2025 Coolest Things Made in the Ozarks

Editor's Note: Uncovering the stories of Ozarks manufacturing

From life support systems that keep thousands of aquarium creatures alive and chimichurri sauce used by chefs at Disney World to medical device pouches hand-stitched by Ukrainian and Romanian immigrants and seed containers being used by farmers nationwide – this is just a sampling of the products featured in this year’s Coolest Things Made in the Ozarks class. And you can read all about them on the pages that follow.

The Coolest Things finalists reflect the diversity of the local manufacturing community. Statewide, there are more than 7,600 manufacturing businesses employing more than 282,000 people, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. In just Greene County, the industry represents roughly 14,700 people across 316 establishments.

For this award event, we asked manufacturers to submit one of their products to be evaluated by a selection committee. We met and picked the 16 finalists you’ll read about in this issue.

Now it’s up to readers to select the Voters’ Choice winner at SBJ.net/CoolestThings through Feb. 14. Event attendees will also be able to pick the winner of the Showcase Award after meeting the manufacturers and seeing their products up close at the event on Feb. 24, this year held in conjunction with the Missouri Association of Manufacturers conference in Branson. We’ll also announce the Judges’ Choice Award live at the event.

This award also honors a Plant Manager of the Year and another individual for Excellence in Manufacturing. Read about those honorees on page 21.

We hope you enjoy this special edition as we uncover the stories of local manufacturing.

—Christine Temple, Executive Editor