Biggs|Gilmore took home SAMMY Awards for Best Integrated Social/Cross Media Campaign (Kimberly-Clark/Cottonelle); Best Branded Social Fan Page (Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts); and Best Direct Response Campaign (Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts).

The agency was also a finalist in three categories: Best Branded Video (Kimberly-Clark/Cottonelle); Best Social Promotion for Product Launch (Kellogg’s Crunch Nut); and Best Social CRM Campaign
(Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts).

“It’s wonderful to see our work included among the best of the best in social media,” said Marino Puhalj, senior vice president, executive creative director at Biggs|Gilmore.

Competitors in the categories in which the agency won included Coca-Cola, the New York Times, American Express Open, iSpeech and the movie “Rio.”

Now in its third year, the SAMMY Awards honor overall excellence and breakthrough achievement in Social Advertising, Media and Marketing. The SAMMYs are presented by DIGIDAY, the publisher of DIGIDAY:DAILY and the host of DIGIDAY:SOCIAL, which includes hundreds of leading social media and marketing experts, journalists, insiders, marketers, publishers, and social technology visionaries.

Founded in 1973, Biggs|Gilmore (www.biggs-gilmore.com) is a digital agency with a core expertise in integration of offline and online marketing strategies. Named Top Agency in the 2011 WebAwards, Top Agency in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Internet Advertising Competition, and an AdAge Agency of the Year in 2010, Biggs|Gilmore delivers measurable and award-winning results for Fortune 500 clients via integrated branding, advertising and e-business solutions. The agency has offices in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Chicago. Key clients include Heinz, Kellogg Company and Kimberly-Clark.

A complete list of the winning sites can be found at the WebAward Web site at www.webaward.org .

“The level of excellence in website development continues to increase, constantly making the Internet a very competitive place to do business,” said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. “Each year the WebAwards receives amazing entries from around the world that show impressive creativity and functionality. As the Internet evolves, so does the state of website development. This year the judges really stepped up the expectations of the site adjudicated. Winning a WebAward is a great way to demonstrate the effectiveness of your Web development efforts.”

Best of Show
The 2011 Best of Show WebAward is presented to Organic, Inc. for their exceptional work on “U by Kotex: Ban the Bland” website at URL http://www.ubykotex.com/get_real/design . The site was also recognized as Best Consumer Goods Website.

U by Kotex* helped Break the Cycle of period shame by opening an honest conversation. Now, they’re giving 14- to 22-year-old young women the opportunity to redesign the boring, white feminine care category. The core of the experience is an interactive design tool that lets girls make over feminine care by creating original product designs. A fresh site design, including a gallery of submissions, and rallying copy inspire girls to join the challenge.

This is the third WebAward Best of Show win for Organic, Inc. In 2009 they were won the award with their work on “Bank of America – Morris on Campus”. They also won the very first Best of Show WebAward in 1997 with their work on “Philips Home Theater Web site”.

Top Agency
Biggs|Gilmore ( www.Biggs-Gilmore.com ) was named Top Agency at the 2011 WebAward Competition, taking home 28 WebAwards. This is the second time Biggs|Gilmore has won the Top Agency WebAward, the first being in 2007. The Top Agency Award is given to recognize the consistently outstanding development going on at interactive firms. The firm also has been named Top Agency in the Web Marketing Association’s Internet Advertising Competition for three straight years (2009, 2010 and 2011). Founded in 1973, Biggs|Gilmore is a digital agency with a core expertise in integration of offline and online marketing strategies. It was recognized in the 2011 WebAwards with Best Food Industry Website, Best Social Network Website, 13 Outstanding Website WebAwards and 12 Standard of Excellence WebAwards.

21 agencies or companies were also recognized as Outstanding Website Developer for winning six or more WebAwards in 2011. They include:

AGENCY AWARDS
Biggs|Gilmore 28
Sabre Hospitality Solutions 21
Risdall Marketing Group 20
Extractable 19
TRAVELCLICK 15
VML 15
CareTech Solutions 14
TMP Worldwide 11
Critical Mass 8
AGENDA Ltd. 7
Aristotle 7
BGT Partners 7
Blenderbox Inc 7
Forum One Communications 7
Hubbard One 7
WSI 7
IQ 6
JHI Health 6
LBi 6
Methodologie 6
usdm.net(R) 6
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Online 6

Competition format
The competition was judged by a team of independent Internet professionals representing a variety of relevant disciplines of Web site development. Judges included members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, creative directors, corporate marketing executives, content providers and webmasters.

