The Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) and MidWestOne are partnering for the first annual “Coolest Thing Made in Iowa” competition.
According to a news release, the new initiative is designed to bring attention to all the cool things made in Iowa, as well as the career opportunities available in manufacturing – an industry that employs more than 225,000 Iowans.
“Manufacturing is the state’s leading industry sector, with over $38 billion annually added into the economy,” said ABI President Mike Ralston. “We’re excited to launch this competition to showcase the Iowa manufacturing industry’s best innovations, craftsmanship, and state-of-the-art technologies.”
Any product manufactured in Iowa qualifies for the contest.
Nominations, which can be submitted by employees, consumers, and any other interested parties, are being accepted until April 8 at www.coolestthingia.com.
Following the nomination period, nominees will be announced April 19, and a popular vote will be held throughout April to determine the Top 16 products.
Products will then compete against one another from May 2 through May 29 in head-to-head matchups, and the products that receive the highest votes in each match-up will advance to the next round. Participants can vote once per day, per device, through the rounds of voting.
The winner will be announced June 5 at ABI’s annual Taking Care of Business Conference, taking place June 4-6 in the Quad Cities.
Competition rules, eligibility requirements, and the nomination form are also available at the contest’s website, www.coolestthingia.com.
Established in 1903, ABI is Iowa’s largest statewide business organization with more than 1,500 member companies representing 330,000 working Iowans. Its mission is to nurture a favorable business, economic, governmental and social climate within the state.
