Glass Hob 
Chronology
Year
Event
1911
Louis, Frederick and Emory Upton founded the Upton Machine Company and began to produce electric, motor-driven wringer washers. Federal Electric ordered 100 machines, but a gear failed in the transmission of them. Louis Upton immediately replaced them at no cost to Federal Electric, who was so impressed with Upton's ethics, they immediately doubled their order , one cup coffeemaker .
191 , home deep fryer .
Sears, Roebuck & Co. began selling Upton manufactured machines under the "Allen" brand, one for $54.75 and a deluxe model for $95 , extractor juicer .
1929
Upton merged with Nineteen Hundred Washer Company from Binghamton, NY, taking the name Nineteen Hundred Corporation.
1942
Nineteen Hundred Corporation began converting all of its factories for war production.
1946
Nineteen Hundred Corporation begins manufacturing appliances for John Inglis and Company of Canada.
1949
First top-loading automatic washer sold manufactured for sale under Sears' brand.
1950
The Nineteen Hundred Corporation was renamed as the Whirlpool Corporation, and sold its first top-loading automatic washer sold under the Whirlpool brand.
1951
Establishment of the Whirlpool Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Whirlpool Corporation.
1955
Acquires Seeger Refrigerator Company and RCA's air conditioner and cooking range lines including ownership of RCA's Estate brand name. Company changes its name to Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation and began using the RCA-Whirlpool brand name until the mid-1960s. Whirlpool acquires appliance division from International Harvester Corporation.
1956
Opened a 100-acre (0.40 km2) administrative center in Benton Harbor, MI.
1957
The RCA Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen was introduced with an estimated 15 million television viewers. The company changed its corporate name back to Whirlpool Corporation.
1962
Won NASA's contract for the development of the feeding and waste systems for Project Gemini.
1967
Introduced a 24-hour helpline.
1968
Surpassed $1 billion in annual revenues.
1978
Surpassed $2 billion in annual revenues.
1986
Acquired KitchenAid, a division of the Hobart Corporation.
1987
Began selling compact washers in India and acquired majority interest in Inglis of Canada.
1988
Begins a joint venture with Philips called Whirlpool International with Whirlpool owning 53% of the company. The joint venture was formerly Philips' major appliance subsidiary.
1989
Acquired the Roper brand and Bauknecht of Germany.
Surpassed $6 billion in annual revenue.
1991
Whirlpool becomes full owner of Whirlpool International by buying Philips' 47% stake.
1997
Acquired majority stake on Embraco, a Brazilian world-leading maker of compressors for refrigeration.
2000
Acquired Brazilian appliance maker Multibrs, owner of the brands Brastemp and Consul, including its stake on Embraco.
2001
Inglis Ltd. changes its name to Whirlpool Canada. Whirlpool continues to market Inglis appliances to this day. Surpassed $10 billion in annual revenues.
2002
Surpassed $11 billion in annual revenues.
2003
Surpassed $12 billion in annual revenues.
2004
Surpassed $13 billion in annual revenues.
2005
Maytag Corporation shareholders voted to accept Whirlpool Corporation's stock purchase. U.S. Justice Department began a review of the merger.
Surpassed $14 billion in annual revenues.
2006
Acquired the Maytag Corporation, including the Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Jade, Magic Chef, Admiral, Hoover, and Dixie-Narco brands, after Justice Department approved the merger. Sold Dixie Narco to Crane Co., and Amana Commercial to AGA.
Surpassed $18 billion in annual revenues.
2007
Sold Hoover to Techtronic Industries, TTI Floorcare. and Jade Appliances to Middleby Corporation. Also closed plants in Newton, Iowa; Searcy, Arkansas; and Herrin, Illinois. This resulted in the sudden loss of 4500 jobs in the affected communities.
Surpassed $19 billion in annual revenues.
2008
Location closings in La Vergne, Tenn; Reynosa, Mexico; and Oxford, Miss.
Diversity
Whirlpool Corporation has seven employee run diversity networks that are involved with business, employee, and community projects to address the needs of the groups they represent. These diversity networks are The Women's Network (TWN), the Native American Network (NAN), the Whirlpool African American Network (WAAN), The Pride Network (PRIDE), the Whirlpool Asian Community (WAC), the Whirlpool Hispanic Network (WHN), and the Young Professionals Network (YP).
Whirlpool received a 100% rating on the Corporate Equality Index released by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equal rights organization Human Rights Campaign starting in 2004, the third year of the report.
Trivia
Whirlpool Corporation is a principal supporter of Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization dedicated to building low-cost, affordable housing. The company's commitment to Habitat for Humanity has exceeded $34 million and it has donated more than 73,000 appliances for Habitat homes. The company plans to support every Habitat home built globally by 2011, either through product donations, cash, or home sponsorship.
In November 2006, Whirlpool started the annual Building Blocks program, designed to raise awareness and help eliminate substandard housing in the United States. Each year the program recognizes an outstanding U.S. Habitat for Humanity affiliate and its relationship with its local community by holding a week-long build in the affiliate community. The program kicked off in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006 when Whirlpool united 100 local residents with 100 Whirlpool employees and volunteers from 100 Habitat affiliates. These 300 volunteers built 10 homes on one block from Nov. 5-10, 2006. Whirlpool will build nine homes near Phoenix, Arizona, in May 2007.
In 2006, more than 20 Whirlpool India employees participated in the week-long Jimmy Carter Work Project in India, which resulted in the completion of 100 homes in a village near Mumbai. In 2005, Whirlpool India began a partnership with Habitat for Humanity India. Volunteers from Whirlpool participated in the build organized by Habitat for Tsunami victims in the southern part of India.
In June 2005, Habitat for Humanity held its annual Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP) in Benton Harbor, Michigan. This week-long effort cumulated in the completion of more than 230 houses in Michigan. Whirlpool was the lead sponsor for the build and 270 Whirlpool employees from 19 nations worked together to build 10 houses during the week.
To facilitate Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, Whirlpool worked with Habitat to support peration Home Delivery. Whirlpool employees helped construct approximately 50 pre-built homes in New...Read More
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