Whirlpool brand today celebrates five moms with brilliant ideas. Mary Anne Amato, Lido Beach, N.Y., has been named the 2006 Whirlpool Brand Mother of Invention Grant grand prize winner for her revolutionary Quick Change Crib, and will be awarded a $20,000 grant to put her idea into the hands of consumers across the country.
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"I am so grateful to Whirlpool for their commitment to moms, and for honoring inventions like the Quick Change Crib," said Amato. "The grant is invaluable -- and I am so grateful for the opportunity to turn my dream into reality and ultimately, make life easier for other moms."
Amato's Quick Change Crib allows parents to change crib sheets without lifting the mattress or removing the bumpers which is the normal practice when changing sheets in standard cribs. The invention dazzled Whirlpool brand's executive innovation and the program's two celebrity judges. Her design lets parents slide the mattress out of the crib, giving direct access to change the sheets. As the grand prize winner, Amato will receive a package featuring a $20,000 grant, a new home office and a two-day business boot camp to leverage Whirlpool expertise, including product development and marketing. In addition, Amato also will receive Whirlpool brand's most innovative products -- a Duet® or Cabrio™ washer and dryer and a Whirlpool® Fabric Freshener.
The Whirlpool Brand Mother of Invention Grant was created to help moms realize their potential by providing necessary business resources including seed money and expert advice. Whirlpool received and judged nearly 1,700 submissions based on the following criteria: creating a solution to an unmet need; uniqueness in the current marketplace; offering a viable business solution; and the story behind the creation. Whirlpool brand based the grant's judging criteria on its own product/innovation guidelines.
Highlighted below are first prize winners, who received a $7,000 grant, a Whirlpool Gold® PowerScour™ dishwasher and a Whirlpool® Duet Sport™ washer and dryer pair:
* Ann Harrington, Duluth, Minn.: Ann has created a device to ease discomfort during mammograms.
* Alyson Probst, Denver, Colo.: Alyson created the Snack & Play Travel Tray, a high chair-type lap tray which snaps around the child's waist, allowing a child to have snacks and toys at their fingertips during travel.
Second prize winners will receive a $5,000 grant and a Whirlpool® Duet Sport™ washer and dryer pair:
* Kathy Osborn, Indianapolis, Ind.: Kathy designed a programmable musical mobile, compatible with MP3 players and other digital musical devices, which allows parents to choose the music the child hears.
* Eileen Haas, Gibsonia, Penn.: Eileen invented the Trach Air®, a tracheotomy air filtration device.
Guest judges for the program included Baby Einstein creator Julie Aigner- Clark, who also judged last year's competition, and Tastefully Simple founder and CEO Jill Blashack Strahan. To round out the judging panel, Whirlpool brand experts from product development, business strategy, innovation, technology and marketing also reviewed entries.
"The number of outstanding Mother of Invention entries this year was jaw- dropping," said Julie Aigner-Clark, Baby Einstein creator. "Choosing the winners was terribly difficult, and I commend all of those who entered. Don't give up on your dreams!"
The second year grant program spawned even more developed and rationalized idea and invention creations over the previous year. All of the top five prize winners have patents or patents pending.
"We feel sincerely honored to have women look to us for the next steps on their paths to entrepreneurship," said Audrey Reed-Granger, director of consumer insight for the Whirlpool brand. "These moms trust us because some of our most innovative products are household names, including the Duet® fabric care system and the first refrigerated range, Polara®. We look forward to watching all the grant winners' ideas blossom into well established businesses."
Information about the 2006 Whirlpool Brand Mother of Invention Grant recipients is available at http://www.whirlpool.com/moms . Winning moms will attend a one- or two-day business boot camp in October to gain guidance from Whirlpool brand experts from product development, business strategy, legal and marketing. Highlights from the 2006 business boot camp, including a podcast, will be available online mid-November 2006.
About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of more than $19 billion, more than 80,000 employees, and more than 60 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, 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
CONTACT: Audrey Reed-Granger, Director of Public Relations of Whirlpool,
+1-269-923-7557,
Peppercom, +1-269-923-3351,