SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – The sixth annual "Makers Madness" contest is entering the final round.
Nearly 55,000 votes were cast this round in the competition to find The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois. The bracket-style tournament is hosted by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.
Presented by Comcast Business, the competition celebrates the incredible work of manufacturers across Illinois.
More than 250 unique products from across the state were nominated for the 2025 title of The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.
The Top 4 include:
Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pumps
Manufactured by MTH Pumps in Plano, the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump was designed to reduce the refill time of helicopter-based water tanks from over a minute to as little as 30 seconds, increasing the number of water drops that aerial firefighters can place on a wildfire. This time advantage improves the chances of slowing or stopping fires from endangering lives, property and habitats. When wildfires in California left a trail of destruction, MTH Pumps helped by providing rapid and reliable water access for aerial firefighting teams.
Joint Combined Aircrew Systems Tester (JCAST)
Manufactured by Chemring Energetic Devices in Downers Grove, the Joint Combined Aircrew System Tester (JCAST) is a stand-alone, benchtop tester capable of evaluating flight equipment for many aircrew flight systems. It provides mission critical data and simple go/no-go information for complete system verification. JCAST is used to assess the critical safety of flight for Aircrew Flight Equipment components used in conjunction with military flying operations.
Donor Milk
Collected, pasteurized, packaged and distributed by Mother’s Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes in Elk Grove Village, Donor Milk is a life-saving product provided to premature and critically ill babies to save young lives and improve pediatric health. Donor milk is essential for some babies with complex medical needs and required in situations where there is low milk or delayed supply by mothers, parental absence or separation and in cases of adoption and surrogacy.
ROV Skimmer – Remote Operated Oil Skimmer
Manufactured by Elastec in Carmi, the ROV Skimmer is a remotely controlled device designed to provide an effective method of oil recovery in aquatic spills and a variety of other pollution situations. It can be maneuvered into spaces where it would be difficult to deploy a traditional fixed oil skimmer, making the ROV Skimmer an effective tool for pollution control, environmental protection and safety.
Voting for this round is now open and will take place at www.makersmadnessil.com through 11:59 p.m. on April 6. Voters may cast one vote per day for any of the four finalists. The contest will culminate with an awards ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion on April 9 when The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois will be named.
“Congratulations to the Top 4 products, victory is within reach,” said Sean McCarthy, Comcast’s Regional Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Initiatives. “Comcast Business is proud to support Illinois manufacturers and the annual Makers Madness contest. We can’t wait to see which product emerges as this year’s winner.”
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