DOVER — The winner is in after nearly 20,000 votes from all over the state. The Coolest Thing Made in Delaware is the 3D Mammography System by Hologic, Inc.
Winning the first-ever Coolest Thing Made in Delaware Contest hosted by the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce is more than just an award for Hologic, Inc. It marks the start of a new chapter for some of its employees at the Newark location.
The growing medical technology company holds 80% of the market share in the United States for all mammography systems, according to Brian Brooks, senior director of operations. Now, they get to tout their new honor on the heels of a very personal and emotional accomplishment.
“Our administrator for our site, yesterday she rang the bell for her breast cancer after she finished her last treatment. She had early detection screened on one of our 3D mammography systems. So, it took on a whole new meaning for what we do everyday with her being at the front of our office every single day. She’s going to love this today. It’s going on her desk,” he told the Delaware Business Times.
The DSCC award was announced Thursday during the organization’s 2024 Spring Manufacturing & Policy Conference held at Delaware Tech’s Del-One Conference Center in Dover.
DSCC President Michael Quaranta told conference attendees that the goal of the contest was to highlight the diversity in products made in Delaware. Brooks said he was humbled to be a part of the months-long endeavor.
Competition for the Coolest Thing Made in Delaware Contest was fierce, starting at 50 products at the beginning of the contest on Jan. 23. Over the course of the voting period, the top products were reduced down to the top 16, top eight and the final top four which included Hologic, Inc.’s 3D Mammography System, as well as ILC Dover spacesuits, Edgewell Personal Care’s Playtex Sport Tampons and Bloom Energy Bloom Energy Savers. Voting ended at 11:30 a.m. the day of the conference.
While accepting the award for Hologic, Brooks told the group he was proud to be a part of the contest which showcased “. . .the outstanding work that we do here in Delaware from a manufacturing perspective.”
He said the 3D mammography system by Hologic, Inc. has been manufactured in Delaware since 2011, but added that the company has a history of crafting a variety of detectors for many years.
Thanks to recent moves by the company, Brooks added, “our entire operation is based out of Delaware now as well from a breast health perspective.”
The trophy was custom-made by M.Davis & Sons and was a metal, miniature version of Delaware with gears decorating it. Each county was represented in a silhouette.
