Whirlpool Hosts IRM Spring Board Welcome Reception
IRM Welcome Reception kicks off Spring Board meetings and events.

The IRM Welcome Reception at Spring Board, hosted by Whirlpool Corporation, featured networking for attendees, an informative presentation by Phil West of NASA, and a generous sponsorship announcement by Omer “Butch” Gaudette of Whirlpool Corporation.

The reception opened with networking as attendees enjoyed a spread of hors d’oeuvres and drinks after a day of committee meetings and events. Jean Ewell, MIRM, Vice President of the IRM Board of Trustees welcomed the crowd by introducing Butch Gaudette, Director of Trade Relations for the Whirlpool Corporation. The attendees were surprised with the announcement that Whirlpool Corporation extended their generous support of the NSMC and the IRM for three more years when Butch presented a check for $50,000. He then thanked the crowd by saying, “it’s not about me, it’s about you.”

After presenting the check, Butch went on to thank the room for all the hard work they do as new home sales and marketing professionals by saying, “without salespeople, none of us would be here.” He also recognized the opportunities that NSMC and IRM offer Whirlpool by collaborating on highly successful events and programs including The Nationals. Butch affirmed Whirlpool’s goal of “supporting an industry that supports us.”

Jean then thanked Butch, “on behalf of the 15,000 members of the NSMC,” and introduced Phil West of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. He engaged the audience with stories of the space station and space walks, and explored the similarities between space construction and construction on Earth. Phil has served as a NASA spokesperson on NBC, CBS, CNN, Discovery, and TLC. At NASA, his projects have involved spacewalk gear for low earth orbit, spacesuit designs, and lunar gravity fields.

Phil ended the program with a quote from Walt Disney: “Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children;” encouraging future successes by the next generation, whether in space exploration or in the new home industry. [ return to top ]