Thorogood Boots voted into the Top 16 products in Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest

On Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and Johnson Financial Group announced the Top 16 products moving on in the 10th annual Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest. Over 15,000 votes were cast to determine which Wisconsin-made products advanced to Manufacturing Madness—a head-to-head, tournament-style bracket competition—and Thorogood Genesis boots made the cut. Weinbrenner’s Thorogood Genesis boots are now the #2 seed in the competition, competing in this first round against one of the other Top 16 products, hoping to get enough votes to move on to the next round of the competition.
“Manufacturing is the largest industry in Wisconsin and a key driver of our economic growth,” said Kurt Bauer, President and CEO of WMC. “These products reflect the vibrancy and diversity of the industry, which is exactly why we hold this contest. We’re excited to showcase these innovative products and recognize the hardworking people in manufacturing who play such a vital role for our state.”The Top 16 products were announced by Bauer via a livestream broadcast on Facebook and YouTube.

2025 Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Top 16:
#1 Seed: Carbliss,
Carbliss in Plymouth

#2 Seed: Genesis Work Boots
Thorogood in Merrill
#3 Seed: Search and Rescue 1000 Island Airboat
1000 Island Airboats in Marion
#4 Seed: XUV 845M Gator™ Utility Vehicle
John Deere in Horicon
#5 Seed: Comfort Custom Seating System
Permobil in New Berlin
#6 Seed: Brawny 3-Ply Paper Towel
Georgia-Pacific in Green Bay
#7 Seed: The Maple Shot 10 pack carton
The Maple Dude in Granton
#8 Seed: 38 VTR
Cruisers Yachts in Oconto
#9 Seed: Milorganite Fertilizer
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District in Milwaukee
#10 Seed: Massive Generator Enclosure
EK Machine in Fall River
#11 Seed: Sargento Natural American Sliced Cheese
Sargento in Plymouth
#12 Seed: Turntable Swing Gate
Pack Air Inc. in Neenah
#13 Seed: Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Kikkoman Foods, Inc. in Walworth
#14 Seed: Model 60 Slant Ice Merchandiser
Leer Inc. in New Lisbon
#15 Seed: Extrication Tools
TNT Rescue Systems in Hartland
#16 Seed: Toro Dingo Compact Utility Loader
The Toro Company in Tomah

Voting in this first round of the Manufacturing Madness tournament kicked off at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, and goes through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Manufacturers, consumers, and the public are encouraged to vote once per day, per email, to help determine the Top 8, which will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 8.
This round of voting will narrow the number of products in the competition to the Top 8 Products in the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest and voting will then commence to narrow that number down, and so on.
Ultimately, this year’s Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin will be announced at WMC’s Business Day event in Madison on Oct. 23, 2025.
Voting for all rounds takes place at madeinwis.com, so be sure to cast your vote(s) for your favorites each week as the contest progresses.