*	Hempahol Vodka Infused with Ghost Peppers
Lexington	Vivid Metal Prints*	Dye Sublimated Metal Prints
Lexington	Piedmont Candy Company	Red Bird Peppermint Candy Puffs
Linwood	EGGER	EGGER TFL (thermally fused laminate)
Locations throughout North Carolina	Pepsi	Pepsi
Louisburg	Legacy Family Foods	Carolina Treet
Mayodan and Mt. Holly	Charlie’s Soap*	Natural Powder Laundry Detergent
Maysville	Bynum Family Farm/Logan Farms*	All-Natural Lard Soap with Goat’s Milk
Mebane	Morinaga America Foods	Hi-Chew
Mt. Holly and Wilmington	Gold Bond Building Products (Affiliate of National Gypsum Company)	PURPLE XP® Drywall
Mt. Olive	Mt. Olive Pickle Company	Mt. Olive Dill Pickles
Nashville	George’s BBQ Sauce*	George’s BBQ Sauce
Newton	Seven Seed Soap Company*	Seven Seed Facial Serum
Pine Hall	Wieland Thermal Solutions	Finned Tubes
Raleigh	Benny Ts*	Benny T’s Vesta Dry Hot Sauce
Raleigh	Revware*	MicroScribe i+ Portable CMM arm
Raleigh	Big Delicious*	Big Delicious Brand’s Original Hot ‘Cue Dip
Salisbury	Carolina Beverage Corp.	Cheerwine
Salisbury	Power Curbers	5700-D Curb & Gutter Machine
Sanford	Old Glory 1350*	Old Glory 1350 American Flags
Shelby	IDEX Corp.	Hurst Jaws of Life
Smyrna	Fisherman Creations*	Crab Pot Christmas Trees
Southern Pines	R. Riveter	Handbags and Totes
Spruce Pine	Buck Stove*	Model 21 Wood Stove
State Road	Harris Saddles*	Harris Saddles
Stony Point	Shurtape	T-Rex Brute Force tape
Troutman	C.R. Onsrud	5-axis C-Series Router
Waynesville	Mangalitsa Lard*	Mangalitsa Leaf Lard
Weaverville	A-B Emblem*	Official NASA patch
West Jefferson	Ashe County Cheese*	Ashe County Cheese
Wilson	Artisan Leaf*	Handcrafted Tables and Bar Tops
Winston-Salem	TW Garner Food Company	Texas Pete Hot Sauce
Winston-Salem	Krispy Kreme	Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Winston-Salem	Pine Hall Brick	Pine Hall Brick
Winston-Salem	Red Clay Gourmet*	Red Clay Pimento Cheese
Winston-Salem	Cook Medical	Hemospray Endoscopic Hemostat device

###

About the NC Chamber
The NC Chamber works to research, develop, advocate, and communicate for solutions and policies that produce a nationally competitive business climate in North Carolina. For more information, visit ncchamber.com.

About North Carolina Farm Bureau
North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation was formed in 1936 as a non-profit general farm organization to serve farmers and provide a unified voice for the interests and needs of the farming community.  For more information, visit  https://www.ncfb.org/.