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Embracing The Storm

I love storms. As a kid growing up in Southern Illinois, I was fascinated by the weather. I used to go outside and watch the storms roll in. You can feel the calm settling in before a storm – Mother Nature’s signal that something is on the way. Another sign a storm is coming [...]

By |2024-06-17T17:08:14+00:00June 17th, 2024|Blog|0 Comments

Until the Final Out: The Importance of Finishing What You Started

I saw a clip on ESPN of a high school section championship baseball game in New York state that unintentionally taught a pretty tough lesson. After a strikeout and thinking their team just notched a win, the catcher heads to the mound to celebrate. But in a lesser-known rule of baseball, if the catcher drops [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:20:40+00:00October 3rd, 2023|Blog|Comments Off on Until the Final Out: The Importance of Finishing What You Started

Genesis AI: Welcome to a New Beginning at Starkey

You can’t cling to the past if you want to create the future. We are entering a new beginning at Starkey – one more dedicated to the patient than ever, but one also committed to pushing the edge of what’s possible; what’s possible with technology, what’s possible with people and what’s possible when the best [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:22:27+00:00March 29th, 2023|Blog|Comments Off on Genesis AI: Welcome to a New Beginning at Starkey

It Is Still The Hearing Industry’s Greatest Decade

At the beginning of 2020, I said this would be the hearing industry’s greatest decade. As we close the book on 2022, I stand behind that statement now more than ever. Hot Take | Hearing Health Everyone is talking about hearing aids. In 2022, the President of the United States made hearing health a top [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:24:43+00:00December 29th, 2022|Blog|Comments Off on It Is Still The Hearing Industry’s Greatest Decade

Hearing Aid Satisfaction: Good But Not Good Enough

At 83%, the hearing aid satisfaction rate is the highest it has ever been. As the president and CEO of a hearing aid manufacturer, I’m not touting that fact to brag. While reaching an important milestone like this is something to note for our industry, we still have work left to do. In the Drawer [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:25:16+00:00November 7th, 2022|Blog|Comments Off on Hearing Aid Satisfaction: Good But Not Good Enough

George W. Bush: Leader, Mentor, Friend

“America is a nation with a mission - and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace - a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman.” - President George W. Bush I love American [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:27:00+00:00June 30th, 2022|Blog|Comments Off on George W. Bush: Leader, Mentor, Friend

What Baseball Taught Me About Business

I’ve been a Cubs fan for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a small coal mining town in Southern Illinois, it’s something you were born into – you cheered for the Cubs or the Cardinals. Rooting for the Cubs for over 40 years, I learned a lot about disappointment, but I also [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:27:32+00:00April 6th, 2022|Blog|Comments Off on What Baseball Taught Me About Business

Lessons, in Business and in Life, From Bill Austin

Before entering the hearing healthcare industry 61 years ago, Bill Austin dreamt of becoming a doctor. He admired medical professionals and their work to save lives. He wanted to make the same impact. But with no money for medical school, Bill took a job making earpieces for hearing aids instead. One day, a man came [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:27:53+00:00February 9th, 2022|Blog|Comments Off on Lessons, in Business and in Life, From Bill Austin

Welcome to a New Era of Hearing Technology

In August 2018, Starkey unveiled a new generation of hearing technology. We focused on three core principles: better hearing, Healthable™ technology and the intelligent assistant. With Livio AI, Starkey redefined the role of the hearing aid into a want-to-have device. In August 2021, we raised the bar again. Evolv AI is the second generation of [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:29:50+00:00October 27th, 2021|Blog|Comments Off on Welcome to a New Era of Hearing Technology

Serving For The Greater Good of an Industry

I have been around the hearing industry since I was seven years old. I remember traveling to service centers as a kid and talking to people in my parents’ office, Professional Hearing Services, who were there to buy a hearing aid. As a child, I only understood a hearing aid to be a device that [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:30:05+00:00June 30th, 2021|Blog|Comments Off on Serving For The Greater Good of an Industry

