Last week, the PA Chamber launched a first-of-its-kind contest in the Commonwealth with its “Coolest Thing Made in PA” tournament. Thirty-two of the most interesting products made in Pennsylvania are competing for the right to be called this year’s “Coolest Thing Made in PA.”
The tournament kicked off on Tuesday, March 14, with 32 companies facing off in a single-elimination bracket format with winners chosen through public voting on the PA Chamber’s Twitter page. The first round of voting ran from Tuesday through last Friday. The contest’s popularity spread like wildfire across the Commonwealth, with thousands of Twitter participants voting and weighing in on social media in the first 24 hours alone.
“We’re incredibly excited to see the immediate outpouring of positive responses,” PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein said. “Tens of thousands of votes have already been cast, and people are passionately supporting their favorite products. Will it be the Sheetz MTO or the Astrobotic lunar lander? Hershey’s Kisses or Aurora self-driving cars? Pennsylvania has some of the most fascinating, famous and beloved brands in the nation, and we can’t wait to see who comes out on top.”
In addition to the incredible social media response, news outlets statewide are also getting in on the fun. Coverage of the PA Chamber’s “Coolest Thing Made in PA” contest has been broadcast statewide across radio, television and newspaper outlets, including the Philly Voice, Fox 56, abc27 News, Butler Radio, York Daily Record, Altoona Mirror, and more. PoliticsPA gave the PA Chamber an “Up Arrow” due to the contest’s popularity. You can view a running list of coverage here.
Voting in Round Two will begin on Tuesday, March 21, at Noon.
The remaining tournament voting schedule is as follows:
Second round: 3/21-3/24
Third round: 3/28-3/29
Fourth round: 3/30-3/31
Championship: 4/3
In addition to bragging rights, the winner will receive complimentary tickets to next year’s Annual PA Economic Forecast and Business Leadership Summit where they will be honored.
For more information, visit www.pachamber.org/coolest_thing_made_in_pa/ or Twitter.com/PAChamber.