Starkey Cares Gives Back by Paying It Forward

Jake Spano, Starkey’s Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, and Michael Scholl, EVP of Corporate Relations, kick off the holiday season by talking to Dave about Starkey Cares, its Neighbors in Need program, how hearing professionals can participate, and why something as small as the sound of jingling coins can make such a huge impact on a person’s life.

Link to full transcript

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:02

Welcome to Starkey Soundbite. I'm Dave Favry, Starkey's Chief Innovation Officer and the host of the program, and we're really fortunate to have two guests today. First, Michael Scholl, Starkey's EVP, Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations, and Jake Spano, who is the director of corporate social responsibility. Gentlemen, I really appreciate your taking the time to be with us today to talk about uh corporate social responsibility, corporate relations, and a bunch of other things.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Well, thank you, Dave. It's a pleasure to be here and uh to be on Starkey Soundbites.

SPEAKER_03 0:34

Indeed.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_03 0:35

Thank you. Well, first things first, um, let's talk a little bit about Starkey Cares. Um, let's talk about why this program was established and really provide a little bit of an overview of what it does.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Yeah, no, it's uh it's you know, part of the reason why we're all at Starkey is is this idea of caring and giving back, right? And through the Starkey Hearing Foundation, for many years, uh Starkey did a lot of philanthropic work. Starkey Cares, um, which is different from the Starkey Hearing Foundation, is our corporate social responsibility program. It's something working with Mrs. Austin that we launched in uh May of 2021. And the idea is about caring, right? And it's helping communities across the state, across the country, across the world with uh hearing health. And Starkey Cares is really focused on three main pillars. Our primary pillar is our neighbors in need program, right? And the intent behind that pillar is to help people who are unable to afford hearing aids, who may have a hearing loss, right? Our second pillar is our work that we do with um active duty military men and women and veterans. Dave, as you know, and we've talked about before, tinnitus and hearing loss are our top two combat-related injuries for our military men and women. So uh continuing to support those folks, not only uh through the benefits that they get at the VA, but other organizations that work with veterans and active duty military men and women is a priority for Starkey Cares. And then our third pillar for Starkey Cares is really that commitment to helping uh like-minded organizations that make the world a better place. Uh, and and that can easily be defined by our current partnership that we have with the Special Olympics, where we're working uh with the Special Olympics globally to provide hearing help for any Special Olympian who needs the help. So, you know, it's it's my pleasure to kind of work with Jake and Mrs. Austin and others and you, Dave, right, on the great philanthropic efforts that we do. And Jake can certainly go into more details as he heads up these efforts on a day-to-day basis. But if we go back to 1967, right, the very first set of hearing aids that Mr. Austin ever made were hearing aids that he provided to somebody who cannot afford hearing aids, right? And that has been the mission of Starkey, you know, 55 years later is to provide hearing aids for folks who need help. And if folks who come into the Center for Excellence need help, or folks all across the country that need help might not be able to uh, you know, afford uh hearing aids, um that's what Starkey Cares is there for.

SPEAKER_03 3:07

That raises an important question, you know. I mean, there is a there are a lot of people that can fall through the cracks, people that don't have an insurance benefit or have the financial means or fall into a program where they could have like a Medicaid in Minnesota or you know across the country. Sure. What's the process for application for neighbors in need? How does someone go about applying for or receiving that benefit? What do they have to do?

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Well, I'll let Jake take that. I mean, that's one of the things, you know, we're fortunate enough to have Jake here as our director of corporate social responsibility. And and from the outset, I said, Jake, you know, this is a new program for us. Um, let's let let's make it as streamlined as an efficient as possible. And that's what Jake has spent the last six months on, is really building out, among other things, building out our neighbors in need program. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:53

