Iowa
Top 16 announced in Coolest Thing Made in Iowa contest
DES MOINES, Iowa — After a week of voting, a list of more than 50 is down to the Top 16 in the Coolest Thing Made in Iowa Competition.
Hosted by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and MidwestOne Bank, the Coolest Thing Made in Iowa Contest is a newer competition that highlights items that are designed or produced in the state that carry national, even international, impact.
58 products were initially nominated in the contest’s third year, on Thursday, officials announced the Top 16 had been chosen after a week of public voting. Products that made the cut include agricultural equipment, construction materials, food, and beverages.
- Mi-T-M ePowerStation (Mi-T-M Corporation – Peosta)
- Pella Steady Set (Pella Corporation – Pella)
- Beer Caves (Walk-In Coolers & Freezers) (Leer, Inc. – Carroll)
- Weiler D1075 Blasthole Drill (Weiler – Knoxville)
- Butter Braid Pastries (Country Maid, Inc. – West Bend)
- Ironclad Tornado Shelter & Gun Safe (Ironclad Shelter Solutions, LLC – Earlham)
- Spalding Arena Renegade Basketball Hoop (Spalding – Jefferson)
- Winnebago EKKO 23B (Winnebago – Forest City)
- Gushers (General Mills – Cedar Rapids)
- Cedar Ridge Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Cedar Ridge Distillery – Swisher)
- Load Cell (Scale-Tec – Anamosa)
- Flexzilla Garden Hose (Legacy Manufacturing – Marion)
- Marie Callender’s Pot Pie (Conagra – Council Bluffs)
- 23-28XL Scraper (Mobile Track Solutions – Elkader)
- Sterzing’s Potato Chips (Sterzing Food Company – Burlington)
- dScribe Studio, 55″ – Digital Lightboard (Revolution Lightboards – Dubuque)
“This is where the competition really comes to life,” said Nicole Crain, ABI President. “These Top 16 products represent the very best of Iowa manufacturing — innovative, high-quality, and made right here in our state. Now it’s up to Iowans to help decide which product rises to the top.”
Voting to decide the Top 8 moves to a bracket-style tournament, which opens on April 17 and runs through April 22. Participants can vote in each matchup, once per day (every 24 hours) per device. The Top 8 will be announced on April 23.
The 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Iowa will be revealed live in June during ABI’s annual Taking Care of Business Conference in Coralville and Iowa City.
Previously, the Vermeer Automated Hay Baler won the first contest in 2024, and the John Deere CP770 Cotton Picker won the second contest in 2025.