BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Jan. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Meritage Homes, the seventh-largest public homebuilder in the United States, has renewed its exclusive agreement with Whirlpool Corporation to feature Amana^®, Whirlpool^®, Maytag^®, KitchenAid^® and Jenn-Air^® brand appliances in its homes across the country.

The four-year contract between Meritage  – which has built more than 100,000 homes in its 31-year history – and the world's leading manufacturer of major home appliances became effective June 1, 2016.

Meritage, which is based in Scottsdale, Ariz., builds and sells single-family homes for first-time, move-up, luxury and active adult buyers across the Western, Southern and Southeastern United States. In October, Meritage celebrated two major milestones: the delivery of its 100,000th home and unveiling LiVE.NOW™ homes that are focused on the rapidly growing first-time buyer market.

"We are pleased to continue our partnership for another four years with Meritage, which is known for creating homes that have a distinctive style, quality construction and remarkable energy efficiency," said Bob Bergeth, general manager of Contract Builder Sales at Whirlpool Corporation. "It was a huge honor to be part of Meritage's great achievements this year, and we look forward to providing our industry-leading, energy-efficient appliances to help Meritage continue its incredible growth."

Meritage is the industry leader in energy-efficient homebuilding and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence Award every year since 2013 for innovation and industry leadership in energy-efficient homebuilding.

"Our goal is for buyers to experience a Life.Built.Better.™ in a Meritage home, and Whirlpool Corporation appliances play a vital role in that," said Steven J. Hilton, co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Meritage Homes. "Whirlpool is an industry leader and innovator providing high quality products designed to enrich their customers' lives, which aligns with our mission."'

Whirlpool Corporation offers a variety of brands to serve homeowners in all Meritage communities, including:

• Amana brand, which features quality products that deliver on value and are easy to use
• Whirlpool brand, the flagship brand that has been the authority on family care for more than a century
• Maytag brand, the heritage brand offering durable, reliable appliances
• KitchenAid brand, which delivers superior performance and is designed for the consumer who is passionate about cooking
• Prestigious Jenn-Air brand, which offer sleek aesthetics and elegant precision

ABOUT WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is the number one major appliance manufacturer in the world, with approximately $21 billion in annual sales, 97,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and technology research centers in 2015. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, Jenn-Air, Indesit and other major brand names in nearly every country throughout the world. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com, or find us on Twitter at @WhirlpoolCorp.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation