The Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump made by MTH Pumps in Plano, Illinois, has been crowned the winner of the 2025 “Makers Madness” contest.
With nearly 411,000 votes cast online throughout the eight-week competition, the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump earned the title of The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois. The winner was announced Wednesday, April 9, by Gov. JB Pritzker during a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield.
The pump was designed to reduce the refill time of helicopter-based water tanks from over a minute to as little as 30 seconds, increasing the number of water drops that aerial firefighters can place on a wildfire. This time advantage improves the chances of slowing or stopping fires from endangering lives, property and habitats.
MTH Pumps recently aided in providing rapid and reliable water access when wildfires in California left a trail of destruction.
The annual Coolest Thing Made competition was hosted by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) and sponsored by Comcast Business. The refill pump was chosen by online voters from an initial field of more than 250 entries.
“As a small manufacturer, our team is honored and excited to have our Aerial Firefighting Refill Pumps join the ranks of products from prior winners like Caterpillar, Rivian and Komatsu,” Tim Tremain, president of MTH Pumps, said in a news release. “There are so many Illinois Makers that produce products that we use every day without even realizing it, but without them, our daily lives would be very different. So, I honor all manufacturers in the great state of Illinois, but I hope that with our win, we help represent the unique creativity and drive of small manufacturers and the importance of what they have to offer the world.”
Other finalists included: the Joint Combined Aircrew Systems Tester (JCAST), which is used to assess critical safety during military flying operations, manufactured by Chemring Energetic Devices in Downers Grove; Donor Milk, a life-saving product that provides nutrition to premature and critically ill babies, which is pasteurized and distributed by Mother’s Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes in Elk Grove Village; and ROV Skimmer – Remote Operated Oil Skimmer, a device used for oil recovery in aquatic spills, manufactured by Elastec in Carmi.
One Quad Cities original, chocolates by Lagomarcino’s in downtown Moline, advanced all the way to the Sweet 16.
In congratulating the winning product and manufacturer, IMA President and CEO Mark Denzler said “This product is a great example of the bold ideas, creativity and innovation that powers the manufacturing sector here in Illinois.”
“With commitment and passion, manufacturers across our state are creating products that solve real-world problems and improve lives,” he said in the release. “We applaud the men and women on our shop floors whose remarkable skills turn ideas into reality.”
The bracket-style competition celebrates the incredible work of manufacturers across Illinois, where manufacturing is the largest contributor of any industry to the state’s Gross Domestic Product.
“Illinois’ world-class manufacturing industry is leading the charge as one of the top drivers of our continued economic success here in Illinois, and that’s thanks to the incredible innovators all across our state,” Gov. Pritzker said. “To the team at MTH Pumps, congratulations, and to all the manufacturers who took part in this year’s competition: thank you for your creativity, resourcefulness, and dedication. You make our state stronger.”
Sponsor Comcast Business also offered its congratulations to MTH Pumps.
“Comcast is proud to support the Makers Madness competition again this year and partner with the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association to showcase the many unique and impactful products manufactured throughout our state,” Sean McCarthy, Comcast’s regional vice president, said in the release.
Last year’s champion was the Komatsu mining truck, a rugged, large capacity vehicle used for construction and mining made by Komatsu in Peoria.
