What’s the Coolest Thing Made in NC?
North Carolina has much to be proud of, especially when it comes to the products it manufactures. Celebrate the Tar Heel State’s creativity, innovation, and talent by nominating your favorite made-in-NC product.
Nominations are now open for the 2022 Coolest Thing Made in NC contest!
And new for this year, we’re introducing a Small Business Category for manufacturers with fewer than 100 employees. Let the nominations begin!
Presented By
MANUFACTURERS
Leading the Way
There’s no better time to celebrate our state’s manufacturing community. What began in the 1880s as a sprinkling of textile mills across North Carolina’s landscape has evolved into an impressive, technologically-driven industry that generates more than 17% of our gross state product and employs more than 10% of our state’s workforce.
Our state’s manufacturers have always led the way in innovation. When our nation was brought to a near standstill by COVID-19, manufacturers heroically and swiftly pivoted to produce the equipment needed by front-line workers, vulnerable populations, hospitals, and businesses.
Innovation, Creativity, and Importance
It’s past time to shine the spotlight on one of our state’s most vital industries. To celebrate the innovation, creativity, and importance of our state’s manufacturers, the NC Chamber hosts an annual statewide “Coolest Thing Made in NC” contest. After a public nomination and voting process, the NC Chamber will announce which product manufactured in the Old North State is truly the “coolest thing made in NC.”
$101.6 Billion
Total Manufacturing
Output, 2019
448,000
Manufacturing Employees in North Carolina, 2020
10.16%
Percent Share of Non-Farm Employment in NC, 2020
Data supplied by the National Association of Manufacturers.
Support Your Nominee
Nominate the product you think is the coolest thing made in our state, then download and share the social media graphics and other materials to help promote your favorite product and get them to the top when voting begins.
The Coolest Thing Made in NC contest is run by the NC Chamber, the leading business advocacy organization in North Carolina. Our mission is to research, develop, advocate, and communicate for solutions and policies that produce a nationally competitive business climate in North Carolina.
