I believe that in order to be successful at anything, you have to work towards a purpose larger than yourself.

At Starkey, our reason for being is built on the foundation of caring for others and believing in the work we do, and it’s been at our core since 1967. From developing groundbreaking technology like Genesis AI to helping communities in need through Starkey Cares, I’m continually inspired by the heart of the Starkey team. Across our 29 facilities around the world, there are incredible people using their talents to help each other achieve our shared purpose.

I like to think of our team as a diamond. We all have our hidden flat spots, but if you bring us together, it’s like bringing together all the facets in a diamond. As the light reflects through more facets, there’s even more brilliance. When we bring people together with different talents, even if some imperfections are hidden inside, all that you see outside is the light. And that light shines much farther than our Minnesota headquarters – it shines in every community where people have been positively impacted by the power of our hearing technology and our commitment to caring. From the hearing professionals who serve their communities to those who have been given the gift of better hearing, Starkey’s light shines all over the world.

In the more than six decades I’ve been doing this work, I’ve seen the technology inside hearing aids evolve to create a truly effortless experience for those with hearing loss. Through all of the changes this work has presented over time, I believe we have continued to grow stronger than ever, because our team knows the impact of our greater purpose. Our achievements together not only make Starkey stronger, but they ripple through our entire industry, and they make peoples’ lives better. Whether it is through the big moments such as reconnecting a loved one to their family or the smaller moments like helping someone hear birds chirp again, there is a person behind each of these better hearing moments who cares deeply about making an impact.

When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a medical doctor, but I knew there was only so much I could do with my own two hands. I saw the power hearing aids had to change lives firsthand, and the idea grew in my mind from the very first fitting I was part of. All I wanted to do was to help people, and those are the core values we have worked so hard to instill in our teams across the globe. People will achieve more if they believe in something greater than themselves. By reminding our team of our shared purpose and keeping it at the center of our work, the potential impact on the world is endless.

Alone we can’t do much. Together we can change the world.