And it's uh uh a good reminder to me, like I think it was the second day that I was here. Uh Michael and I were actually meeting in his office, and I I got a text on my phone, and I didn't recognize the number, and I was like, okay, this is somebody from the company who wants to talk to me about Starkey Cares. I don't know who this is, but I'll have to get back to them. And Michael said, show me the number. And he goes, That's Mrs. Austin. She'll answer that one. She wants you in her office in 20 minutes. Let's wrap up. You look you want to get down there. And in that meeting, um, she said, you know, we are doing Starkey Cares with 300 partners right now. Yes. I want us to be doing it with 3,000 partners. Great. And it was that instant energy that she brought to like it just brought to me, right? And shared with me. Um, and I said to her, I said, yeah, that's gonna be fantastic. And that's really the difference between making dinner for your family and running a restaurant, right? They're both feeding people, but they're very different. And so scaling is what Mrs. Austin is all about scalability and sustainability. Yep. And she has been incredibly uh, as we all know, she's got a uh a high motor and a big list of things that she wants to get done. She's been really patient with uh with me as we've built this program and really tried to support some of the internal processes that we have here uh for the program. So you asked about uh what does it take to be uh involved? There's really two different pieces or channels. Let's talk about from a provider perspective and then a patient perspective. Uh, providers, uh, if you're a customer of ours, you are uh eligible to be in this program. You simply need to reach out to us, we can get you a link to sign up, and then we provide you with ordering instructions, the sort of basics of how the programs work. The provider's obligation, and Michael and I have talked about this, we sort of talk about hearing health as a three-legged stool, right? And everybody's got a little skin in the game. Um Starkey provides the technology, the device. Um, the provider is obligated when they sign up to provide up to five free visits to the patient for fitting and refinement and tweaking. And the patient pays a an application fee, a$300 application fee. Now, before they pay that fee, they will know whether or not they qualify for the program. We actually have them apply in advance of that. And we make sure that they are uh income qualified, it's based on income thresholds. Uh and that information is available on our website. So folks can just go to Starkey.com slash Starkey Cares and they can find out more information about the program. Perfect. Um so for for our providers, our customers, that's it's quite simple. That's the way that works. And um and for patients, we have an online application tool that they go in and they validate their income and their basic information, upload their financial documents, we then review it, approve it, they pay the fee, and we let the provider know at the local level that that patient has been approved and they're ready to order their devices and have them shipped to them.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

So and I'll tell you, Dave, um we want to help as many people as possible, right, through the Starkey CARES program. So talking about scalability, you know, we were at 300 and Jake, we now have how many neighbors indeed partners?

SPEAKER_02 6:50

Yeah, just before I came here, I looked at 20, 216 in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

So in addition to, you know, our 3,000 yet. But we're getting there, we're getting there. That's you know, that's that's where we're where we're want to be. Um but in addition, right, there there's obviously skin in the game from Starkey, there's skin in the game from our customers, our 2100 partners that we have across the country, and something that we're working on right now, right? What benefit, you know, obviously we're helping folks who need help, right? But for the customer, what what benefit do they have as well? And we're working on um processes and and and uh you know different priorities around media and communicating in their local communities that they are a Starkey Care's partner and what that means for the local community. So we want to shout and we continue to shout from the rooftops that this program exists. We want to let folks know in local communities of our partners that this program exists because we want to help as many people that we can through this neighbors in need program.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

Well, but I can tell you that every clinician, when you say what's in it for them, they know they have some patients who are struggling to be able to purchase devices. And this is a it's a core uh uh value proposition that we believe our technology with the expertise of the professional can deliver the best results. Right. And to have a program like this for individuals who can't otherwise afford to get hearing aids, I can tell you every professional has one or two patients immediately they can think of that fall beneath the crack between the cracks.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

And that's what this is designed for. And if we uh continue to talk about this in local communities, Dave, maybe there are others who have hearing loss who think, you know what, I can't afford hearing aids, so I'm not, you know, I've never gone to a hearing professional. Maybe this will provide them with enough, you know, encouragement to actually go see somebody as well, because they know this program exists in their local community. Aaron Powell For sure.

SPEAKER_03 8:44

And when you think about what the what's happened over the last few years with uh providing accessibility and affordability for OTC, the investment that Starkey's making, that the professional does in committing to service these patients in need. And for the patient, uh they're paying less than they're likely to have to pay for an over-the-counter hearing aid to hear better with that combination of our technology and the professional's expertise. So congratulations on the the growth already. Yeah, and that is impressive indeed.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

But honestly, you know, Dave, the credit really goes to our customers on this. Of course. When I had first started and started meeting with some of our customers, it was the it was the thing, the first thing out of their mouths was like, hey, we we were part of the foundation work and we loved that, right? Because um, and we want to know when when can we have a seat at the table to provide this additional support? Because as as I have said all along, um the people who work at Starkey can work anywhere, right? Michael's a smart guy, you're a smart guy, right? There's lots of smart people who work here who could do things, do their jobs in lots of different places. They come here because they want to know that they matter. And for our customers, they want to know that they can matter in their local community and that they can change somebody's life. And this is a way that they can do that. They've done it in the past and they are eager to do it again. And I think that's why we see that explosive growth in the program.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

And and you mentioned the foundation. I know, Dave, I think that's a good thing. Yeah, and I was just gonna say you both mentioned the foundation.

