by Kurt. R. Bauer
For the past 10 years, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), in partnership with Johnson Financial Group, has conducted the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest, where Wisconsinites are asked to vote for their favorite thing manufactured in the Badger State.
During that decade, over 1,000 products have been featured in the contest, garnering more than 1.5 million votes. Some of the past winners include Harley Davidson’s Milwaukee-Eight engine (Wauwatosa), Oshkosh Defense’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (Oshkosh), Henry Repeating Arms’ Big Boy rifle (Rice Lake), Pierce’s Volterra electric fire truck (Appleton), and Krier Foods’ Jolly Good soda (Random Lake).
We are proud to say that since its inception, the contest has taken on a life of its own in two respects.
First, the concept has now been adopted by 25 other state chambers or manufacturers associations that conduct the Coolest Thing Made In their respective states. But it all started in Wisconsin with WMC and Johnson Financial Group.
Second, winning the contest, along with the impressive trophy manufactured by EK in Fall River, has become highly coveted by Wisconsin manufacturers. Many put a lot of effort into promoting their product during the tournament we call Manufacturing Madness.
But for WMC, declaring a winner isn’t the actual goal. The real purpose is to showcase Wisconsin’s thriving manufacturing sector, which accounts for just under 20 percent of the state’s GDP, contributes $73.7 billion to the state’s economy, and directly employs 480,000 Wisconsinites, or one in six workers. Manufacturing truly is Wisconsin’s economic super sector, and it deserves the publicity the contest delivers.
There are so many “cool” things made in our state that too few Wisconsinites are aware of. In fact, I must confess that every year I am surprised to learn of something made in our state that I wasn’t aware of, and I am the head of the state manufacturers’ association!
But there is another important goal of the contest, and that is to highlight the great career opportunities manufacturing has to offer. Some people still see manufacturing jobs as they were in the distant past; as dumb, dirty, and dangerous. This couldn’t be further from the truth here in Wisconsin. Here, we do advanced manufacturing, and the jobs are high-tech, high-skill, and high-pay.
The 2025 Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest begins August 25, with the first round of voting commencing on October 2. The winner will be selected live at Business Day in Madison on October 23. To nominate a product and to vote, visit www.madeinwis.com.