The WebAward competition format allows Web sites to compete head to head with other sites within their industry to win the Best of Industry award. Entries also compete against a standard of excellence to win Outstanding Website and Standard of Excellence WebAwards. Each site is judged on seven different criteria and earns a score between 0 and 70 points. The highest score in a given category wins Best of Industry for that category. If the remaining entries receive a score of 60 or greater, they receive the Outstanding Web site award. Entries that score higher than their industry average and below 59.9 receive the Standard of Excellence.

The 2011 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: ExactTarget, Burst Media, PR Newswire, BGT Partners, ad:tech conferences, Internet World UK, Search Engine Strategies, EContent Magazine, We Build Pages, MicroBurst, Webmaster Radio and Website Magazine.

About the Web Marketing Association
The Web Marketing Association is working to create a high standard of excellence for Web site development and marketing on the Internet. Staffed by volunteers, it is made up of Internet marketing, advertising, PR and design professionals who share an interest in improving the quality of Website development and marketing on the Internet. Since 1997, the Web Marketing Association’s annual WebAward and Internet Advertising Competition award programs has been helping interactive professionals promote themselves, their companies, and their best work to the outside world. Now in its 15th year, the WebAward Competition has become the premier award event for Web developers and marketers worldwide.

SOURCE Web Marketing Association

Copyright (C) 2011 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

In this year’s competition the agency won 28 awards, including two “best of” awards, 13 “outstanding website” awards and 13 “standard of excellence” awards. This is the second time Biggs|Gilmore has won the coveted Top Agency spot. The agency was named Top Agency in the 2007 WebAwards and has been among the most-awarded agencies in the competition for the past eight years.

“While we’re incredibly proud to be recognized for 28 different sites, when you have the kind of strategic, creative and development talent we have here, it’s no accident that nearly every one of our clients shares in the awards,” said Andy Gould, senior vice president, executive creative director.

More than 2,000 sites from 45 countries were judged in 96 industry categories during this year’s competition. Entries were judged on design, copywriting, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation and use of technology.

Biggs|Gilmore won Best Food Industry Website for Apple Jacks and Best Social Network Website for Pop-Tarts. The agency also won Outstanding Website awards for Ready Crust, Morningstar Farms, Pop-Tarts (three awards), Froot Loops, Share Your Breakfast, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Cottonelle, Huggies Pull-Ups and Heinz (two awards).

In addition, the agency took home 13 Standard of Excellence awards, recognizing work for Cottonelle (three awards), Pop-Tarts, Heinz Ketchup, Raisin Bran, Frosted Flakes, FiberPlus, All-Bran, Love Your Cereal, Crunchy Nut, Escalon Premier Brands and Heinz Soups.

Earlier this year Biggs|Gilmore was named the 2011 Top Agency in the Web Marketing Association’s other major competition, the Internet Advertising Competition (IAC), which makes it the first agency ever to win both awards in the same year.

“Those are both competitions that we respect a great deal. To capture the Top Agency award for both the WebAwards and the IAC in the same year is an incredible accomplishment,” said Marino Puhalj, also senior vice president, executive creative director.

Founded in 1973, Biggs|Gilmore (www.biggs-gilmore.com) is a digital agency with a core expertise in integration of offline and online marketing strategies. Named an AdAge Agency of the Year in 2010 and Top Agency in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Internet Advertising Competition, Biggs|Gilmore delivers measurable and award-winning results for Fortune 500 clients via integrated branding, advertising and e-business solutions. The agency has offices in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Chicago. Key clients include Heinz, Kellogg Company and Kimberly-Clark.

# # #

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post called “The Beauty of Being Small.” It addressed some of the issues we were facing as Biggs Gilmore grew from 60 people to about 90. Two years later, our head count sits at about 150, and it seems like a good time to catch my breath and revisit a few fundamental questions on the topics of growth and agency size.

