{"id":13488,"date":"2024-10-17T22:02:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T22:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=13488"},"modified":"2024-10-17T22:57:36","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T22:57:36","slug":"wmc-announces-the-2024-coolest-thing-made-in-wisconsin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=13488","title":{"rendered":"WMC Announces the 2024 Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This post originally appeared at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wmc.org\/press-releases\/wmc-announces-the-2024-coolest-thing-made-in-wisconsin\/\">https:\/\/www.wmc.org\/press-releases\/wmc-announces-the-2024-coolest-thing-made-in-wisconsin\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>MADISON<\/strong> \u2013 Wisconsin Manufacturers &amp; Commerce (WMC) \u2013 the combined state chamber and manufacturers\u2019 association \u2013 partnered with Johnson Financial Group to announce this year\u2019s Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin: Jolly Good Soda, manufactured by Krier Foods in Random Lake. Jolly Good was crowned the winner at WMC\u2019s annual Business Day event on Thursday in Madison.<\/p>\n<p>Over 130 products were nominated for the contest this year, representing dozens of manufacturing sub-sectors and each corner of the state. After an initial popular vote round and a bracket-style tournament known as \u201cManufacturing Madness,\u201d four finalists competed to ultimately take home the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin trophy, which was produced by two Wisconsin manufacturers: EK Machine and EFCO Finishing Corporation.<\/p>\n<p>The annual contest draws attention to Wisconsin\u2019s vibrant manufacturing industry and the rewarding careers available throughout the state. The industry contributes nearly $72 billion to the state\u2019s economy and employs nearly 1 in 6 Wisconsin workers \u2013 more than any other economic sector. The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin culminates each October, in celebration of Manufacturing Month.<\/p>\n<p>WMC and Johnson Financial Group have partnered for nine years to host the statewide contest, and the competition has drawn over 1.5 million votes since its inception. This year, about 150,000 votes were cast to determine the ultimate winner.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWisconsin manufacturers contribute more than just their products to the economy,\u201d said WMC President &amp; CEO Kurt R. Bauer. \u201cOur manufacturers create jobs, invest in their communities, and support their workforce. The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest showcases the depth and strength of manufacturing, including the diversity of products made right here in our backyard that are used all over the world. Congratulations to all the manufacturers who participated and the entire team at Jolly Good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you to the incredible men and women who drive Wisconsin\u2019s manufacturing industry forward, and to WMC for shining a spotlight on our state\u2019s innovative manufacturer\u2019s each year,\u201d said Johnson Financial Group President &amp; CEO Jim Popp. \u201cCongratulations to Jolly Good and all the 2024 nominees \u2013 you are not just leaders in manufacturing, but architects of Wisconsin\u2019s economic future. Johnson Financial Group is honored to be able to support manufacturers across the State, who continue to solidify Wisconsin\u2019s reputation as a global manufacturing powerhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jolly Good Soda is a craft soda brand known for its bold flavors and vibrant cans. The soda comes in a variety of flavors ranging from classic Root Beer to unique offerings like Sour Pow\u2019r and Blue Raspberry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to be selected as the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin. Jolly Good soda is an iconic Wisconsin brand that has and continues to create memories for families across the state,\u201d remarked Krier Foods\u2019 Sr. Vice President of Business Development Zach Malin. \u201cThe employees who help produce Jolly Good everyday are extremely proud of the company\u2019s family heritage, Wisconsin ties, and being able to put a smile on our friends, families, and neighbors. Thank you to all of the other iconic Wisconsin brands for participating, and thank you to everybody who voted for Jolly Good!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">###<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wmc.org\/press-releases\/wmc-announces-the-2024-coolest-thing-made-in-wisconsin\/\">WMC Announces the 2024 Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wmc.org\">WMC Wisconsin&#8217;s Chamber <\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This post originally appeared at https:\/\/www.wmc.org\/press-releases\/wmc-announces-the-2024-coolest-thing-made-in-wisconsin\/ MADISON \u2013 Wisconsin Manufacturers &amp; Commerce (WMC) \u2013 the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13488"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13489,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13488\/revisions\/13489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}