The North Carolina Chamber of Commerce (N.C. Chamber) announced on Thursday that the Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school bus, manufactured by High Point-based Thomas Built Buses, is the inaugural winner of the “Coolest Thing Made in N.C.” competition.

The school bus manufacturer won the statewide contest, which started with 72 nominees, after two rounds of voting totaling 50,000 votes, according to a news release from the state’s business advocacy association.

Presented by Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. and supported by the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP), the online competition celebrates the variety and quality of products manufactured across the state.

In addition to receiving a trophy, Thomas Built Buses will be featured in various N.C. Chamber publications and promoted across its communications channels and statewide publicity efforts.

“We are extremely proud and humbly honored to receive this award from the N.C. Chamber, and we thank Old Dominion for sponsoring this effort,” said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “North Carolina has a long and rich tradition of manufacturing excellence and product innovation; we are lucky to call this state our home for more than 100 years.”

N.C. Chamber’s President and CEO Gary Salamido said last week that as part of the association honoring the state’s manufacturing community and championing the next generation of manufacturers on Oct. 1, MFG Day, he wanted to “send a special congratulations to Thomas Built Buses for being named the Coolest Thing Made in N.C.”

MFG Day is an annual event organized by the National Association of Manufacturers and The Manufacturing Institute highlighting the career opportunities of modern manufacturing.

Greg Plemmons, senior vice president of sales for Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., added that the company is “thrilled” to hear about their longtime neighbor Thomas Built Buses being recognized.

“The Piedmont Triad is proud to be the manufacturing home to the big yellow school buses that we’ve all come to know,” Plemmons said. “Technology and innovative manufacturing have evolved in the 21st Century; Thomas Built has exemplified that with its Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric bus.”