Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut: Championship Matchup

The championship for the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut competition has arrived.

Voting for the final round is underway in the third annual bracket challenge celebrating Connecticut’s world-class manufacturing industry.

The public will now decide which Connecticut-made product will be crowned the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut.

The final matchup is The Lee Company’s Satellite Propellant Isolation Valve versus Waterbury Button Company’s Santa Claus Brass Button.

Voting is extended for the final matchup and remains open until midnight Monday, Monday, Sept. 21.

Pride in Connecticut Manufacturing

“People are getting really engaged,” CONNSTEP president and CEO Beatriz Gutierrez said on WTNH News 8’s CTBuzz with Natasha Lubczenko.

“I think it gives us a lot of pride, particularly because it showcases our ingenuity and creativity.”

Gutierrez said so many companies are taking to social media to call their employees and their families to participate in the competition, which helps remind residents of the importance of manufacturing in Connecticut.

“This is our call to fame,” Gutierrez said.

Both companies in the championship are legacy companies in Connecticut.

“I think it gives us a lot of pride, particularly because it showcases our ingenuity and creativity.”

CONNSTEP’s Beatriz Gutierrez

The Lee Company started in Connecticut in 1948 and still carries out the founder’s vision for the company, to provide innovative solutions to tough industry problems.

Today, it is a world leader in miniature precision fluid control products  industries like aerospace and defense, automotive, diagnostics, industrial and off-highway, medical equipment, scientific instruments, motorsports, oil and gas, power generation, and many others.

There are more than 100 custom derivatives of the satellite propellant isolation valve that are designed for specific space applications supporting GPS, global communications, and weather forecasting.

Waterbury Button Company began in Connecticut in 1812 and is one of the oldest continuously operating manufacturers in the state.

The company produces millions of brass buttons annually across its full product line, with holiday and novelty buttons representing a significant portion of seasonal output. 

The Santa Claus button is offered across multiple size options, seven standard finishes, and multiple dome heights and edge detail configurations.

Crowing the Winner

The winner will be announced at the Oct. 1 Made in Connecticut: 2026 Manufacturing Summit at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.  

The Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut is produced by the CBIA Foundation in partnership with business growth organization CONNSTEP. 

The competition is made possible through the generous support of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, ASG Information Technologies, Medtronic, the Connecticut Office of Manufacturing, Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense, and media partner WTNH News 8.

This year’s finalists were nominated by members of the public and business leaders from across Connecticut.