As an all-digital shop, opportunities to pitch business are everywhere, but we’ve always been wary of growing too quickly. Our position is that we only want to add staff when we find talent worth investing in. Another part of our philosophy is that we’d rather have deep relationships with a small number of great clients than work with a large number of average clients. And luckily, we’ve grown pretty much the way we set out to — slowly but steadily adding business from existing relationships. In fact, although we’ve experienced more than 30% growth each of the past two years, we added only one new company to our roster (for a total of four). That has allowed us to stay very selective when it comes to the people we hire.

Growth has been good to us. We’ve expanded our Chicago office space twice. We made investments to build up critical functions like user experience design, analytics and search marketing. Last year, we were named an Ad Age Small Agency of the Year for our size category. All of these things have helped us land additional business and have become selling points as we seek to recruit talent from larger agencies to give us much-needed bench strength.

But it’s not all sunshine and roses. One of the main points of my blog post from a couple of years back was that as agencies get bigger, communication tends to break down among employees, and the culture that once made an agency special often begins to erode. History tells us this tends to happen to companies once they hit the magic number of around 150 employees. (Google “Dunbar’s number.”) We’re well aware of this phenomenon, so here are a few of the hard questions we’re asking ourselves as we continue to grow.

How do we keep our most senior staff involved on our accounts in a meaningful way? This was easy to do at 60 people. Much trickier given our size today. But there’s no doubt that client attention from principals and senior people is a key part of what’s made us successful. So staying close to the work has to be part of the equation.

As our departments get larger, how do we keep the organization relatively flat? We could just add more layers, but that’s not really our style. We prefer the benefits of a thin management structure. We don’t need 10 levels of approval to get work out the door. With a few exceptions, our structure has remained mostly the same as when we were half our current size. Most employees still report to a member of the management team, which allows everyone to stay close to what’s going on day-to-day and keeps important information flowing freely throughout the company

How do we keep H.R. from going postal? Hiring more than 50 people over the past two years has meant interviewing hundreds of candidates. On top of an already heavy workload, that’s a big strain on our staff. But there’s no shortcut — we’re pretty picky, and if you want good people, you have to do a lot of weeding out. It sometimes takes months to fill positions, but luckily our people are pretty awesome about being patient so we can find the right candidate, not just the convenient one.

Does it still feel like the same agency? Personal reality-check time. Whenever we have an all-agency meeting these days, there are at least a couple of people whose names I don’t know. That feels weird. Also, I don’t see our developers nearly as often anymore, because we grew to the point that they needed their own floor. That feels weird, too. And on any given day, I may not even know what some of the creative teams are working on. That feels really weird.

Since 2003 our headcount has tripled. But — at least to me — the culture doesn’t feel fundamentally different. People and processes may have changed, but thankfully (I’m keeping my fingers crossed) our culture seems to endure. Maybe that’s because once people join us, they tend to stick around. There’s a lot of new blood walking the halls, but there are also a ton of veterans who help set the tone for who we are and what we stand for. Maybe it’s also because we’ve kept our aims for the agency fairly simple. We’re not trying to take over the world. We just want to do great work with people we like, and have fun doing it. I’d like to think our growth and success are a natural result of that.

How can we keep that “small” feeling even if we’re not small? We won’t be repeating as a Small Agency of the Year in 2011. Ad Age’s “definition” of a small agency is 150 or fewer employees. As we continue to fill open positions, we’ve become ineligible. (One more thing that feels very weird.) So if we’re not a small agency anymore, what are we?

Well, I guess we’re a growing agency that still feels small. In spite of our size, it often feels like we’re the underdogs, fighting above our weight class. And I think most of us like it that way. We know we’re walking a kind of tightrope — striving to compete with much larger agencies while we continue to operate with the nimbleness and scrappiness we embraced when we were 60 people. It’s a delicate balancing act. But it’s still fun. So when does being big become a burden? I don’t have a more precise answer than “Not yet.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Gould is senior VP-executive creative director of Biggs Gilmore, Kalamazoo, Mich., which was named 2010 Ad Age Small Agency of the Year (76-150 employees). Follow Andy on Twitter: @AndyGould. Andy also contributes to Biggs Gilmore’s blog, SlackerCEO

“This contract is just the most recent benefit from the Company’s strategic purchasing initiative resulting from last year’s merger with Centex,” said Deborah Wahl Meyer, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for PulteGroup. “In addition to this being a partnership between two Michigan-based companies with proud histories, Whirlpool Corporation offers products that align perfectly with PulteGroup’s unique multi-brand strategy.”

