Time to vote in the round of 32!

This week, considering all the talk about politics, and after viewing the presidential debate, I am guessing you're expecting me to talk about politics. Well, no.  

Instead, we're going to take a little bit of time and talk about something cooler. And that is the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota contest. This is a program with quite an array of production and promotion, as well as news coverage of the contest. If you've been following, we're down to 32 products. We started with a larger set of brackets, and after last week's voting, we're down to 32 products. This is our chance to celebrate those that invent products, the entrepreneurs, the innovators, and the manufacturers across our great state.

As the state's manufacturing trade association, we're very proud of manufacturing here in Minnesota. So, this is our way of celebrating. You can visit the coolest thing made website at coolestthingmn.com, and you'll see on there the head-to-head matchups, featuring the amazing products made right here in Minnesota by Minnesota companies. For example, you can vote on Arctic Cat versus Lotzza Motzza pizza, or Lamppa Sauna Stoves versus Stratasys printers. Or how about sugar made by American Crystal Sugar versus Daktronics LED video displays. Those are just some examples of the many types of products that are being featured in our Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota program.  

The cool thing is, of course, is that we're going to get it down to one winner, which will be announced at the 2024 Manufacturers Summit on October 8th, brought to you by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. In addition to announcing the winner of the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota at the event we are highlighting the decades of contributions that manufacturers have made in our state. The Summit will also have an inspirational and informative set of speakers, including former Governor Tim Pawlenty, who will be with us to talk about the November elections and their potential impact on the state's economy, as well as the importance of the manufacturing sector to our state's economy.  

We will also have former Congressman Eric Paulson joining us. Eric has a deep background in federal tax policy, and we're pairing him up with the Chamber's own Beth Kadoun, the Chamber's Vice President of Tax and Fiscal policy. Together, they will be talking about the current tax climate in Minnesota and how the tax policies could help spur investments. There's also a looming federal tax policy bill pending that will impact Minnesota taxes as well. So, the two of them will be together at the program, and you can be there to learn firsthand about what's on the horizon in the tax area.  

We’ll also hear from a panel of leaders in manufacturing to discuss their outlook on growth and strategies and how they seek to attract talent and accelerate investment here in Minnesota. So, join us on October 8th as we celebrate manufacturing and announce the winner of the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota!