When people think of cool stuff made in North Carolina, what often comes to mind is food: Texas Pete hot sauce, Mount Olive pickles, Bright Leaf hot dogs or perhaps Cheerwine.
These household names have been nominated for the North Carolina Chamber’s annual Coolest Thing Made in NC contest before. And as the chamber begins this year’s contest, they will no doubt be nominated again.
But they’ve never won. The state’s coolest manufactured products, as chosen by popular vote online, tend to be more practical and obscure. Last year’s winner in the medium-to-large business category was the C.R. Onsrud Q-Series 5-Axis CNC machine. That’s a computerized high-speed cutting machine made in Troutman. Very cool.
The chamber started the coolest thing contest five years ago to highlight the importance of manufacturing in North Carolina. According to the chamber, companies that make stuff employ more than 10% of the state’s workforce and account for 17% of gross state product.
“We want to continue elevating the visibility of this vital industry and raise awareness about the limitless potential of modern manufacturing careers,” president and CEO Gary J. Salamido said in a written statement. “This annual contest is an effective and fun way to do just that.”
People can nominate a made-in-NC product for this year’s contest at coolestthingmadeinnc.com by Aug. 13. The chamber will publish a list of nominees on Aug. 22, when people can go back to the website and vote for their favorite. The field will narrow through three rounds of voting, with the winners chosen Oct. 3, on the eve of National Manufacturing Day.
The nominees will be divided into two categories: those made by companies that employ 100 or more people and those made by smaller ones. Last year’s contest drew 130 nominees.
Here are the winners from past contests:
▪ 2020: The Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school bus made by Thomas Built Buses in High Point.
▪ 2021: The Western Star 49X dump truck made by Daimler Trucks in Cleveland.
▪ 2022: The Caterpillar Cat 299D3 XE compact track loader made in Sanford (large company) and the beachBUB All-In-One Umbrella System made in Greensboro
▪ 2023: The C.R. Onsrud Q-Series 5-Axis CNC machine (large company) and Static Rope Edge Protection (STREP) made by Fjord Inc. in Burlington.
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