Last fall I had the opportunity to visit the Whirlpool
Corporation training center in downtown Chicago. I was there to participate in
a designer forum with designers from all over the country and Canada to learn
more about Jenn-Air products. Whirlpool is the parent company for Jenn-Air,
Whirpool, Kitchenaid and Maytag. It was a packed 2 days and it felt like I was
learning from a fire hydrant!
Day one we got a tour of the Whirpool Training center which is
located in the historic Reid-Murdoch
building in downtown Chicago. The training center is at the very top of the
building and encompasses the historic clock tower. The space is beautiful with
a wonderful rooftop patio overlooking downtown. That afternoon we learned about
Jenn--Air professional gas cooktop's and down drafts, new ovens with larger
touchscreen panels and intuitive culinary center. These new ovens will have an
accompanying app that will be revolutionary! We also learned about the history
of Jenn-Air and enjoyed a lovely dinner prepared by their resident chefs.
Day 2 started early learning about the Jenn-Air customer service
team and protocols and their marketing strategies. Then we transitioned into
learning about the steam oven and watched salmon being cooked in a steam oven
which we then got to enjoy. Next we learned about Jenn-Air's built in
refrigeration. In their new generation of refrigeration, they are transitioning
to an obsidian interior. It looks sharp, but I'm on the fence about if I like
it or not...Next we transitioned back to the classroom for a learning time with
designer Ellen Cheever. Ellen is an accomplished designer who has a lot of
practical and real world experience. She is a fantastic communicator. Next we
learned about the Jenn-Air dishwashers and induction cooktops. Those were
pretty impressive! Then we learned about the built in coffee system and got to
make our own beverages. A delightful sit down lunch was prepared by the
resident chefs. Finally, the designers shared different projects they were
working on. It was great to see the different types of projects across the
country and the imaginative solutions designers were creating for issues in a
space.
It was a great but packed two days and my perceptions and
preconceived notions of the Jenn-Air brand were definitely improved. I always
enjoy learning about new products and technologies so I can better suggest
products to my clients. If you have any questions about what I learned about,
feel free to email me at jessica@webbercoleman.com
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