COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new bracket-style contest called Manufacturing Madness asks the public to decide what the coolest thing made in South Carolina is, and the field has been narrowed down to the 'Sweet 16."
The South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance (SCMA) launched the two-month long contest, which coincides with March Madness, in February. The winner will earn the title of “Coolest Thing Made in SC.”
Nominations, which were accepted from Feb. 7 through February 25, resulted in a whopping 175 nominated products. Manufacturers from every corner of the state were represented in the initial group of 175, according to officials.
The public voted from Feb. 28 through March 4 for their favorites, and the top 16 vote-getters advanced to the "Sweet 16."
The 16 finalists are:
- 530 LXF (Scout Boats)
- BMW X5 (BMW Manufacturing Co.)
- Commercial Brick (U.S. Brick)
- Cosequin® (Nutramax Laboratories, Inc.)
- Custom Dash Panel (New Wire Marine)
- Domtar Lottery and Receipt Papers (Domtar)
- Electrolux/Frigidaire Refrigerator/Freezer (Electrolux Home Products Inc.)
- Encapsulated Thrust Needle Roller Bearing (Schaeffler)
- EZ Breathe Atomizer (Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation)
- F-16 (Lockheed Martin)
- Girl Scouts' Daisy and Brownie Uniforms (Milliken & Company)
- Guardian Home Backup Generator (Generac Power Systems)
- Huggies Diapers (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
- Steel (Nucor Steel)
- Talon 1000 X-4 (American Honda Motor Co., Inc. South Carolina Manufacturing)
- Worksman Cycles Side by Side Trike (Worksman Cycles)
“These 16 finalists provide a compelling snapshot of the high level of innovation and quality that are hallmarks of South Carolina manufacturing," SC Manufacturers Alliance President & CEO Sara Hazzard said.
Voters can now go to scmanufacturingmadness.com to select a winner from each pairing in the bracket, cutting the field in half each week until the ultimate winner is selected from the Top Four.
The winner will be announced in a ceremony at the Statehouse on March 30.
Remaining Contest Timeline:
March 7-11: Top 16 bracket voting
March 14-18: Top 8 bracket voting
March 21-25: Final round of bracket voting
March 30: Winner announced