LOCAL

Mercury Marine moves to top 4 in Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest; vote by Oct. 14

Fond du Lac Reporter

FOND DU LAC - A Mercury Marine motor has moved a step closer to being named the coolest thing made in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce's Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest features the top Wisconsin creations, and Mercury Marine has now made it into the final round for 2021.

The four finalists were announced in a tournament-style bracket show posted by WMC on YouTube and Facebook Live, hosted by Vice President of Communications and Marketing Nick Novak.

Mercury Marine's V12 600hp Verado Outboard Engine narrowly beat BenShot's airplane propeller-designed drinking glasses, with only a few hundred votes separating the two, according to Novak.

"When you have a large company going up against a small company, it's great to see such fierce competition," Novak said.

The boat engine is the highest horsepower outboard engine on the market, and has two-speed transmission and the first independently steerable gearcase, according to Novak.

Joining Mercury Marine in the final round are Kwik Trip and its Glazers donuts, Caterpillar Global Mining's Cat Electric Rope Shovel and Broadwind Heavy Fabrications' 140-Ton Navy Crane.

The final round of voting starts Thursday and runs through Oct. 14 on madeinwis.com.

Contact Daphne Lemke at 920-907-7968 or dlemke@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @daphlemke.