PulteGroup offers homebuyers branded products for every phase of life: Centex for entry-level buyers, Pulte Homes for move-up buyers and Del Webb for active adults. Whirlpool Corporation meets the upgrade and option needs of homeowners with brands that include Amana®, Whirlpool®, Whirlpool Gold®, KitchenAid® and Jenn-Air®.

Consumers purchasing a PulteGroup home now have the best of both worlds – a thoughtfully styled and reliably built home now outfitted with innovative Whirlpool Corporation appliances. This is an unbeatable value combination in today’s marketplace.

“We are honored to work with a world-class corporation and industry leader,” said Tom Halford, general manager, contract sales and marketing at Whirlpool Corporation. “We are thrilled to be the exclusive appliance supplier for all PulteGroup brands.”

About Whirlpool Corporation

Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2011, Whirlpool Corporation strives to exceed expectations with distinct and innovative home appliances. The Inside Advantage™ is designed to meet the needs of Whirlpool Corporation’s building community customers. More than a program, The Inside Advantage™ provides trade customers with the strength of Powerful Brands, Innovative Products, Market Insight and Targeted Services, all from one company.

Whirlpool Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. For more information on Whirlpool Corporation and its offerings for building professionals, please visit www.insideadvantage.com or call 1-800-952-2537 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-952-2537 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

About PulteGroup

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM) based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is America’s premier home building company with operations in 67 markets, 29 states and the District of Columbia. Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2010, the Company has an unmatched capacity to meet the needs of all buyer segments through its brand portfolio that includes Pulte Homes, Centex Homes and Del Webb. In 2009, PulteGroup brands received more top rankings than any other homebuilder in the annual J.D. Power and Associates 2009 New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Studysm.

For more information about PulteGroup, Inc. and PulteGroup brands, see www.pultegroup.com; www.pultehomes.com; www.centex.com; www.delwebb.com

“Pizzuti offered a creative and talented team that not only embraced Whirlpool Corporation’s 100-year history but also demonstrated an understanding of what it takes to support our forward-looking innovation processes,” said Lee Utke, MCR, director of global corporate real estate for Whirlpool Corporation. “They offered a holistic solution, a commitment to using locally based contractors and service providers, and a demonstrated track record of successful community enhancement projects.”

The proposed design will also target LEED Gold certification.

Pizzuti’s development projects include the Heathrow International Business Center in Orlando, Florida and One and Two Miranova, a mixed-use redevelopment in downtown Columbus that features a luxury high-rise condominium tower and a 12-story Class A office building that serves as home to Pizzuti’s corporate headquarters. In addition, Pizzuti is serving as master developer for Exploration Park, a high-tech research and office park on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pizzuti also has completed multiple buildings for Whirlpool Corporation, including a 1.6 million-square-foot, LEED-certified facility.

“We’re extremely pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Whirlpool Corporation,” said Joel S. Pizzuti, president and COO of The Pizzuti Companies. “The entire Pizzuti team is committed to delivering a sustainable, world-class corporate headquarters that will allow Whirlpool to continue to retain and attract the best and brightest minds to its corporate workforce.”

“The development of Whirlpool’s new campus is a component in the ongoing rebirth of Benton Harbor,” Pizzuti added. “We are confident that Whirlpool’s new campus will serve as an anchor to downtown Benton Harbor, to attract others to invest in revitalizing the area, to enhance the local tax base and to create new jobs along the way.”

In July, Whirlpool Corporation announced plans to build a new office campus as part of a consolidation of its 15 owned and leased facilities – located throughout the greater Benton Harbor and Saint Joseph area – to three centralized office campuses. The changes are expected to take approximately five years to complete and will allow the company to deliver on improvements in productivity, operations, energy efficiency, and overall employee experience. These changes will also allow the company to reduce its operating costs, and will provide greater flexibility to adjust to changing business and staffing needs.

