Georgia Chamber names EV manufacturer 'Coolest Thing' contest winner
The Coolest Thing Made in Georgia is an electric school bus. The Blue Bird Vision Electric school bus took top honors in the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Georgia competition, a statewide, public vote celebrating the products, manufacturers, and innovation that call Georgia home. The Georgia Chamber announced the winner at its Congressional Luncheon in Athens.
“Georgia is home to innovative companies and products that are making an impact far beyond our state’s borders,” said Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber. “The Blue Bird Vision Electric School Bus represents the ingenuity and manufacturing excellence that make Georgia a global leader in business. Congratulations to Blue Bird on this achievement and on its nearly century-long legacy of creating innovative products right here in Georgia.”
The recognition is yet another example of how chambers can celebrate the companies and technologies shaping their states’ economic future and help connect clean energy growth to jobs, investment, and local economic opportunity.
Founded in 1927, Blue Bird builds the Vision Electric school bus in Fort Valley, where it has operated as a Georgia business for nearly 100 years. The company employs more than 1,500 people at its Fort Valley manufacturing facility, and more than 4,000 Blue Bird Electric school buses are already operating across the United States.
The electric bus also highlights Georgia’s growing leadership in clean energy and advanced manufacturing. State leaders have called Georgia the “buckle of the battery belt,” as investment in electric vehicles, batteries, and related manufacturing has brought new businesses and jobs to communities across the state. Blue Bird provides a homegrown example of what that leadership can mean for local communities.
And there is still room to grow. Recent reporting found that while Georgia ranks seventh nationally in EV charging infrastructure, Central Georgia lags other parts of the state. The contrast underscores the opportunity for chambers and economic development organizations to lead: helping their communities understand where the economy is headed, celebrating the businesses already driving that growth, and positioning their regions to capture the jobs and investment that come with it.
By putting a Fort Valley-made electric school bus in the statewide spotlight, the Georgia Chamber is helping show that clean energy innovation is already part of Georgia’s manufacturing story.
“We’d like to thank the Georgia Chamber and all of the voters for being named ‘The Coolest Thing Made in Georgia’ for our zero-emissions electric school bus,” said John Wyskiel, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “This recognition reflects years of innovation, dedication and a shared belief that student transportation can be safer, cleaner and, yes, apparently cooler than we ever imagined.”
Hosting an awards ceremony or creating a public recognition platform to recognize the proactive work of your members and community groups is an easy way to further clean energy adoption. For more examples of successful awards programs, check out CICE’s Toolkit.
