The Moose Fireplace Grill a finalist in Coolest Thing Made in Iowa contest

Out of the 69 entrants in the Coolest Thing Made in Iowa contest this year, the makers of The Moose Fireplace Grill managed to secure a top-four finish, losing out to winner John Deere for its CP770 Cotton Picker. The outdoor fireplace grill was created by Mark Allen of Newton and manufactured by Red Oak Fabrication.

In a Facebook post on June 11, The Moose Fireplace Grill, LLC announced that they did not take home the No. 1 prize but were grateful for the experience. The winner of the contest was named during the Iowa Association of Business and Industry’s state convention in Council Bluffs.

“We had a great run!” Allen said in the post. “Thank you to ABI for a wonderful experience. John Deere takes home the trophy for The Coolest Thing Made in Iowa 2025. We had so much fun! We learned so much. Thank you all for the votes and support over the last several weeks.”

The final round of voting was held from May 23 until June 3.

Other contest finalists include: the Butter Braid Pastry by Country Maid, Inc. of West Bend and the CHC Chocolate Pump by Viking Pump, Inc. of Cedar Falls.

Allen told Newton News it was surprising to see the product make it this far along in the contest, especially when he had only hoped to make it out of the first round and into the top 16. By that time, Allen accepted the placement as an honor but never expected to make it much further in the competition, let alone be a finalist.

“The outpouring of support and the positive comments we’ve received and the notes of encouragement that we received, it was amazing,” Allen said. “It truly was wonderful. We had so many people pulling for us and so many people voting for us, and we got to the final four … and we were by far the smallest company.”

John Deere employs thousands of workers just in Iowa alone; Country Maid, Inc. has approximately 60 full-time employees; Viking Pump, Inc. has hundreds.

“We have zero full-time employees,” Allen said.

Even the company that manufactured The Moose is only listed to have 51-200 workers. To Allen, it felt special knowing the underdog was able to go the distance with other finalists. It was a cool experience, he said, and it was humbling to see the community rally around his product.

“I’m going to take away the number of wonderful people we’ve met so far, the number of people who have reached out to offer assistance and words of encouragement,” he said. “It’s OK to take that leap of faith. It’s OK to try something new. It’s OK to put yourself out there.”

Newton News previously published a story about The Moose, which was founded and patented by Allen. The idea came to him when he found himself bouncing between cooking food on a grill and conversing with friends and family around a backyard campfire. So, he combined the two.

Weighing a little over 70 pounds and standing about two feet tall, The Moose has no moving parts and requires no batteries or electricity. The portable fireplace is affixed with a grill that allows for wood-fired cooking directly on the grate or any heat resistant cookware.

To learn more about The Moose Fireplace Grill or order one for yourself, visit the company’s website at www.themoosefireplacegrill.com.