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NE Manufacturing Alliance

  • About Us
    • NeMAC
    • NAMC - Dream It Do It
    • Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership
    • WIM Nebraska
    • Nebraska Chamber
  • Coolest Thing Made In NE
    • Contest Rules
  • Industry 4.0
  • MFG for Students
    • Cool Stuff
  • MFG’s Impact
    • NE MFG of the Year Awards
  • Careers
    • Find a Job or Internship
    • Manufacturing The Good Life
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • NeMAC
    • NAMC - Dream It Do It
    • Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership
    • WIM Nebraska
    • Nebraska Chamber
  • Coolest Thing Made In NE
    • Contest Rules
  • Industry 4.0
  • MFG for Students
    • Cool Stuff
  • MFG’s Impact
    • NE MFG of the Year Awards
  • Careers
    • Find a Job or Internship
    • Manufacturing The Good Life
  • Contact Us
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 ​Contest Voting

Round 1 - Top 16

VOTING TAKES PLACE
August 29 - September 3

2023 Nominees
​
VOTING FOR THE TOP 16
​TAKES PLACE August 29 - Sept 3


The NE Manufacturing Alliance's Coolest Thing Made In Nebraska ​competition highlights Nebraska's manufacturing industry. The diversity and quality of the products nominated are a testament to the dedication and work ethic of Nebraska's manufacturing industry. Nebraska's manufacturing industry is truly the backbone of our economy!

Take a closer look and you’ll be amazed by all the cool products Nebraska manufacturers make.


Voting begins below the top 16 descriptions.