SPEAKER_03 10:10

So tell us about that. Does the foundation still exist?

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Yeah, so that's a great question. So the Starkey Hearing Foundation does still exist. Um, you know, during COVID, as many folks know, it was difficult to travel and to do a lot of the work that the foundation had been doing for many years. So the foundation still exists and it's primarily organized uh to educate and to train hearing professionals in third world countries. Obviously, the foundation has the school in Africa, and we're looking, or the foundation I should say, is looking for ways in which they can continue to train and continue to educate hearing professionals, not only in Africa, but other third world countries. So the foundation exists, but during COVID, as we wanted to get back in helping you know, individuals who needed help, a lot of the work that the foundation was doing, it was decided that not only are we supporting patients, uh, but we support a lot of other organizations, like-minded organizations. So, how can we bring all of that together uh into one program? And many companies you know have a corporate social responsibility program that's part of their corporate uh identity. Yeah. Um so separate from the great work that the foundation is doing and continues to do, um that's that's where we came up with Starkey CARES is our corporate social responsibility program. And it allows us not only to you know support a neighbors in need program, but allows us to work with veterans, work with active duty military, work with other like-minded partners. And all of us uh who are Starkey employees have the ability to participate and support and to be excited about it because it is a Starkey corporate social responsibility program.

SPEAKER_03 11:45

No, and and so I think thank you very much for that clarification and distinction between the corporate social responsibility program and then knowing that the foundation is indeed continuing to do good work around the world in those emerging markets. And it it for me it's really encouraging to see that despite the challenges of the past few years, that with the Starkey Hearing Institute uh developing that uh again, the scalability and sustainability to build into those uh programs people that go back to their home countries and make a difference. So, but thank you for that that distinction and differentiation between those two. Let's uh go next. You talk about the different pillars. Um, we've uh all three of us uh had the opportunity earlier this year um to participate in the um U.S. Special Olympics Games. Yeah. Uh let's talk a little bit about that partnership and uh the impact that it made uh beginning really back then, and I know the work was taking place leading up to that, but then and and where you're going with that now.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

Yeah. It's really exciting, actually. So our partnership as the global hearing health partner for Special Olympics was announced in March. We did an event here uh where Tim Schriver, the CEO uh for uh uh Special Olympics International, came. We fit a number of athletes. We have we've been to the Special Olympics North American Games, Dave, you and I and Michael, we were there. We've also been to the Unified Cup in Detroit. Uh and for folks who don't know, the Unified Cup is where athletes who have intellectual disabilities and athletes who do not compete together on a team. Um it was a great event. It was a great event. And um, and now we are actually uh Thursday, I leave for Puerto Rico. We're gonna be doing an event there, and all of that is really building and leading to the World Games in Berlin next summer, right? Uh, which we should see between five and six thousand athletes from all over the world uh meeting in Berlin to compete, and we're looking forward to being a part of that. So for us, we've already fit over a hundred athletes and coaches from Special Olympics uh with uh free hearing devices. Um they, by the way, just to clarify, don't have to pay that application fee. That's uh something that we take care of as part of our agreement. Um and I think really what has been exciting about this is you know, Starkey brings a completely different approach to this work than any of the other hearing health providers that Special Olympics has dealt with. Um in the past, um, you know, they would hand out vouchers uh if somebody needed hearing aids, and those folks would then have to find a provider someplace. We're not doing that. We're fitting athletes and coaches on the spot with hearing heads.

