By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Many products are manufactured in the state of Kansas. There are the practical items, but there are also the cool ones. The Kansas Manufacturing Council once again wants to highlight some of those products with the return of its Coolest Thing Made in Kansas contest. KMC Media Spokesperson Sherriene Jones-Sontag said it's a great way to highlight unique businesses.
"The Kansas Manufacturing Council really has a lot of fun with the Coolest Thing Made in Kansas Contest because it lets us draw attention to all the really cool things that are made in our state," she said. "When we started the contest back in 2022, we had no idea all of the attention it would bring across the state, and all the cool companies we would get the chance to meet and learn about their products."
KMC is accepting nominations for the coolest things made through Aug. 30 at midnight. There are two categories in this year's contest: Coolest Innovation and People's Choice. The latter begins with nominations and a popular-vote round. The top-16 companies advance to an NCAA-style, head-to-head bracket.
"It's really fun to watch how the products that make it to the tournament really get their supporters, their employees, and their vendors to vote for them," said Jones-Sontag. "We've had a lot of really close votes, literally just a dozen votes difference between products."
Last year, La Crosse's Weed Dragon Flamethrower made the finals but was voted out in the round of 16. The final 16 finalists are all invited to a reception in October. Voting will begin on Sept. 1. Nominate your favorite cool product by CLICKING HERE.