Photo courtesy of Action Manufacturing The Action Trackchair, shown here being used at a fall pheasant hunt in Avon, Minn., is among the Minnesota-made products vying for the title of "Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota." Members of the public can vote for their favorite products as part of a contest organized by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

MARSHALL — There are some high-profile products competing for the title of “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota,” from Spam and Scotch tape to Red Wing boots and Fruity Pebbles cereal. And the Action Trackchair – an all-terrain wheelchair made in Marshall – is right there alongside them.

This month, the Action Trackchair was picked as one of 64 products featured in the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce’s new “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” contest. Members of the public can vote for their favorite products and inventions. This week, Action Trackchair made it into the brackets for the top 16 products.

“We’ve gone through two rounds (of competition) so far. Our first matchup was against Fruity Pebbles, which is made in Northfield,” said Adam Henning, marketing manager at Action Manufacturing in Marshall. “I think we’re kind of a little engine that could,” he said.

Voting in the contest will continue over the next couple of weeks. The final winner will be revealed Oct. 8, at the 2024 Manufacturers’ Summit, said Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Vice President Jennifer Byers.

“It’s really a fun way to recognize manufacturing,” Byers said of the contest. The manufacturing industry employs more than 300,000 people in Minnesota, and forms an important part of the state’s economy, she said.

The “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” contest drew a big crowd of nominations. “There were more than we anticipated,” Byers said. “It was hard to whittle it down to 64.”

The Action Trackchair was one of the products that made the cut. The Trackchair was created by Marshall resident Tim Swenson in 2009. Swenson designed the prototype trackchair for his son Jeff, who was paralyzed in an automobile accident in 1998. Over 15 years, Action Manufacturing grew into a business with its own factory in Marshall, and customers around the world.

Henning said it was exciting to see the support the Action Trackchair was getting from contest voters. On Sept. 7, the Trackchair was even featured in Kare 11’s T.V. coverage of the contest.

In the first week of competition, the Action Trackchair emerged as the winner of its matchup with Fruity Pebbles. Then it won a matchup with vedolizumab, a medication for Crohn’s disease that is produced by Takeda in Brooklyn Park. This week, the current round of contest voting has the Trackchair up against Medtronic’s TYRX, an antibacterial covering for medical devices like pacemakers.

“Hopefully, we’ll continue to gather votes,” Henning said. Being able to raise more awareness of Action Trackchair “serves a greater purpose,” he said. The chairs help give people with disabilities freedom and independence.

Byers said the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce plans to make the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” contest into an annual event, so there will be more chances to include Minnesota-made products in the spotlight.

Voting for the current round of competition is open until midnight Sunday, Byers said. Members of the public can get a look at the brackets, and cast their votes online at https://www.mnchamber.com/coolest-thing-made-minnesota.