SPEAKER_03 14:22

And I think the reason that that's so important, and Michael's well uh familiar with this statistic, but according to Special Olympics, 30,000 athletes, special Olympians around the world report hearing difficulty. And I believe it's 83 percent, according again to Special Olympics, haven't even had a hearing test. Correct. So the issue of this focus and dedication to not only participating with Special Olympics to assist with that diagnosis of a hearing loss at the event and the good work that's being done there to screen individuals for hearing, but then to actually go through the process of fitting them without delay is exceedingly important because we all know that that people have a hard time. You know, here's a voucher, but they don't know where to go, they don't know who to see. Right. They don't know that scalability and sustainability to tie them back to their local community or nearby with a provider.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

And I think that's the key point, right? And why this partnership with Special Olympics works so well and why, you know, we were certainly excited to partner with Special Olympics, but they were eagerly as excited to partner with us, it's because of our global network of hearing professionals, Dave. If if you are a Special Olympian, if you're an athlete within Special Olympics and you have a hearing loss, whether you're in the United States or another country, we will find providers that you can see and you can get fit with the latest technology and get the aftercare that you need as well, right? And that's what gives us a unique perspective and expertise in partnering with Special Olympics. So just because we're we're doing events at the U.S. Games or the World Games or the Unified Cup, that's great. And we're helping as many athletes as we can at those games, but we're also helping athletes who can't participate in the games, who are still Special Olympians. Exactly. Through our network of Starkey Care's partners, um, you know, they're also helping not only folks through our Neighbors in Need program, but our special Olympians who may need uh help as well. So it's an exciting partnership to be a part of. Um, as both of you know, we attended the U.S. Games in Orlando and we're eager to host the U.S. Games, the next U.S. Games, which will actually be in Minneapolis in 2026. So you can bet we'll play a role in helping those uh, you know, 4,000 athletes from across the United States that come to Minneapolis. So it's a great partnership because we're doing what we're good at and we're able to tap into our network of professionals for the athletes all over the globe.

SPEAKER_03 16:51

Yeah, I and I know I'm preaching to the choir in terms of the most of the hearing care professionals that are listening to this podcast, but it's pretty emotional in terms of some when I think of both in Michigan and also in Orlando, some of the athletes and some of the stories that we saw, a young athlete from Idaho who, after being fitted, uh immediately went to his first football game and caught a touchdown pass, and then eloquently uh commented on how he could uh hear and and know from awareness where the other athletes were on the field so that he could navigate his way to get open, catch the ball, score a touchdown, and hear the crowds cheering. Right, yeah. It still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck, thinking about his reaction to being able to hear that and seeing his family and talking with his mother was pretty remarkable. And and for the clinicians, they get to do that all the time. But many of us who are clinicians but don't still get that day-to-day interaction, it remains a very impactful and and special feeling.

SPEAKER_01 17:52

And and Special Olympics International is a great organization to partner with, right? So we're we're really pleased to be able to partner and offer this, you know, globally.

SPEAKER_02 18:00

It is also, you know, just uh as a side note, as somebody who wears hearing aids and has worn them for many years. Yeah. Um I've had hearing loss since I was a baby uh due to uh pretty serious ear infections that I had. Um, you know, when we were in Orlando, uh one of the coaches from Kansas came and we fit him and he came uh racing back on the day we were packing up and we were sort of putting everything away. And oh, I'm so glad I caught you. I was so glad I I wanted to just say thank you. Right. And it was he just came over to say thank you, and it was a really sweet gesture. And I asked him because as somebody who's worn hearing aids, um, and as we know, um everybody has that moment, right? There's uh uh that I referred to, right? The moment. When when was the moment that you realized that you were gonna be experiencing something that you'd never had access to before? Uh and a lot of for a lot of people it's these really uh dramatic moments of catching touchdowns or maybe hearing their child or or what have you. Um we've had stories of people who have said uh through our neighbors in need program that say, you know, uh I had a family member fall down and I heard them from behind me. I didn't know that it, like I would never have known that that would happen. But this coach in Kansas, um, when I asked him, he said, Oh yeah, no, I know for sure. I absolutely can tell you. And his head just sort of dropped down, and and for about 30 seconds, he just had to kind of collect himself. And he said, I walked out the door and I heard the change jingling in my pocket. And for the first time, I realized that different coins make different sounds. It had just been a mush of sound to him. And so sometimes it's these big, profound moments, but also it's these equally impactful moments. And clearly, even though it was just change jingling in his pocket, it was the realization that he had hearing the hearing health that he deserved. Yeah, and to be a part of that, to be able to be some small part of helping make that happen, it's a pretty amazing experience. And I think that is why our customers get into it. And the story is getting out, right? Um we've seen uh we've had over 350 uh different stories that have been carried in the news media about Starkey cares. Uh much of that has been about our Special Olympics partnership, um, over a$1.3 million worth of earned media time. So that means, and the vast majority of those stories are uh make up a city. Missoula, Montana has a Special Olympics athlete who gets fitted, and the local TV station or the local print uh media runs a story about that local athlete who went to Orlando and got fitted. So it's very localized, uh, which we think is really, really impactful for our customers to for everyone to be able to know that that is an option and exists and that those folks are doing that work. We really want to lift them up.