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Voting begins below the descriptions.
Become a Member
Membership not only offers a network of fellow manufacturers, but it also provides you with the ​peace of mind to know that while you are running your business, we are monitoring issues that affect you, ​your business and your bottom line
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Here are the Top 16 Products in the Coolest Thing Made In Nebraska Contest
Voting commences below the Top 16 product descriptions.
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Coolest Thing
Chocolate Meltaways
- Bakers Candies
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World Famous Chocolate Meltaways – globally synonymous with the state of Nebraska among chocolate connoisseurs
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Coolest Thing
M Grills Big M Smoker
- Kinney Manufacturing LLC
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The Big M is built to order. With thermostat controlled wood burning, up to 12+ hours of run time and the unique craftsmanship, build quality and performance are some of the best you have ever seen from any smoker manufacturer in the world.
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Coolest Thing
All Terrain Tracked Wheelchair
- Rocket Mobility
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All-terrain tracked wheelchairs  empower independence. Made in Columbus, Rocket Mobility can help disabled hunters, veterans, farmers and anyone else with mobility issues to reclaim their off-road independence.
So go ahead, break down the barriers of limited mobility. Get off the concrete and get back into nature. Go far, fast.
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Coolest Thing
Pontoon Boat
- Pond-Tini
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Mini pontoon boats ranging from 6x10 to 7x14. 
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Coolest Thing
Costco Rotisserie Chicken 
- Lincoln Premium Poultry
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Costco’s famous rotisserie chickens are sold under the Costco brand name, Kirkland Signature, and are super-tasty, super-popular, and super-cheap at just $4.99. The chickens are injected with a concentrated marinade to give them their delicious flavor. In 2019, Costco established their own chicken complex in Nebraska, which includes a grower network with approximately 100 farm families, a feed mill, a hatchery, a food processing facility and roughly 1200 employees. ​ 
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Coolest Thing
Invisi-Lug Clay Paver 
- Endicott Clay Products
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INVISI-LUG clay pavers are durable and have incredibly high compressive strength, giving you everything you’ve wanted in a paver.  They also have recessed lugs, which leave you with proper joint spacing to eliminate chippage, no need for buying plastic spacers, faster installation and more that other materials cannot mimic. ​
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Coolest Thing
Solution Plastics (TM) Lumber
- Firstar Fiber 
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Our lumber is made from 100% recycled plastics, and in fact, these plastics are comprised of the most problematic packaging that otherwise would not be recycled, e.g., chip bags, candy wrappers, fast food containers, etc. Our unique process nevertheless turns these materials into a wide range of lumber grades to make furniture, decks, patios and a host of other applications.​​
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​Coolest Thing
Flyover Whiskey
- Flyover Whiskey
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Farm-to-flask whiskey.  Flyover Whiskey uses corn planted on family farms to distill and bottle it into custom whiskey.  
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Coolest Thing
Fire Truck 
- Danko Emergency Equipment
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Danko manufactures quick attack, fire suppressant skid units, and fire tanker trucks.
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Coolest Thing
 Carbon Fiber Ducting
- Royal Engineered Composites
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Every ounce matters on an aircraft, so why gain weight unnecessarily by using metallic ductwork? Royal’s engineers are experts in the development of lightweight composite ducting for Environment Control Systems (ECS).  With the capability to develop either rigid or flexible ducting, Royal can create a custom ductwork solution for the most complex interiors. ​
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Coolest Thing
Geo-thermal Greenhouse
-  Greenhouse in the Snow
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This geo-thermal greenhouse utilizes primarily geo-thermal heat from the earth, but passive solar is also a part of the energy used to grow other plants.  The energy and water use is minimal compared to above ground greenhouses. Over 700 of these greenhouses have been installed over the past 10 years.   The ability to utilize the greenhouse year-round is a plus in northern states. ​
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Coolest Thing
T-Rex Portable Basketball System
- Bison Inc.
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The Bison T-Rex portable basketball system is fit for every level of play from elite, FIBA sanctioned international to intramural and recreational play.  T-Rex portables feature industry leading extension spring counterbalance technology making raising, lowering and storage simple, safe and efficient.  All pivot operations operate on zero maintenance, self-lubricating bearing and chrome plated steel pivot axels.  
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Coolest Thing
Ignis Firefighting System
- Drone Amplified
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A drone-based aerial ignition system that ignites backburns to contain wildfires to better manage land and reduce the risk of wildfires. The IGNIS system attaches to a drone and is equipped with a thermal and visual camera.  Firefighters can import the latest reconnaissance data from the fire into our ignition flight app to plan ignition missions and update them according to fire behavior.  IGNIS uses small “ping-pong” ball ignition spheres filled with a chemical, drops them and they’re ignited 30-60 seconds later to precisely ignite the fireline used to contain fires.
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Coolest Thing
Handcrafted Soap & Experiential Bath Products
- Pacha Soap Co.
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Pacha Soap Co. handcrafts natural, artisanal soap products to delight the senses and enhance wellbeing. Our mission is to challenge the standards for what it means to be an ethical business by taking radical steps to empower communities around the world with long-term, sustainable solutions.
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Coolest Thing
Steel Joists
  - Nucor Vulcraft Nebraska
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Steel is vital to the development and maintenance of America’s infrastructure. Nucor Vulcraft Nebraska produces steel joists, mainly used as structural support in floors and ceilings.  Nucor takes recycled steel, which is melted at about 3000 °F and then it is cast and rolled to make angle iron.  The angle iron is then cut, assembled/welded together by hand, and painted.  About 150,000 joists/year are shipped to be used for schools, medical facilities, data centers, gymnasiums, and more.​
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Coolest Thing
Ram Air Turbine (RAT) Hub
-  Collins Aerospace
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Our RAT Hub is at the heart of an aircraft’s emergency power system. In fact, RATs have saved over 2,400 lives over the past five decades. If an airplane lost power, the RAT would deploy from the airplane’s wing or fuselage and rotate to extract sufficient power from the airstream to control and land the aircraft. RATs are designed to be small and have a self-governing device that limits the turbine’s speed. Collins Aerospace designs and manufactures hydraulic, electric and hybrid RATs. ​ ​
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Vote for YOUR Favorite Coolest Thing Made In Nebraska


Voting Begins Here

    2023 Coolest Things Made in Nebraska Top 16 Voting

    Please select one from each match up
Submit
     STATE AGENCIES
  • opportunity.nebraska.gov/
    ​
    Nebraska Department of Economic Development
  • Nebraska Department of Education
  • Nebraska Department of Labor
CONTACT US
1128 Lincoln Mall, Suite 302
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: 402.480-6781
​E-mail for more information 
​[email protected]
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NE Manufacturing Alliance
1128 Lincoln Mall, Suite 302
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: 402.480-6781

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NE Manufacturing Alliance  All Rights Reserved.
1128 Lincoln Mall, Suite 302  |  Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: (402) 474-4422