Whirlpool

Yesterday we reported that a Whirlpool vice president had warned workers at their Evansville plant, which is slated to be closed and the jobs moved to Mexico, not to protest or they may risk their future employment possibilities. The union that represents workers at that plant has now filed a federal complaint over what they [...]

Benton Harbor, Michigan-based Whirlpool, a company to whose fortune U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) is heir, is telling workers in its Evansville, Indiana plant — which is about to be shut down to move the 1,100 jobs to Mexico — not to protest the closing of that plant or they may risk their future [...]

The private golf-centered luxury housing development that took over Benton Harbor’s public lakefront as part of an economic development scheme endorsed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm received $12.6 million in new tax credits last week, even though a state board has begun pursuing the company for failed commitments.

DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) has been awarded an $83 million stimulus grant by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Investment Program to accelerate installation of electronic power meters that allow the company to remotely monitor residential power use and respond more quickly to outages.
DTE Energy Chairman and CEO Anthony Earley said that the company’s SmartCurrents [...]

Rev. Edward Pinkney, the 60-year-old Baptist preacher from Benton Harbor has been in jail for nearly a year for criticizing Berrien County officials

A controversial plan to develop Benton Harbor’s waterfront park as part of an elite golf course could be in trouble. Critics say it’s being pushed by “predatory” developers, won’t help the impoverished small town and might hurt low-income and minority residents. The city commission meets Monday to consider the proposal.

The plan, called Harbor Shores, is [...]

Michigan’s “big dogs” of the corporate world — members of the Fortune 500 — are making all the news this week.  Here’s a walk about the executive wing:
Ford sees break-even in 2009, delaying profit goal
It’s hardly surprising that Ford Motor Co. must reset its goals to align with the realities of rapidly rising fuel and [...]

Supporters of the Harbor Shores luxury housing development say the $500 million project will create jobs and spark the renewal of the city of Benton Harbor, now the poorest city in Michigan.
But for two prominent backers of project, Republican Congressman Fred Upton and Whirlpool CEO Jeff Fettig, the benefits of the project hit closer to [...]

[COMMENTARY] I’m not wealthy, but I’m a member of the investor class. I’m also a consultant, which means in a roundabout way that I get paid to tell people where to put their money. And right now, I wouldn’t bet on a luxury golf resort in Michigan, not as a personal investor or as a [...]

Julie Weiss had returned to Benton Harbor from Chicago to look after her parents and was walking on the beach at Jean Klock Park in September 2006 when she came upon a sign that said, “18th tee.”
That’s when the 54-year-old musician and former financial services worker learned that part of the city’s Lake Michigan dune [...]