Whirlpool Corporation announced that Gregory T. McManus has been named vice president and general manager for the company's sales and customer care operations in North America. McManus previously served as vice president and general manager for sales in North America. In his new role, McManus will have responsibility for Whirlpool's North American sales, as well as for North American customer care operations.

"With this move, we are aligning our customer care with our sales operations to further elevate our front-line focus on the customer," said David L. Swift, Whirlpool's executive vice president for North America. "Greg's continued leadership will be critical as we continue to strengthen our sales and customer operations to better serve our customers."

In a related move, Whirlpool announced that Thomas F. Welke was appointed vice president and general manager for customer and appliance care in North America. Reporting to McManus, Welke will be responsible for leading all aspects of the North American customer care organization, including the company's customer assistance centers, customer service network, service contracts and appliance care products. Welke previously was vice president for customer care in North America.

The company also announced the promotion of Sam A. Abdelnour to the newly created position of vice president for U.S. sales. Reporting to McManus, Abdelnour will be responsible for all sales activity in the U. S., including strategies to further strengthen Whirlpool's relationships with retail partners and to enhance the brand-purchasing experience. Abdelnour previously was general manager for U.S. field sales.

Succeeding Abdelnour is Thomas E. Halford, currently general manager for contract sales. Following his promotion, Halford will oversee Whirlpool's field-sales operations for the retail and contract channels.

McManus joined Whirlpool in 1976 as a marketing management trainee at corporate headquarters. Since then, he has held various positions of increasing executive responsibility in distribution operations and sales, physical distribution operations, corporate planning and management services, marketing and sales, floor care, and air control. A native of Williamston, Mich., McManus received his B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from Michigan State University.

Welke joined Whirlpool in 1990 and has held a number of executive positions, including manager of organizational effectiveness, product manager for cooking products, director of marketing and engineering for KitchenAid portable appliances, and vice president for product groups in Europe. He was named vice president for customer care in 2001. A native of Coldwater, Mich., Welke received his B.A. degree from Kalamazoo College and his M.B.A. degree from the University of Michigan.

Abdelnour joined Whirlpool as a marketing management trainee in 1978. He has held a number of key positions in sales and marketing, including territory manager and retail sales manager. Abdelnour also has been merchandising manager for cleaning products, director of trade marketing and director of regional sales. He was named to his most recent position in 2001. A native of Detroit, Abdelnour received B.S. degree from Eastern Michigan University.

Halford joined Whirlpool in 1979 as a member of the company's Marketing Management Trainee Program. He has held a number of leadership positions within sales, customer assurance, distribution, product development, and sales to Sears, Roebuck & Co. He was named to his current position in 2000. A native of Kokomo, Ind., Halford received a B.S. degree from the University of Evansville.