The final three campuses will include the existing Benton Harbor Administrative Center, the St. Joseph Technology Center location, along with the new Main Street Benton Harbor campus. In addition to these three campuses, the company plans to retain its Hilltop Drive South offices, Harbor Town offices and its Business Travel Center.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

About The Pizzuti Companies

Established in 1976, The Pizzuti Companies is a recognized leader in the development, marketing and management of real estate. With operations in Columbus, Chicago and Orlando, Pizzuti has developed more than 40 million square feet of Class A office, medical and healthcare, retail, residential and institutional-quality industrial facilities throughout the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States. Pizzuti also has considerable experience working with local governments in the development of creative public-private partnerships. A leader in sustainable design practices, Pizzuti has completed build-to-suit and speculative construction projects in each of their major markets. Pizzuti Solutions LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, boasts a staff with more than a century of combined public-sector work experiences, and focuses extensively in the areas of public facilities, sports and recreation, cultural facilities, education and strategic planning. www.pizzuti.com

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation

LANSING, Mich., Sept 10, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Michigan State University (MSU) students, faculty and staff will recognize the National Day of Service tomorrow with the kick-off of the 2010 Whirlpool(R) Building Blocks campus build. In partnership with Whirlpool Corporation, Habitat for Humanity Lansing, Habitat for Humanity International and local volunteers will be joined by Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm to raise walls in the name of affordable housing.

The house will be built on-campus in the commuter parking lot near Mount Hope Road and Farm Lane before being moved to its permanent location in Lansing, where construction will be completed. Festivities will begin tomorrow at 8 a.m. as Gov. Granholm and representatives from Whirlpool Corporation, Habitat for Humanity and MSU kick-off the build with a project blessing and a few words at the build site. The future homeowner is Anna Malavisi, a philosophy graduate student at MSU and mother of three. She and her children will be the 100th family housed by Habitat for Humanity Lansing.

“We’re honored to have Gov. Granholm with us as we help the Malavisi family achieve their dreams of home ownership,” said Denise Paquette, executive director, Habitat for Humanity Lansing. “With this new home, Anna will be able to raise her family in a safe, secure environment while she pursues her graduate degree. She’s a great role model for her daughters as well as for the community.”

Federal legislation in 2009 established the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. The purpose of the day is to encourage acts of service on Sept. 11 each year. MSU students, faculty, staff, alumni and others will participate in build shifts Sept. 11-18, and Sept. 27 through Oct. 15. The build will be completed on Oct. 15, coinciding with MSU’s Fall Homecoming activities.

“The National Day of Service is a great reminder of the good we can do with the Lansing community,” said Dr. Scott Witter, professor and director of MSU’s School of Planning, Design, and Construction (SPDC). “Involving students in outreach and community development is an integral part of the MSU experience. The Whirlpool(R) Building Blocks campus build will prove to be a rewarding opportunity for our school and our students, as we engage with the Malavisi family to build their very own home.”

The Whirlpool(R) Building Blocks program is Whirlpool Corporation’s signature program with Habitat for Humanity. This year’s build format includes seven communities around the country, including two builds on university campuses. Since 1999, Whirlpool Corporation has supported Habitat in its mission to create affordable housing and is one of the organization’s largest corporate sponsors.

“Whirlpool Corporation is proud of its 10-year partnership with Habitat for Humanity,” said Dave Binkley, a graduate of MSU and senior vice president of global human resources, Whirlpool Corporation. “We are pleased to sponsor and participate in the MSU campus build, and are grateful to Michigan State University, participating student organizations, Habitat for Humanity Lansing and Habitat for Humanity International for making it possible to make the dream of home ownership a reality for another Habitat family.”

A presentation of the keys to the Malavisis is planned to take place during the Oct. 16, 2010, MSU vs. University of Illinois Homecoming football game. For more information, visit www.whirlpool.com/habitat or www.facebook.com/whirlpoolbuildingblocks.

