One is a crunchy, cheesy snack based on a cherished family recipe. The other can fly 11 passengers about 1,780 miles at 422 knots, or 485 miles per hour. The first is baked in Charlotte, and a large carton of goodies costs about $22. The latter is manufactured in Greensboro, and its price tag tops $7 million.
But the Original Sharp Cheddar Biscuit Bites by Piedmont Pennies and the HondaJet Elite II by Honda Aircraft Company can claim similar titles. Both are winners in the fifth annual Coolest Thing Made In North Carolina contest sponsored by the NC Chamber. Piedmont Pennies won in the category for companies with 100 or fewer employees, while Honda Aircraft won in the medium-to-large division.
The two companies’ origins differ as much as their products. Burlington native Becca Wright quietly launched Piedmont Pennies in September 2020 by renting a commercial kitchen in Chapel Hill to sell snacks which grew from her grandmother’s recipe. She started the company after COVID derailed the UNC Chapel Hill MBA grad’s plans for an internship at Facebook (now Meta) in California.
She moved to Charlotte in December 2020. A $50,000 grant from the NC IDEA nonprofit for entrepreneurs in the fall of 2021 helped propel the brand. She now sells her snacks at more than 400 locations in about 35 states, in addition to online sales. The store launched sales in all Fresh Markets in North Carolina. The company has six employees.
Honda Aircraft, a subsidiary of the big Japanese automaker, announced in 2007 plans to make its world headquarters in Greensboro, a year after its founding. The company now employs more than 900 workers around the Triad. Cumulative HondaJet deliveries surpassed 250 planes globally in the last fiscal year.
The HondaJet Elite II is considered the fastest and highest-flying jet in its class, but it still had to beat out some stiff competition to win the “coolest thing” title, says Honda Aircraft CEO Hideto Yamasaki.
“Honda is honored to receive this recognition from the people of North Carolina – the birthplace of aviation,” Yamasaki says in
a release.
Piedmont Pennies spread credit for its recognition. “This win really isn’t about our product or our company, while both are amazing, it is about our people. The Penny Partners (retailers) who carry our product and supported our growth, the Penny Pals (loyal customers) who’ve been with us since Pennies was a grad school project, and the Penny Pinchers (teammates) who strive every day to bake quality products so you can spend quality time with those you love. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for voting, supporting and Stayin Cheesin!” the company put on Instagram.
NC Chamber launched the competition in 2020 to honor the state’s manufacturers and raise awareness about careers in the industry. Manufacturing employs about 474,000 workers in North Carolina, more than 10% of the state’s workforce. The industry topped $102 billion in economic output in 2021 and had 17% of the state’s gross product. Illinois-based Baxter, which has its largest plant in North Cove in western North Carolina, sponsored the online competition, which had a record-setting 145 nominations this year. Business North Carolina is the media partner.
Winners in the medium-to-large business category
(more than 100 employees):
1ST PLACE: HondaJet Elite II – Honda Aircraft (Greensboro)
2ND PLACE: Roush & Yates Racing Engines –
V6 Twin-turbo EcoBoost
(Engine for Limited Edition Ford MK IV (Mooresville)
3RD PLACE: Carrier – Centrifugal Chillers (Charlotte)
4TH PLACE: TW Garner Foods – Texas Pete Hot Sauce (Winston-Salem)
5TH PLACE: CSL Seqirus – Flucelva (Holly Springs)
6TH PLACE: Columbia Forest Products – PureBond Formaldehyde-Free Hardwood Plywood (Old Fort)
Winners in the small business category
(under 100 employees):
1ST PLACE: Original Sharp Cheddar Biscuit Bites – Piedmont Pennies (Charlotte)
2ND PLACE: Lighthouse Candle Factory – Custom Handmade Candles (Kernersville)
3RD PLACE: Mantissa Scorpion – Sortation System (Charlotte)
4TH PLACE: WoolTribe – Signature Cable Beanie (Charlotte)
5TH PLACE: Atlantic Beach Sea Salt (Atlantic Beach)
Previous Coolest Things winners
2023: C.R. Onsrud: Q-Series 5-Axis CNC Machine, Troutman (medium-to-large); Fjord: Static Rope Edge Protection, Burlington (small)
2022: Caterpillar: 299D3 XE Compact Track Loader, Sanford (medium-to-large); beachBub: All-in-one Umbrella System, Greensboro (small)
2021: Western Star: 49X Vocational Truck, Cleveland
2020: Thomas Built Buses: Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley Electric School Bus, High Point. ■