Whirlpool's beginnings are based on a business failure and the vision of one family. In 1908, Lou Upton invested his savings in a venture to manufacture household equipment. When that company failed to materialize, Upton was offered the opportunity to select something of value from the failed venture as a return on his investment. He chose the patents on a hand washing machine that he thought might be electrified. Lou Upton brought the patents and his innovative vision home to St. Joseph, Michigan. In 1911, Lou joined his uncle Emory and brother Fred to produce motor-driven wringer washers as the Upton Machine Company.   In 2006, Whirlpool took the significant step of acquiring Maytag Corporation, resulting in an aligned organization able to offer more to consumers in the increasingly competitive global marketplace. The transaction enabled them to become a more efficient supplier to trade customers while offering a broader portfolio of innovative, high-quality branded products and services to consumers. Whirlpool's focus on environmental sustainability continued with an emphasis on consistently offering a full line of energy- and water-efficient products. In 2003, they became the world’s first appliance manufacturer to announce a global greenhouse gas reduction target, a 3 percent reduction from 1998 levels by 2008. They revised the target in 2007, to a goal of 6.6 percent reduction by 2012. Currently, Whirlpool's operations’ release of toxic chemicals in the United States is nearly 90 percent less than the releases compared to the 1987 baseline year, while at the same time production increased approximately 80 percent.   Throughout the years, Whirlpool has built a culture of doing the right thing based on living up to our commitments to stakeholders and by quietly working behind the scenes to strengthen the economic and social fabric of the communities in which they operate. Whirlpool employees live by the values that have made our company the international leader that it is today. Whirlpool is delivering strong performance, providing an outstanding portfolio of brands, and creating better, more innovative products that improve consumers’ lives in and around the home each and every day. Nearly 100 years ago, the Upton family continually improved their washer; they cared about their community, their employees and their customers. They believed that "there is no right way to do a wrong thing." Whirlpool still believes that today.