Hearing Loss and Mental Health: The Surprising Connection

May is not only Better Hearing and Speech Month, but it’s also Mental Health Awareness Month. While it’s no surprise with so many worthy causes that there would be some overlap, this one in particular feels like more than just a coincidence. Better Hearing Month raises awareness about hearing health and communication disorders. It’s about [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:30:21+00:00May 18th, 2021|Blog|Comments Off on Hearing Loss and Mental Health: The Surprising Connection

A Hearing Industry First: Chief Health Officer

They say timing is everything. At Starkey’s Hearing Innovation Expo in January 2020, I announced we just hired the hearing industry’s first and only Chief Health Officer. Two months later, a global health crisis was gripping our nation. While we had no idea a pandemic was on our doorstep, what was already an important position [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:30:54+00:00April 16th, 2021|Blog|Comments Off on A Hearing Industry First: Chief Health Officer

4 Generations of Women Leaders

“Business starts with how you treat people.” I was recently asked what was one of the best pieces of business advice I’ve ever received, and that was my answer. In my role at Starkey, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of great leaders: presidents, accomplished entrepreneurs, thought leaders and trailblazers. Whenever I [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:31:08+00:00March 8th, 2021|Blog|Comments Off on 4 Generations of Women Leaders

Bill Austin: Celebrating 60 Years of Caring

In life and business, we have a desire for coaches, counselors and mentors. Since 1992, I have been fortunate enough to have a front row seat to my mentor, Starkey Owner and Chairman Bill Austin. Having this steady mentor throughout my life and career has not only shaped who I am as a leader, but [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:31:25+00:00February 8th, 2021|Blog|Comments Off on Bill Austin: Celebrating 60 Years of Caring

2020: The Start of the Hearing Industry’s Greatest Decade

Mike Tyson famously said: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” For most of the world, 2020 was a sharp left hook. At the start of 2020, no one could have imagined how the year would have played out. In January, Starkey hosted 3,600 hearing health care professionals from around the [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:33:35+00:00January 12th, 2021|Blog|Comments Off on 2020: The Start of the Hearing Industry’s Greatest Decade

Kindness is Good for Business: 3 Ways to Promote It

Kindness is good for business. It sounds like a simple point because it is. Kindness makes people better, which, in turn, makes business better. And when people are your bottom line, kindness is an investment you have to make. Despite its simplicity, actually promoting kindness in your company isn’t always top of mind. Here are [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:34:00+00:00November 13th, 2020|Blog|Comments Off on Kindness is Good for Business: 3 Ways to Promote It

The Importance of Mentors In All Stages of Business

I’ve always believed that it’s important in business to not only have mentors, but to be one. It’s the responsibility of those who have benefitted from a mentorship relationship to also guide others down the path. But there’s also an unspoken reciprocity that comes from sharing guidance with those just beginning their career or starting [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:34:13+00:00November 6th, 2020|Blog|Comments Off on The Importance of Mentors In All Stages of Business

Diversity, Inclusion and Positive Progress – My Conversations with Daymond John

Most have heard me say “get comfortable being uncomfortable.” It’s great advice whether you’re changing the way you run your business, learning to use and appreciate new technology or trying to understand someone else’s point of view. But sometimes things happen, and the discomfort is overwhelming. Sometimes you’re looking for answers that are not readily [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:35:30+00:00September 8th, 2020|Blog|Comments Off on Diversity, Inclusion and Positive Progress – My Conversations with Daymond John

COVID-19 & How It’s Speeding Up the Future of Healthcare

I believe in looking for the opportunity in every situation, no matter how difficult. You can’t sit around and let the future define you; you have to define it. This is easier said than done -- especially when that difficult situation you’re faced with is a global pandemic. COVID-19 has changed everything. In January, I [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:35:49+00:00June 19th, 2020|Blog|Comments Off on COVID-19 & How It’s Speeding Up the Future of Healthcare

Is Hearing Healthcare Essential?

Helen Keller once famously said, “Blindness cuts us off from things, but deafness cuts us off from people.” Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic I have heard, read, and been asked the question, “Are hearing aids essential?” When posed this question, I suggest taking out the word “aid” and asking it again. “Is hearing essential?” For people [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:36:05+00:00April 24th, 2020|Blog|Comments Off on Is Hearing Healthcare Essential?

