Wisconsin's world-class manufacturing industry is highlighted each year when Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and Johnson Financial Group team up to find the "Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin". Products from companies all over the state compete head-to-head in a bracket challenge until one is declared the "Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin".

Click here to see past winners.

Voting began in September with 19 competitors from the Sixth District. Half of the contestants were eliminated each week until now, as four remain in the running the be crowned the "Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin". Of the final four, two are from the Sixth District.

The two final contenders from the Sixth District are the Electric Fire Truck by Pierce Manufacturing out of Appleton, and the Quidel Savanna, a device built to quickly deliver lab test results such as COVID-19 tests, made by the Plexus Corporation based in Neenah.

Cast your vote here in the final round of the 2022 Manufacturing Madness Bracket before the deadline at 12:00pm on Wednesday, October 19.

Pictured from left to right, the Electric Fire Truck and the Quidel Savanna

The annual Congressional App Challenge (CAC) presents an opportunity for students in the Sixth District to showcase their coding skills on the national stage. Every year, the CAC invites students across the country to submit an app in its annual coding competition.

The winner from the Sixth District, chosen by a panel of expert judges, will have their app featured on the CAC website. The winner from the Sixth District will also also be eligible to have their app on display for visitors of the U.S. Capitol, along with other winning apps from across the country.

The competition, open to middle and high school students, is designed to promote innovation and engagement in computer science and coding. Students that plan to participate must register online and submit their app by November 1, 2022.

As the November 1, 2022 deadline is approaching quickly, I encourage all students in the Sixth District with an interest in computer programming to design and submit an app in this annual coding competition. 

To learn more about the rules and registration, visit the Congressional App Challenge page on my website.

Any attempts by a company or private individual to steal patented technology to use for profit without permission of its creator is a crime. Intellectual property theft is a serious copyright infringement that can result in fines or imprisonment for offenders, foreign or domestic.

It's extremely concerning that, unfortunately, this type of crime found its way into our state at the hands of a Chinese company known as Man Wah.

China-based Man Wah recently stole patented technology from Raffel Systems, an electronic manufacturing company based in Germantown. Because this theft represents a malicious assault on Raffel's proprietary machinery, I teamed up with Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) to call for an investigation into the harmful trade practices of Man Wah, who manufactured faulty knockoff products based on the Raffel model.

By investigating Man Wah's wrongdoing, we can protect Raffel and other small businesses from bad actors looking to propagate this type of theft in the future.

This past Monday, I wished all my Taiwanese friends worldwide a prosperous and happy Taiwan National Day. Taiwan is an important American ally in the Asia-Pacific region, and I will always use my role as a Congressman to strengthen the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.

I was glad to visit St. Vincent Depaul Free Clinic in Portage this week. Thank you for going above and beyond to protect folks in the Sixth District.

I had a wonderful time at Mayville Engineering Company's facility in Wautoma last week. This employee-owned company is a leader in the field of manufacturing, and we are proud to have them here in the Sixth District.