Florida’s homegrown manufacturing smackdown is down to its final four.
The second annual Coolest Thing Made in Florida competition began with more than 100 products representing all 67 counties, according to organizers. After multiple rounds of public voting, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and FloridaCommerce on Tuesday announced the four products still standing.
They are Northrop Grumman’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye from St. Johns County; Koozie Group’s Garyline® Cubbie RPET Bottle with Straw Lid from Pinellas County; Sandvik Mining’s Electric Rotary Blasthole Drills from Alachua County; and Arthrex Inc.’s TightRope® PRO from Collier County.
Floridians can vote at CoolestThingMadeInFlorida.com through Sept. 29 to choose the two products that will advance to the last round.
“Reaching this stage of the competition is a significant accomplishment for each of these manufacturers,” Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said. “These finalists represent the innovation and determination of businesses across Florida, and we encourage Floridians to continue voting and celebrating these made in Florida products.”
Final-round voting will run from Oct. 12 through Oct. 23. The winner will be announced Oct. 28 at the Florida Chamber’s Future of Florida Forum and Annual Meeting in Orlando.
The Chamber and FloridaCommerce plan to visit the two finalists during National Manufacturing Week in October.
The organizations say the contest supports the Florida Chamber Foundation’s goal of making Florida a top-five state for manufacturing jobs by 2030. The Chamber also says manufacturing supports more than 430,000 jobs across the state.
“Florida manufacturers are creating products that reflect the talent and ingenuity found throughout our state,” FloridaCommerce Deputy Secretary of Economic Development and Chief Manufacturing Officer Jason Mahon said. “Recognizing these businesses helps showcase the strength of Florida’s manufacturing industry and the opportunities it creates for communities across the state.”
Drew Wilson is Vice President of Florida Politics, where he helps lead a talented team that produces must-read newsletters including Sunburn, Takeaways from Tallahassee, and Diagnosis. A University of Florida alumnus, he began his career at The Independent Florida Alligator — the nation’s largest student-run newspaper and a training ground for many of Florida’s top political reporters. He later served as a business correspondent for The Hollywood Reporter, then returned to Tallahassee to cover the state economy and Legislature for LobbyTools and The Florida Current, before segueing to Florida Politics, where he’s been for more than a decade. He spends too much time workshopping zingers for Capitol Directions — and not enough time outdoors.
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