Talk about advances. Institutional investor (II) sentiment on Whirlpool Corp. (NYSE: WHR) has strengthened in-sync with the strengthening global economy, and that's why I'm reiterating my Buy rating for the appliance manufacturer, first recommended on April 13, 2009 at a price of $34.47. If you bought WHR in April, you're up a remarkable 111%.

Whirlpool's pleasant growth story remains the same: emerging market sales, particularly in Latin America (20% of revenue), are sending growth signals; Europe and the U.S. may lag for 1-2 more quarters; the U.S. market looks like the major hurdle -- with household formation likely to remain sluggish into mid-2010. Overall, look for FY2010 revenue to increase 4-6%; in FY2011, WHR is likely to return to double-digit revenue growth.

There is a new face hitting America today as Maytag introduces the world to the new Maytag Repairman. Today is the start of Maytag's first new advertising campaign since the company was taken over last year by Whirlpool Corp. (NYSE: WHR).

The newest man to put on the Maytag uniform is Clay Jackson, from Richmond, Virginia. Mr. Jackson was chosen recently out of a nationwide search of more than 1,500 people.

The Maytag Repairman is about as American as you can get. Anyone who grew up in America over the last 40 years came to know him well. I can vividly remember watching television as a kid and seeing the commercials, he almost felt like part of the family!

But the new Maytag Man is going to be a little more motivated than the memories we have from past experiences. Forget everything you know about the Maytag Repairman. No longer is he going to be sitting around, bored, and waiting for that phone to ring. Nope, the new Repairman is a real go-getter. Instead of sitting around waiting for someone to find him some work to do, the new Repairman will be taking the initiative and going out looking for something to fix.

Whirlpool is hoping that by having the Repairman out on the prowl, users are going to be left wondering just where he may pop up next. So, keep your eyes open ... he just may be coming your way!

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last two years working as an analyst for the online investment advisory service Investor's Observer.