(The Center Square) – The results are in for a contest to determine the “coolest thing made in Illinois.”
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association held their annual Makers Madness contest, a bracket-style competition to highlight manufacturers around the state. Organizers said nearly 411,000 votes were cast during the 8-week contest and only 300 votes separated the final four products.
This year’s winner is the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump made by MTH Pumps in Plano. The pump was designed to cut in half the refill time of water tanks used on helicopters to fight fires, taking as little as 30 seconds to refill. The device was used to fight wildfires in California earlier this year.
“Congratulations to Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump for being named the 2025 Coolest Thing Made in Illinois,” said IMA president Mark Denzler. “This product is a great example of the bold ideas, creativity and innovation that powers the manufacturing sector here in Illinois.”
Other finalists for the title included the Joint Combined Aircrew Systems Tester, which is used to assess critical safety during military flying operations, manufactured by Chemring Energetic Devices in Downers Grove; Donor Milk, a life-saving product that provides nutrition to premature and critically ill babies, which is pasteurized and distributed by Mother’s Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes in Elk Grove Village; and the ROV Skimmer, a remote-controlled device used for oil recovery in aquatic spills, manufactured by Elastec in Carmi.
“Illinois’ world-class manufacturing industry is leading the charge as one of the top drivers of our continued economic success here in Illinois, and that’s thanks to the incredible innovators all across our state,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Former winners include the Komatsu mining truck from Peoria, the Rosenberg Moon Habitat from Rockford, and Rivian’s R1T truck made in Normal.
