SPRINGFIELD – Chosen by voters from an initial field of more than 250 entries, the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump made by MTH pumps in Plano has been crowned the winner of the 2025 “Makers Madness” contest, earning the title of The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.
Hosted by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and sponsored by Comcast Business, the bracket-style competition celebrates the incredible work of manufacturers across Illinois. Manufacturing is the largest contributor of any industry to the state’s Gross Domestic Product, supporting nearly a third of all jobs in Illinois and contributing more than $580 billion to the state’s economy each year.
With nearly 411,000 votes cast throughout the eight-week competition, the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump was awarded the title of The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois, which was announced by Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday during a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion. 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.
“Congratulations to Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump for being named the 2025 Coolest Thing Made in Illinois. This product is a great example of the bold ideas, creativity and innovation that powers the manufacturing sector here in Illinois,” said Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “With commitment and passion, manufacturers across our state are creating products that solve real-world problems and improve lives. We applaud the men and women on our shop floors whose remarkable skills turn ideas into reality.”
“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 Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m excited to announce this year’s winner of the Coolest Thing Made in Illinois, the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump. To the team at MTH Pumps, congratulations, and to all the manufacturers who took part in this year’s competition: thank you for your creativity, resourcefulness, and dedication. You make our state stronger.”
“As a small manufacturer, our team is honored and excited to have our Aerial Firefighting Refill Pumps join the ranks of products from prior winners like Caterpillar, Rivian and Komatsu,” said Tim Tremain, President of MTH Pumps. “There are so many Illinois Makers that produce products that we use every day without even realizing it, but without them, our daily lives would be very different. So, I honor all manufacturers in the great state of Illinois, but I hope that with our win, we help represent the unique creativity and drive of small manufacturers and the importance of what they have to offer the world.”
Other finalists for the title included the Joint Combined Aircrew Systems Tester (JCAST), 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 ROV Skimmer – Remote Operated Oil Skimmer, a remote controlled device used for oil recovery in aquatic spills, manufactured by Elastec in Carmi.
“Comcast Business congratulates the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump on emerging as The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois after weeks of exciting competition,” said Sean McCarthy, Comcast’s Regional Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Initiatives. “Comcast is proud to support the Makers Madness competition again this year and partner with the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association to showcase the many unique and impactful products manufactured throughout our state.”
Last year’s champion was the Komatsu mining truck, a rugged, large capacity vehicle used for construction and mining made by Komatsu in Peoria. Previous contest winners include the Rosenberg Moon Habitat, a 3D printed polymer structure designed to house humans on the moon manufactured by Ingersoll Machine Tools in Rockford; Rivian’s all-electric R1T truck made in Normal, the first all-electric truck in production featuring four motors, with one powering each wheel; the Self-Regulating Traffic Signal Heater by Termico Technologies in Elk Grove Village, which uses conductive particles to heat traffic signals so they remain free of ice and snow and traffic can safely navigate our roadways; and the 797F Mining Truck manufactured by Caterpillar, Inc. in Decatur, the world’s largest mechanical truck.
Timeline of events:
February 12 – March 2: Nominations open and accepted at http://www.makersmadnessil.com
March 4 – March 16: Nomination voting
March 18: Top 16 Announced
March 18 – March 23: First round of voting
March 25: Top 8 Announced
March 25 – March 30: Second round of voting
April 1: Top 4 Announced
April 1 – April 6: Final round of voting
April 9: Winner of The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois announced during awards luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield
About the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA)
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association is the only statewide association dedicated exclusively to advocating, promoting and strengthening the manufacturing sector in Illinois. The IMA is the oldest and largest state manufacturing trade association in the United States, representing nearly 4,000 companies and facilities. For more information, visit https://ima-net.org/.