GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Some of Nebraska’s coolest businesses operate under the radar. One of them just landed a pretty cool distinction as Nova-Tech’s products were voted the coolest thing made in Nebraska.
Nova-Tech’s injectable IV fluids were named the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska during an announcement Thursday at the Nebraska Chamber’s Manufacturing Summit in La Vista.
The fourth annual competition attracted more than 50 nominations before narrowing the field to 16 finalists in a bracket-style contest. Tens of thousands of votes were cast across three rounds.
For Nova-Tech President and Co-owner Teresa Grabowski, the win was both gratifying and unexpected.
“It’s very gratifying,” Grabowski said. “We learned that there was over 50 nominations and then to be 18 and then eight, and then in the four and then the top one. Very, very proud of being a manufacturer here in the state of Nebraska.”
The winning product is a line of injectable IV fluids used to treat dehydration in animals. The fluids provide a balance of electrolytes to support rehydration and fluid replacement in everything from household pets to livestock.
“Nova-Tech is an animal health pharmaceutical manufacturer,” Grabowski said. “And our featured product in this event was the injectable IV fluids that we make. Those IV fluids are used for dehydration in animals. Everything from your dog, your cat, a cattle feeder, cow-calf operator, a dairy, all the way up to the horse that you raise or ride.”
While Nova-Tech has been manufacturing animal health products in Grand Island for years, Grabowski said the company isn’t a household name.
For much of its history, Nova-Tech manufactured products under its customers’ labels rather than its own.
“I believe Nova-Tech has been one of those companies that has flown under the radar for quite some time because we, until most recently, did not put our label on the products we manufactured,” Grabowski said. “We put our customer’s label on them, but most recently, when we introduced our bagged fluids, we now put that product in a Nova-Tech label.”
The company now ships products throughout the United States and Canada, with some eventually reaching overseas markets through its customers.
Grabowski said the competition provided an opportunity to introduce more people to Nova-Tech and recognize the broader manufacturing industry in Nebraska.
For Grabowski, a rewarding element was hearing from people who were following the competition and encouraging others to vote.
“One of the most exciting pieces throughout this is that, you know, you got to reach out to people that maybe you didn’t reach out to before or maybe honestly didn’t know what we do here at Nova-Tech,” Grabowski said. “And it was a great example of being able to give Nova-Tech exposure.”
The competition also introduced Grabowski to other manufacturers across the state, many of which have grown from small, often family-owned operations into businesses serving customers around the world.
“We talked about those other businesses, about how they grew from, a very small organization, many of them family-owned, to become widely known now and shipping globally, just like Nova-Tech,” she said.
The contest is hosted by the Nebraska Manufacturing Alliance and the Nebraska Chamber and presented by Pinnacle Bank. It takes place each October in conjunction with Manufacturing Month.
Grabowski encouraged other Nebraska manufacturers to participate in future competitions.
“We should all be proud of our accomplishments, the great people that work for us and the opportunity to showcase what we do every day,” she said.
Nova-Tech received a trophy along with the statewide recognition.