Hatch Product Development & Contract Manufacturing announced today that four of its client companies have been nominated for the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s 2026 “Makers Madness: The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois” competition, a statewide, bracket-style contest celebrating the most innovative products manufactured in Illinois.
The Hatch-supported companies nominated for this year’s competition include:
Organized by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Makers Madness highlights products made across the state, with winners advancing through multiple rounds of public voting before the final winner is announced at an awards ceremony in Springfield.
“This is a meaningful recognition not just for these companies, but for manufacturing in Illinois as a whole,” said Addison Merchut, Co-President and Founder of Hatch. “At Hatch, we are proud to support teams that are not only building innovative products, but manufacturing them here. Seeing these products nominated reinforces the strength of the ideas and the execution behind them.”
Hatch works closely with companies from early-stage development through production, helping transform ideas into manufacturable, scalable products. The inclusion of multiple Hatch-supported products in this year’s Makers Madness competition highlights the firm’s role in supporting innovation within the Illinois manufacturing ecosystem.
Voting for the nomination round is open now and runs through March 22, with individuals able to vote up to five times per day per device. The top 16 products will advance to a seeded, bracket-style competition, with the winner ultimately crowned “The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.”
Support these companies by voting at: https://makersmadnessil.com/cast-your-vote/
About Hatch Product Development
Hatch Product Development is a global product development and manufacturing firm with the business acumen, industry network, and combined engineering experience to produce products for a wide variety of highly-regulated industries in accelerated timelines. Located just outside of Chicago with an international team, Hatch offers a full range of services to bring your product from concept to production. Comprised of a team who has over 25 years of product development and manufacturing experience and a modern top-tier vendor network, Hatch is passionate about efficiently hatching new products with passionate entrepreneurs and visionary leaders.