SPEAKER_03 20:32

Well, and I think also it um uh needs to be said, Mr. and Mrs. Austin um had made the decision when we were at Special Olympics without any fanfare um that the athletes that were fitted in Orlando were all fitted with state-of-the-art high-end technology. And they didn't have to do that. They could have chosen to fit with any technology, but to ensure that these athletes have the opportunity to hear better using that sophisticated technology, and then in working with their local providers. We we were worried at the games about just getting them hearing better because their focus was on the competition. But those devices can do fall detection, can do and work with an app if the athlete has a smartphone, and and in combination with uh their local provider to begin to the degree that they have a phone and can and work with the technology can take advantage of all of the features that any patient can. And and that's really the partnership with Special Olympics is providing them with that opportunity to be stronger and better together.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

And Dave, in true Starkey fashion, Jake, um the rest of the Starkey Cares team, even Mrs. Austin, we have followed up with every athlete that we've fit multiple times to ensure they're getting the help that they need, uh to ensure that they made contact with their local provider. Um, you know, that's what it's all about.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

And it's been a really uh profound experience. For all of us on the team. I know that it's um hard to exactly describe, and I'm looking forward to more of it and working with Special Olympics and building out that partnership.

SPEAKER_03 22:10

So you said you're you know two-thirds of the way towards your initial goal. So for hearing health care providers that haven't yet participated, how can they do so? What I mean, I think you've given some great examples here, the feel-good examples, and then the the opportunities to really leverage that in their local markets. But uh any other suggestions for somebody that hasn't yet participated as to why they should? Right.

SPEAKER_02 22:36

Well, uh, two things I would say. First off, you can go to the website, uh Starkey.com slash Starkey Cares, has a good description of all three of the pillars and kind of an overview of what Starkey Cares is. Um and then uh they can always reach out to me, right? Jake underscorespono s p-a-n-o at Starkey.com. I'm happy to answer any questions they may have. Um they can also uh just send a simple email to uh StarkeyCares at Starkey.com. That goes to our Starkey Cares team and they can get them signed up if they're a provider and want to do that. Um but we're always happy to have a conversation because we understand that for providers in different parts of the state, uh of the states, um, you know, what hearing health looks like from a regulatory and a legal perspective, there's lots of nuances there. And that's one of the things that we were really deliberate about at the beginning was this wasn't going to be a one-size-fits-all program that we're just gonna sort of ram over to customers. Um, we really, when a when a patient calls and says, Hey, I think I might be a good fit for this program, we start by saying, Okay, Dave, what's your zip code? Let's find you a hearing health partner in your area. And then we send them to you know Shoals House of Hearing, and we let we let the provider own that relationship and that decision with the patient. And then if Starkey Cares is a good fit for them, awesome. They know how to loop back to us. We can then get them the application, get them approved, get the payment, and get those hearing devices ordered. So we try to make it as absolutely as well. No, really streamlined it and simplified it.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

And we're we're obviously, you know, Jake mentioned the 3,000 number. We want to, you know, hit and surpass 3,000 Starkey Cares partners, right? So if you're not signed up and you're interested, you should go to you know Starkey.com backslash Starkey Cares or send Jake an email. Uh, but we want to grow that number. Sure. Uh and and and we want to do, you know, we're not gonna stop at 3,000. As we as we as we look forward, we also want to use this network for uh larger fitting events, right, in in local communities, right, where we can come in with a team and maybe we've identified a larger group of Starkey Cares uh recipients, and we can come in uh and do fitting events uh in local communities as well. So as we look ahead, right, what does next year have in mind? And as we continue to scale, you know, obviously we want to help every individual patient, uh, but I think there's an opportunity to do some larger events as well via Starkey Cares. Terrific.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