Get Out of the Way: 5 Ways to Promote a Culture of Innovation

As a leader, your number one job is to get out of the way. This doesn’t mean you can’t, or shouldn’t, be involved in the process. It means the process does not revolve around you. Some leaders learn this lesson the hard way, but it’s what separates a boss from a leader. Assemble the Right [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:36:21+00:00February 28th, 2020|Blog|Comments Off on Get Out of the Way: 5 Ways to Promote a Culture of Innovation

Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Hosting 3,400 hearing professionals from 64 countries for a four-day expo to talk about everything from revolutionary new technology to the future of hearing healthcare is no small task. We, at Starkey, started planning for the 2020 Starkey Expo as soon as we wrapped up our previous expo in 2018. While each one is yet [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:37:06+00:00February 6th, 2020|Blog|Comments Off on Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

How Stories of the Past Fuel Starkey’s Commitment to Veterans

Growing up in a small town in Southern Illinois, I learned the importance of three holidays: Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Veterans Day. The town had many veterans from World War II and Vietnam. These holidays weren’t about being out of school, fireworks or simply putting up an American flag. They were about [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:37:21+00:00November 11th, 2019|Blog|Comments Off on How Stories of the Past Fuel Starkey’s Commitment to Veterans

How Risk-Taking is Beneficial, In and Out of the Office

Four years ago, I did something that many people would consider a risky endeavor: I climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Had I ever done anything even remotely like this? No. Was the eight-day climb a challenge? Absolutely. But that’s exactly why I did it. Saying "yes" to this didn’t come out [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:37:37+00:00August 26th, 2019|Blog|Comments Off on How Risk-Taking is Beneficial, In and Out of the Office

How Innovation is Changing the Hearing Industry

When I started at Starkey nearly 25 years ago, the hearing industry looked very different than it does today. Dozens of hearing manufacturers have dwindled down to just five around the globe, with Starkey being the only one based in the U.S. Starkey looked different too. Bill Austin’s vision has helped grow this company to more [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:38:15+00:00July 15th, 2019|Blog|Comments Off on How Innovation is Changing the Hearing Industry

What I’ve Learned During 25 Years at Starkey — People are the Bottom Line

I was 19 years old when I first walked into Starkey’s All Make Repair and Earmold Lab. My job was to clean up old hearing aids and make them look as new as possible after repair. I also polished earmold pieces. In 1994, as a teenager still trying to figure out my direction in life, [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:38:44+00:00June 19th, 2019|Blog|Comments Off on What I’ve Learned During 25 Years at Starkey — People are the Bottom Line

Leading From the Front

As the President of Starkey, I’m often asked the question, “How do you define leadership?” From time to time, I remind my own executive team to always be willing to lead from the front. What does that mean? Isn’t someone who is leading a division, a group or even a company automatically a leader? The [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:39:02+00:00May 6th, 2019|Blog|Comments Off on Leading From the Front

Company Culture: Giving Back to Employees & the Community

“Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.” - Simon Sinek When you have a company with more than 6,000 employees around the world, keeping culture at the forefront can be difficult. But I have always believed it is our people who make Starkey great. We refer to it as our [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:41:31+00:00December 18th, 2018|Blog|Comments Off on Company Culture: Giving Back to Employees & the Community

Helping Our Nation’s Veterans Hear Better

My grandfather, Mick Sawalich, was in the Navy serving on the Liberty Ship USS Crater AK-70 in the South Pacific during World War II. A replica of his ship sits on the shelf in my office. I have always been fascinated by our history, and his ship serves as a reminder of the sacrifice of [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:41:59+00:00November 7th, 2018|Blog|Comments Off on Helping Our Nation’s Veterans Hear Better

Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Healthable Hearing Technology

Dear friends, Thank you for taking the time to look at my website and a glimpse at what keeps my world ticking. Today I am thrilled to announce the launch of our new healthable hearing technology, Livio AI. Innovation is the cornerstone of what we’ve achieved at Starkey over the past five decades. The Starkey [...]

By |2023-10-26T22:42:12+00:00August 27th, 2018|Blog|Comments Off on Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Healthable Hearing Technology
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