Iowa Association of Business and Industry

04/16/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/16/2026 14:22

Top 16 Announced in 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Iowa Competition

DES MOINES, April 16, 2026 - The competition to crown the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Iowa is heating up as the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) today announced the Top 16 products advancing to the next round of the statewide contest, presented by Nicolet National Bank.

The Top 16 products will now move on to a bracket-style tournament, where Iowans will decide which products advance through each round of head-to-head voting.

"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."

2026 Coolest Thing Made in Iowa - Top 16

  1. Mi-T-M ePowerStation (Mi-T-M Corporation - Peosta)
  2. Pella Steady Set (Pella Corporation - Pella)
  3. Beer Caves (Walk-In Coolers & Freezers) (Leer, Inc. - Carroll)
  4. Weiler D1075 Blasthole Drill (Weiler - Knoxville)
  5. Butter Braid Pastries (Country Maid, Inc. - West Bend)
  6. Ironclad Tornado Shelter & Gun Safe (Ironclad Shelter Solutions, LLC - Earlham)
  7. Spalding Arena Renegade Basketball Hoop (Spalding - Jefferson)
  8. Winnebago EKKO 23B (Winnebago - Forest City)
  9. Gushers (General Mills - Cedar Rapids)
  10. Cedar Ridge Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Cedar Ridge Distillery - Swisher)
  11. Load Cell (Scale-Tec - Anamosa)
  12. Flexzilla Garden Hose (Legacy Manufacturing - Marion)
  13. Marie Callender's Pot Pie (Conagra - Council Bluffs)
  14. 23-28XL Scraper (Mobile Track Solutions - Elkader)
  15. Sterzing's Potato Chips (Sterzing Food Company - Burlington)
  16. dScribe Studio, 55" - Digital Lightboard (Revolution Lightboards - Dubuque)

Voting will be open to the public from April 17 through midnight on April 22. Individuals may vote in each matchup, once per day (every 24 hours) per device.
The winner of the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Iowa will be announced June 3rd during ABI's Taking Care of Business Conference.
To learn more about the top 16 products and cast your vote, visit www.coolestthingia.com.

Iowa Association of Business and Industry published this content on April 16, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 16, 2026 at 20:22 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]