Sixteen Iowa-made products – including three with Quad Cities’ roots – are still in the running for the title of the 2024 Coolest Thing Made in Iowa, the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) announced this week.
In a news release Wednesday, May 1, ABI revealed the top 16 products and companies that advanced to the next round in head-to-head bracket-style matchups. They are:
- #1 Seed: Vermeer ZR5-1200 self-propelled baler (Vermeer Corporation, Pella).
- #2 Seed: Custom Built Pipe Organ (Dobson Pipe Organ Builders Ltd., Lake City).
- #3 Seed: Inception Electric Fireplace (Hearth and Home Technologies, Mount Pleasant).
- #4 Seed: Musco Sports Lighting (Musco Lighting, Oskaloosa).
- #5 Seed: Explosion-Proof Electric Motor (Bodine Electric Company, Peosta).
- #6 Seed: Winnebago Revel (Winnebago, Lake Mills).
- #7 Seed: S-975 Express Plus Softmount Washer (Dexter Laundry, Fairfield).
- #8 Seed: See & Spray (John Deere, Ankeny).
- #9 Seed: Tiki Bar Boats (Big Huts, Princeton).
- #10 Seed: Butter Braid Pastries (Country Maid, Inc., West Bend).
- #11 Seed: World’s Best Cat Litter (KENT Corporation, Muscatine).
- #12 Seed: Gushers! (General Mills, Cedar Rapids).
- #13 Seed: MARSHALLTOWN Hamburger Trowel (MARSHALLTOWN, Marshalltown).
- #14 Seed: Safe T Home (Sukup Manufacturing Co., Sheffield).
- #15 Seed: Life Line Ambulance (Life Line Emergency Vehicles, Inc., Sumner).
- #16 Seed: Kreg Pocket Hole Jig 320 (Kreg Tool, Huxley)
“This group of top 16 products showcases the diversity of Iowa manufacturing,” ABI President Mike Ralston said in the release. “It is our honor to bring attention to all the cool products made in Iowa by Iowans.”
The first round of bracket voting will consist of eight head-to-head matchups that will determine the Top 8 Coolest Things Made in Iowa. Voting began Thursday, May 2, and will close at midnight on Wednesday, May 8.
The competition, sponsored by ABI member MidWestOne Bank, was created to highlight the state’s $38 billion dollar manufacturing industry and the high-tech, high-skill and high-pay career opportunities available across Iowa.
“Manufacturers employ nearly 225,000 Iowans and produce incredible products that are distributed locally, nationally and globally,” Mr. Ralston said in an earlier news release. “This is another opportunity to showcase their work and draw attention to what happens right here in our backyard.”
Manufacturers, consumers, and the public are invited to vote daily in each of the matchups at www.coolestthingia.com.
