Coolest Thing Made in NJ: Final Four Products Revealed

Nearly 70,000 New Jerseyans have voted in the second annual Coolest Thing Made in New Jersey competition, with four finalists left standing as of April 15.

The competition, presented by Withum and the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, started with 72 made-in-Jersey products and has been whittled down through three rounds of public voting. Ballots close at 11:59 p.m. Monday, April 20, and the winner gets announced at the State of the State of Manufacturing event at the Statehouse on May 21.

Four very different products are in the running. One treats pain in dogs and horses without drugs. Another keeps fighter pilots conscious under crushing G-forces. A third welds railroad tracks. The fourth carries electricity without losing any of it.

It’s a lineup that tells you a lot about what Jersey actually makes.

Northvale-based ADM Tronics makes the Vet-Sonotron, a non-invasive therapy device for musculoskeletal pain in dogs and horses. No drugs, no side effects. The company operates out of Bergen County, and the product has its own website at vet-sonotron.com.

Switlik Survival Products, based in Trenton, manufactures the Anti-Gravity Suit. The suit connects directly to an aircraft and inflates under extreme G-forces, pressing against a pilot’s lower body to keep blood circulating and prevent blackout. Mercer County, right in the heart of Central Jersey’s manufacturing corridor.

Out of Manchester in Ocean County, Orgo-Thermit Inc. makes Thermit Welding Kits, used to fuse rail sections into continuously welded track. Anyone who’s ever had an NJ Transit delay blamed on track problems can appreciate what that kind of infrastructure product means for the region.

Then there’s the superconductor from BrukerEST, manufactured in Middlesex County. When cooled to 4.2 Kelvin (that’s minus 452 degrees Fahrenheit), these materials carry electricity without any loss, generating the persistent high magnetic fields that power MRI scanners, particle accelerators, and fusion machines. It’s the kind of product that doesn’t announce itself but quietly underpins medical diagnostics across the country.

“It has been very rewarding to see not only the breadth of New Jersey creations over the past month, but also to see nearly 70,000 votes generated so far reflecting that enthusiasm for manufacturing in the state,” said NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka and NJMEP CEO Peter Connolly.

During the final voting round, people can cast one ballot per day, per device.

The competition is organized by Manufacturing Counts, a partnership between NJBIA and NJMEP, specifically to push back on the idea that Jersey doesn’t make things anymore. It does. A lot of things. The final four voting details were first covered by ROI-NJ.

Last year’s contest drew nearly 40,000 votes across four rounds before Geared Power of Wayne took the title for its BioGuard UVC mask. This year’s 70,000-vote haul, with the final round still running, already blows past that number. The winner earns an award plus coverage in New Jersey Business Magazine and Manufacturing Matters magazine.

The New Jersey Business & Industry Association represents the state’s business community and has pushed manufacturing promotion as a core issue, arguing that the sector remains a significant employer across counties that don’t always get credit for their industrial base.

For context, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks New Jersey manufacturing employment as a slice of a workforce more commonly associated with pharma, finance, and logistics, but the sector supports tens of thousands of jobs across the state.

Trenton makes, the world takes. That old slogan predates NJ Transit by about a century, but these four finalists make a decent argument that the sentiment still holds.

Voting is open through tonight at 11:59 p.m.