Here are nine of the 50 choices voters have in the Coolest Thing Made in Delaware contest.
A contest meant to highlight the diversity of Delaware’s manufacturing — and raise that business sector’s profile — has opened its first round of voting.
Fifty items — including candles, Dogfish Head beer, doggie doughnuts, eco-plastic tables, and an outer-space habitat — have been entered in The Coolest Thing Made in Delaware contest. It received more than 100 nominations.
“This contest provides an exciting window into Delaware’s manufacturing sector,” said Mike Quaranta, president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, “From space suits and treatments for type 2 diabetes that push the boundaries of innovation to consumer goods like personal care products and chicken wings, the sheer variety of entries showcases the depth and breadth of our state’s production capabilities.
“It’s a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of Delaware’s manufacturers, and a reminder that ‘cool’ can come in all shapes, sizes and purposes.”
The chamber is cosponsoring the contest with the Delaware Manufacturing Association,
The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce is hunting for the coolest thing made in Delaware.
Tournament-style voting will help reduce the field until the final products go head-to-head in late March.
The first-round choices can be found here, with voting ending Thursday, Feb. 29. Votes can be cast once a day.
Quaranta said at the chamber’s annual dinner that business leaders want to raise interest in manufacturing as a career path while increasing awareness of Delaware’s advantages for manufacturing.
Many experts think companies that once moved to China for less-expensive manufacturing will soon be seeking other locations because China’s population isn’t growing due to its one-child-per-family policy. While China has rescinded that rule, many young people aren’t interested in having a bigger family, reports say.
About 28,000 people now work in Delaware manufacturing businesses.
Delaware is well positioned for transportation alone, among other qualities, Quaranta said, to compete for future manufacturing.
The 2024 Coolest Thing Made in Delaware will be revealed at the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s Spring Manufacturing & Policy Conference March 28 at Delaware Technical Community College in Dover.
Coolest voting schedule
Feb. 22 – Feb. 29 Popular Vote Round
March 7 Top 16 Announced
March 7 – March 13 1st Round of Bracket Voting
March 14 Top 8 Announced
March 14 – March 20 2nd Round of Bracket Voting
March 21 Top 4 Announced
March 21 – March 28 Final Round of Voting
March 28 Winner Announced at the Spring Manufacturing & Policy Conference
Betsy Price is a Wilmington freelance writer who has 40 years of experience, including 15 at The News Journal in Delaware.
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