RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, the NC Chamber announced the 10 finalists—five for the medium-to-large business category and five for the small business category—for its annual “Coolest Thing Made in NC” online competition, which began with 130 nominees.

This is the fourth 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.

“Congratulations to our impressive finalists. As we always say at the NC Chamber: what’s made in North Carolina makes North Carolina,” said NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido. “With roughly 32,000 votes cast in this contest so far, it’s clear that North Carolinians share the Chamber’s love for our state’s innovative manufacturing community. This celebrated competition is a way to honor all our state’s manufacturers – the backbone of North Carolina’s economy for more than a century.”

Baxter 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.

How to Vote:

Go to coolestthingmadeinnc.com to vote for the coolest thing made in NC; last day to vote is Thursday, September 28. The field of has narrowed down with each round of voting, and the winning product will be revealed on Thursday, October 5, 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.

For our Medium-to-Large Business Category, our 5 finalists are in alphabetical order by location:

Finalist	Manufacturing Location
Steel Plate by Nucor	Cofield
HondaJet Elite II	Greensboro
Flucelvax Quadrivalent by CSL Seqirus	Holly Springs
C.R. Onsrud’s Q-Series 5-Axis CNC Machine	Troutman
Corning Optical Fiber and Cable	Wilmington, Concord, Hickory, Newton, and Winston-Salem

 

For our Small Business Category, our 5 finalists are in alphabetical order by location:

Finalist	Manufacturing Location
Atlantic Beach Sea Salt	Atlantic Beach
Static Rope Edge Protection by Fjord Inc./ Chafe-pro	Burlington
Silverquicken Education’s Quest Club Kits	Chapel Hill
Piedmont Pennies	Charlotte
MacLellan Bagpipes	Zebulon

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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.