About Habitat for Humanity Lansing

Habitat for Humanity Lansing is a non-profit, ecumenical housing organization dedicated to eliminating poverty housing in the Greater Lansing Area. Since their founding in 1987, they have built or rehabilitated 85 homes locally. Houses are built in partnership with economically disadvantaged families using volunteer labor and sold via zero-interest mortgages. Habitat for Humanity Lansing is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit: www.habitatlansing.org

About Michigan State University

Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.

About Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 350,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1.75 million people. For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit www.habitat.org.

About Whirlpool Corporation

In 10 years of partnership with Habitat for Humanity(R), Whirlpool Corporation has donated more than 110,000 ranges and ENERGY STAR(R) qualified refrigerators to new Habitat homes built in North America, serving 55,000 families. The company has sponsored more than 100 homes around the world and served nearly 10,000 families in Europe alone. Additionally, Whirlpool has donated more than 10,000 products to Habitat ReStores and has engaged more than 6,000 employee volunteers. A proud sponsor of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project since 2003, the value of the company’s commitment to Habitat nears $63 million. With active partnerships in 22 countries, Whirlpool plans to support every new Habitat home built globally by 2011, through product donations, cash or volunteerism. For more information, go to http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/responsibility/building_communities/habitat_for_humanity.aspx.

Whirlpool Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation

BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Sept 07, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Although not as famous as the latest summer tours of Bon Jovi or Lady Gaga, Whirlpool Corporation will soon be packing up and hitting the road as well. The seven-week initiative, “Whirlpool Corporation on Tour” will train sales associates in 70 cities across the United States on the latest new product innovations and key selling points of Whirlpool Corporation’s appliances.

“Whirlpool Corporation on Tour makes learning about the company’s products easy and entertaining,” said Liz Okon, Sales Training Manager at Whirlpool Corporation. “By bringing the training tools and field experts to sales associates across the nation, we are providing an unmatched, hands-on learning experience. A well-educated sales team offers customers better in-store experiences, and gives companies more opportunities to grow their business.”

Beginning in mid-September, the multi-day training will offer the latest product launch information on refrigerators, cooking appliances, dishwashers and laundry pairs from Whirlpool, Maytag and KitchenAid brands. Whirlpool on Tour’s “Backstage Pass” includes the newest laundry pairs from Maytag(R) and Whirlpool(R) brands.

Course content, led by field-brand experts, is geared towards sales teams of independent retailers, larger retail accounts, associate contract distributors, showroom consultants and designers, as well as home improvement stores. Sessions will be broken out into various segments in order to deliver customized training to meet the needs of each specific audience.

“Today’s sales associates assist homeowners in creating functional and efficient kitchen and laundry spaces. The branded vignettes on tour provide sales teams with examples of well-designed and practical recommendations for nearly all lifestyles,” added Okon.

For more information about Whirlpool Corporation on Tour, or to find out when a training event is coming to a city near you, contact your local account representative.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation strives to exceed expectations with appliances that help building professionals create homes of distinction. The Inside Advantage(TM) is designed to meet the needs of Whirlpool Corporation’s building community customers. More than a program, The Inside Advantage(TM) provides trade customers with the strength of Powerful Brands, Innovative Products, Market Insight and Targeted Services, all from one company.

Whirlpool Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. For more information on Whirlpool Corporation and its offerings for building professionals, please visit www.insideadvantage.com or call 1-800-952-2537.

Whirlpool Corp. will disclose on Wednesday the planned construction of a new plant in Tennessee that will serve as the centerpiece of a $300 million upgrade of domestic manufacturing facilities at the world’s largest household appliance maker by revenue.

The move highlights a shift by even export-driven U.S. manufacturers away from low-cost overseas locales in favor of rationalizing domestic operations to boost productivity.

Whirlpool considered sites in Mexico and elsewhere in the U.S. before opting to replacing a century-old factory in Cleveland, Tenn., where it assembles built-in cooking ranges and ovens. It will add 130 staff to an existing work force of 1,500.

The Benton Harbor, Mich., company has been aggressively reorganizing its North American assembly plants and distribution centers, consolidating smaller sites into larger facilities following its 2006 acquisition of rival Maytag Corp. It has closed plants in Evansville, Ind., Oxford, Miss., and recently outlined plans to close a Michigan plant.

