COOLEST PRODUCTS.

• Position: NC TREND >>> Statewide

The NC Chamber's annual competition for the "Coolest Thing Made in NC" wound up with a loader made by a giant international corporation and a beach umbrella developed by a Greensboro small business.

The Caterpillar Cat* XE Compact Track Loader, which is made in Sanford, won the medium-to-large business category. Bill Schermerhorn's beachBub[R] All-In-One Umbrella System took the small business category.

The Chamber started the competition in 2020 to honor manufacturing and encourage more people to work in production jobs. The state's 10,250 manufacturers employ more than 450,000 people.

Caterpillar, which is moving its headquarters...