Rash: What’s the coolest thing made in Minnesota? That’s up to you.

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Manufacturing in Minnesota can be measured objectively.

For example, in data from the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), which reports that last year 8,500 manufacturers across the state employed more than 320,000 people at an average wage of $83,280 (12% higher than the statewide average). Overall, DEED reports, Minnesota manufacturers contributed $58.8 billion to the North Star State’s economy, representing 12% of Minnesota’s gross domestic product.

But beyond the objective metrics, there’s the subjective sense of the emotion evoked by a particular product.

Including: Is it cool?

That’s the question asked in the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” contest from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Launched this week, the bracket-style competition (think “March Madness” for manufacturing) goes from an initial 64 things down to 32 on Sept. 8, then to 16 on Sept. 15, then to the top eight on Sept. 22 and the final four on Sept. 29, culminating in the winner announced on Oct. 7 at the 2025 Manufacturers’ Summit.

And when they do choose, they’ll select among some labels emblematic of Minnesota but recognized worldwide. Brands like Spam from Austin-based Hormel, made famous by GIs during World War II. Or more modern military innovations like the MRZR vehicle from Medina-based Polaris.

Austin and Medina are just two of the scores of cities and small towns across Minnesota housing headquarters of companies in the contest. And beyond the geographical span there’s a depth and breadth of categories among contest entrants that reflects not just innovation but imagination innate everywhere and potentially in everyone.

Including kids — at least in making them aware of and maybe even interested in manufacturing careers. Kids like Blake — the fictional 11-year-old character in a series of books by MAKE (Manufacturing a Kid’s Experience), whose mission, according to Amanda Gregory, the organization’s president, is to educate, inspire and equip the next generation to win in manufacturing.

Kids “love being curious about how things are made,” said Gregory. “And so we wanted to replicate that on a platform that could reach more kids, to inspire curiosity, and really just appreciate and know that there are careers within it as well.”

And there will be careers for years to come, according to DEED, which projects 93,000 job openings for manufacturing production positions alone through 2032.

The “Coolest Thing” contest is a “great idea,” he said, both to “raise visibility” for workers — and for the products themselves.

Gregory concurred, saying that the contest “is a really fun opportunity as a community of manufacturers to celebrate one another.” Mentioning medical, manufacturing and construction sectors, among others, she said it’s a way to “see the bigger picture, the bigger impact, and having something at the end of the day that you did, you built — that builds a bunch of pride.”

This state, McKinnon stated, “has a long history of innovation and manufacturing and continues to have a great reputation in not only producing great ideas for items to be manufactured but then ultimately to sell those into markets across the world.”

Doing so faces headwinds, however, including President Donald Trump’s trade policies that seem to be affecting the international reputation of U.S. brands, as measured by Morning Consult’s Global U.S. Reputation Tracker data and in comments from corporate leaders like McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski, who told CNBC that it’s not just the golden arches losing their luster, but that overall “the aura around America has dimmed a bit.”

Minnesota’s manufacturers will no doubt try to brighten the aura through innovation, and that will require sustained workforce development. Those called to careers in the industry might be motivated by many factors, including, for some, values like helping “people live better lives,” said McKinnon. And, added Gregory, individually driven motivation: “There’s something to be said about being able to build with your hands and use your mind and think creatively and innovatively to be successful.”

Some who work with their hands do so for the feet, as evidenced in contest entrants like Super Sole X by the Red Wing Shoe Company, a work boot likely worn at many manufacturing plants. Some might also occasionally wear the brand’s boots while hiking, including carrying a Duluth Pack’s Wanderer Pack, which like several entrants in the contest is a product made in Minnesota for the way many prefer to experience the state — outdoors.

Of course, not everyone can as easily access the natural areas that make this state unique. For those, there’s another made-in-Minnesota option, the Trackchair from Marshall-based ATZ Manufacturing. Marketed as “the ultimate all-terrain wheelchair,” it’s a current version of what the company says started as “a broken boat seat, some electrical work, and 2 tracks.” And oh yeah, the most important ingredient: inspiration. Or, as ATZ recalls it: “On a cold Minnesota November weekend in 2008, a son’s need for off-road mobility was realized by a father and innovation was ignited.”