The $120 million Cleveland project features a 400,000-square-foot distribution center and comes alongside a $175 million revamp of a plant in Clyde, Ohio, that will produce a new generation of washing machines.

A broader drop in manufacturing employment has masked improving international competitiveness. Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of construction equipment, has disclosed plans for new plants or plant expansions at a half dozen locations in the U.S.

“If people gauge the strength of U.S. manufacturing on employment you come up with a very different conclusion than if you focus on production,” said William Strauss, senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago.

“Manufacturing has been recovering quite sharply. It’s probably the only sector of the U.S. economy that is experiencing a V-shaped recovery.”

U.S. manufacturing employment has been falling by an average of 0.1% a year for the past 60 years while factory output between 1950 and 2007 grew at an average annual rate of 3.4%, according to the Chicago Fed.

Factory automation and other productivity improvements have allowed companies to raise output while decreasing payrolls. Whirlpool reckons its revamped Clyde washing machine plant will cut the time needed to build a washer by at least 10% and boost output by more than 10%.

By building washers with more easily changeable components, Whirlpool will be able to assemble multiple models and brands from the same plant.

“Just about everything can be changed out,” said Frank Nekic, manager of washing machine development. “You can take one motor and replace it with another. It was much more difficult to create variations within the washers we had.”

Whirlpool sees similar production improvements coming from the new 1-million-square-foot Cleveland plant, which replaces a century-old factory where the company assembles built-in cooking ranges and ovens.

“This new plant will be laid out for cooking products,” said Al Holaday, vice president for North American manufacturing. “We won’t have parts going through the plant spaghetti.”

Preserving the Cleveland employees’ training and experience in lean manufacturing was a major consideration in choosing a site, he said. “Every one can pretty much duplicate the manufacturing process,” Mr. Holaday said. “What I can’t do is duplicate the experienced work force.”

Tennessee and local governments committed to providing Whirlpool with about $45 million in tax breaks, abatements and grants to offset the company’s costs of building the plant.

The build is part of the 2010 Whirlpool® Building Blocks initiative, Whirlpool Corporation’s signature program with Habitat for Humanity. Since 1999, Whirlpool Corporation has supported Habitat in its mission to create affordable housing and the company is one of the organization’s largest corporate sponsors.

The first phase of construction will take place in the commuter parking lot near Mount Hope Road and Farm Lane. The house will then be moved to its permanent location in Lansing, where construction will be completed. The future homeowner is a graduate student at MSU, and she and her children will be the 100th family housed by Habitat for Humanity Lansing. The build will end on Oct. 15, wrapping up MSU’s Fall Welcome activities.

“Partnerships, like this one with Whirlpool Corporation and Michigan State University, allow us to create affordable housing opportunities in partnership with local families,” said Denise Paquette, executive director, Habitat for Humanity Lansing. “We are excited to be working with MSU and the students. Students support Habitat’s work both locally, nationally and worldwide.”

Involving students in outreach and community development activities is fundamental to the MSU experience.

“At MSU, service and community engagement are part of the academic experience. In fact, MSU has the oldest continuously operating service learning center in the country,” said Karen McKnight Casey, director of MSU’s Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement. “MSU was approached by Habitat for Humanity and Whirlpool Corporation to partner in this first on-campus build of a Habitat house because of our strong commitment to and engagement with community. MSU students will not only give through their participation in this tangible representation of campus to community connections, but also will gain in their knowledge and understanding of civic responsibility.”

A presentation of the keys to the new homeowners is planned to take place during the Oct. 16, 2010, MSU vs. University of Illinois Homecoming football game.

“Whirlpool Corporation is proud of its 10-year partnership with Habitat for Humanity,” said Dave Binkley, a graduate of MSU and senior vice president of global human resources, Whirlpool Corporation. “We are pleased to sponsor and participate in the MSU campus build, and are grateful to Michigan State University, participating student organizations, Habitat for Humanity Lansing and Habitat for Humanity International for making it possible to make the dream of home ownership a reality for another Habitat family.”

Source: http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/