BENTON HARBOR, Mich., July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR), which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, was inducted into the Made in the USA Foundation's Hall of Fame at an awards dinner on July 2, 2011 in Santa Monica, Calif.  Whirlpool was the winner of the Large Kitchen Appliances Category.

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At the Made in the USA Foundation's second annual Hall of Fame celebration, 22 winners were announced from 76 nominees. The foundation was established in 2010 to honor and celebrate companies who contribute to American manufacturing, labor and environmental standards, job creation in the United States, and promotion of American-made products. The nominees are evaluated by three criteria: quality, competiveness and impact.

Cliff Chewning, Regional Manager for Customer Service in the Western and Pacific States for Whirlpool Corporation, attended the awards dinner earlier this month.  "Whirlpool Corporation has become the largest home appliance company in the world with more than 23,000 U.S. employees.  Yet our business was started in the United States in 1911, and we continue to invest in the U.S. to the level of $1 billion over the current five years," says Chewning.

Whirlpool will join the Made in the USA Hall of Fame ranks with other American-made companies including Ford Motor Company, Caterpillar, Thorlo Socks and Zippo.  To learn more about the Made in the USA Foundation, visit madeusafdn.org.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of more than $18 billion in 2010, 71,000 employees, and 66 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 www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

About Whirlpool Corporation's 100th Anniversary

Founded on November 11, 1911, Whirlpool Corporation's time- and labor-saving appliance innovations have influenced home and family life during the last century.  Driven by the belief that everyone needs a comfortable place to call home, Whirlpool Corporation is focused on improving lives one family, one home at a time.

About the Made in the USA Foundation

The Made in the USA Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1989 through matching grants from the United Auto Works and Ford Motor Company. The Foundation is dedicated to promoting products made in the United States, developing legislation supporting U.S. businesses and industry, and pursuing litigation against those misusing Made in the USA labeling.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation