Maytag CEO Ralph Hake painted a rosy picture during a teleconference with shareholders Wednesday. The Newton-based appliance company projects a 65-percent profit increase in 2003. Hake says a variety of new products will drive company growth in the next year, most notably kitchen appliances. He says kitchen investment is the highest concentration of spending in the home. Hake says consumer demand should help Maytag’s bottom line. He says the kitchen is the best place for consumers to invest and recover that investment when they sell their home, and he expects Maytag to benefit from that investment too. He says the company is looking for a seven to 10 percent sales increase.
