Corporate Community Leader - Whirlpool

Corporate Community Leader Award: honors corporations and businesses that excel in community involvement and demonstrate excellent corporate citizenship by giving back to their community in a variety of ways.

Whirlpool in Benton Harbor has a strong focus on continually impacting Berrien County in a positive way and ensuring their employees add value to the community. Whirlpool has impacted over 300 nonprofit organizations globally through volunteerism and donations. Whirlpool has been a valued partner of United Way of Southwest Michigan for the last 75 years. Since 2004, Whirlpool employees in Michigan and the Whirlpool Foundation have contributed more than $24 million to the United Way of Southwest Michigan Campaigns.  Employees serve more than 300,000 hours each year. “Whirlpool is a leader across the country in understanding that their success is driven entirely by their people. They promote an environment and culture that rewards civic responsibility and community action. Most importantly, they lead by example. They invest in transformational projects that will have a lasting impact for generations to come,” said Rob Cleveland, President of Cornerstone Alliance.