The Kansas Manufacturing Council (KMC) on Thursday announced the eight products headed to the next round of voting for the 2024 Coolest Thing Made In Kansas - People's Choice tournament. The Atom Pop, a product from Bushton's QuinCraft had advanced to the second round.
Made in Bushton, the Atom Pop is a stove top popcorn popper. It makes 2 1/2 quarts of popped corn. The conical shape and aluminum bowl allow the popcorn to be popped without stirring or shaking. Popped kernels are pushed up away from the heat and the aluminum dissipates the heat so the corn does not burn. It is as convenient as microwave popcorn and is healthier without the additives.
Presented by Forvis Mazars, Kansans cast nearly 21,000 votes during the first round of tournament voting that concluded Wednesday, September 11th.
The eight products who received the most votes in the tournament's first round of head to head match-ups now move on to the second round. The head to head match ups for the second round of the tournament are:
Second round voting is currently open. Kansans can vote in the second round of the People's Choice tournament at https://bit.ly/2024CoolestThing until 5 pm, Wednesday, Sept. 25.
The four match-up winners in the second round then will compete for the most votes in the final round of the tournament.
This year's Coolest Thing Made in Kansas competition also includes the Coolest Innovation category. Twelve of the 28 nominated companies completed a questionnaire about their innovations. The KMC will announce the four finalists on Oct. 1.
The winners of both contests will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 9 during the 2024 Kansas Manufacturing Summit at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Wichita.