March 31, 2025
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Winners of new Made in Kendall program announced

Tangent Technologies and MTH Pumps will be recognized at Tuesday’s Kendall County Board meeting

By Eric Schelkopf
Tangent Technologies and MTH Pumps are the two companies that will receive the “Made in Kendall” designation for exemplifying the best of goods produced in Kendall County. Plano Molding received an honorable mention.

Tangent Technologies and MTH Pumps are the two companies that will receive the “Made in Kendall” designation for exemplifying the best of goods produced in Kendall County. Plano Molding received an honorable mention. (Logo provided by Kendall County)

Kendall County officials on Friday announced the inaugural recipients of the “Made in Kendall” designation.

Tangent Technologies and MTH Pumps are the two companies that will receive the “Made in Kendall” designation for exemplifying the best of goods produced in Kendall County, with Plano Molding receiving an honorable mention.

“Kendall County has a strong history of manufacturing,” Kendall County Board Chairman Matt Kellogg said in a news release. “We launched the Made in Kendall recognition to both recognize the great companies producing goods in our county, as well as promote the manufacturing strength that Kendall County offers.”

The businesses will be recognized at the Kendall County Board meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The “Made in Kendall” designation is granted by the Kendall County Board to top entries in three divisions: Consumer Product, Industrial Product and Community Maker.

This year’s designation winners include Tangent Technologies for its Leisure Line Adirondack Chair and MTH Pumps for its HP Series Refrigeration Pump. An honorable mention was given to Plano Molding/Pure Fishing for its organizer consumer product.

No Community Maker entries were submitted. Tangent Technologies has made more than a million Leisure Line Adirondack chairs at its Montgomery factory.

Made of 90% recycled materials and given a 40-year warranty, the chair is a high-quality product available through popular national big box chains, according to the release.

The HP Series Refrigeration Pump made by MTH Pumps in Plano significantly reduces air conditioning costs and refrigeration system energy costs for businesses and helps to substantially reduce carbon emissions, according to the release.

A committee comprised of Kendall County Board member and Economic Development & Administration Committee Chair Dan Koukol, Waubonsee Community College Workforce Education Manager Suzanne Markin, IMEC Regional Manager Dave Musgrave, and Kendall County Economic Development Coordinator Todd Volker reviewed a total of seven nominations for the designation.

“The committee had quite a challenging task deciding which of the nominees to recognize this year,” Koukol said in the release. “Businesses are the lifeblood of the county and we have so many worthy of recognition. We can’t wait to recognize more of our great manufacturers next year.”

Kendall County continues to be the fastest-growing county in Illinois, with the population increasing 142% between 2000 and 2020. Kendall County generated $4.5 billion in gross domestic product in 2023, up 6.3% from 2022, outpacing all other Chicago-area counties in GDP growth, according to the release.

More than 2,500 businesses call Kendall County home, producing more than 2,800 jobs in manufacturing. The 2025 “Made in Kendall” designation is sponsored by Kendall County, Waubonsee Community College and BNSF Railroad.