In May 2006, Governor Granholm and her economic development team helped convince Whirlpool Technologies to invest in Michigan.  Whirlpool will invest $5 million to consolidate its headquarters in the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph area after its recent acquisition of Maytag, creating up to 833 jobs for Michigan workers.  Whirlpool is a great Michigan-born economic success story.  It is a global manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of over $13 billion, 68,000 employees, and nearly 50 manufacturing and technology research centers around the globe.