That uh that's already like that discussion is already happening, right? And one of the really, really cool things about this, um, because I didn't work in the hearing health community, I didn't, you know, work in philanthropy or anything um before coming here is the passion that our customers bring to this. So to sort of uh Michael's point, we already have uh a patient or a uh a customer in Ohio, for example, who's already working with some folks locally there to want to do these sorts of events. We also have um four states Maryland, Mississippi uh Maryland, Louisiana, Ohio, and one other one, where we've got our customers who maybe serve in a volunteer capacity with Special Olympics, who are like, we want to do the state level games. Yeah. And so our our customers are taking it upon themselves to reach out to me and us and say, like, how does it work? What do we need? What can we do? How does this, you know? But what the beauty of all of that is, is that they're not waiting for direction from us. They're taking the ownership and really leading on it. And I'm just sort of being that facilitator to support them as they build that out.

SPEAKER_03 25:59

Fantastic. Um, so we've talked about neighbors in need, we've talked about the Special Olympics. Um, you you talked about at the beginning the three pillars. Anything additional to offer on really that that third branch in in greater detail. Pun intended. Yeah. Yeah. That third branch. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 26:17

No, you know, we're we're we're our focus and Jake's you know, focus kind of early in 2023 is to grow that that that uh um active duty military men and women and veterans piece. Um, you know, we do a lot of work locally with organizations that share a common mission uh the with Starkey. Uh so we support local uh groups like Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and other veteran groups in our local community, but we're really working through ways that we can identify groups across the country that we can partner with and support that share, you know, share our common mission of helping military men and women and veterans. So we're gonna be identifying programs where you know local folks in their local communities can maybe identify organizations that we should be supporting via Starkey Cares. We're excited to perhaps roll that out uh early next year. Great. Um and and you know, continuing to work with large veteran service organizations as well, um, you know, to partner with them to support their organization. So Jake's also brought together, you know, uh, you know, a group of veterans at Starkey, right? And and we're getting ideas from them about how we can you know better support them or provide opportunities for them within Starkey. You know, one thing that you know Jake um continues to talk about, and he's exactly right, generally when you think about corporate social responsibility programs, they're really outward-facing, right? What are you doing for folks in the community and outside of the organization? But our Starkey Cares program is designed for employees as well. What types of things are we doing for our employees? People want to come work at Starkey because of all of this corporate social responsibility work that we're doing. So not only are we finding partners and doing work outside of the company, but Jake is working with organizations and small groups inside Starkey to identify what else we can do for employees as Starkey as well.

SPEAKER_02 28:02

Yeah. It's and that that has been right out of the bat. The two sort of moments I remember that first week. One was the meeting with uh Mrs. Austin, and the other one was uh a person who was a reservist uh here uh reaching out to me on maybe the day, the third day, walked into my office and said, So you're the new Starkey Cares guy. What are we doing with the military piece and how can I help? It wasn't it wasn't figure it out and fix it. It was how can we work together? And so, as Michael mentioned, you know, there's a group of maybe 15 to 20 folks that are either uh veterans, uh reservists, um, or National Guards members. And I'd also like to expand that maybe to include the family members of some of our uh folks who serve because uh frequently you find folks that serve in the military don't ask for things for themselves. They worry more about their family. That's right. Um, and so we want to make sure that that voice is at the table. But they have been great about you know letting me know kind of what it is that they're interested in, what do they need, uh, what do they want, and we're gonna use them as a resource moving forward to inform the program as we build it, um, and that also be ambassadors for it. Um, because I've said many, many times, the best ideas for Starkey cares will not come out of my office or Michael's office or or our conversation. It'll come from sort of crowdsourcing with our customers, our patients, and our employees. But we employ it. I agree with Michael, it's a it is a differentiator for Starkey.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

And we'll have some exciting announcements regarding that pillar in 2023.

SPEAKER_03 29:24

Excellent. Yeah, I mean, in typical Starkey fashion, I think you just look at the bottom of your sleeve, you've got two hands there to help, and and that people were reaching out to you as soon as you came on board, yeah, is testimony to the type of people that we have here. Yes, absolutely. So you've talked about where we've gone till now. Um you talked a little bit about that we're not gonna stop at 3,000. Right. Um where do you see this program one year from now, three years from now? Talk a little bit, put your crystal ball on and say what do you what where are you going with that?

SPEAKER_01 29:53

Yeah, I I'll just, you know, I I kind of mentioned this earlier, but obviously we want to hit that 3,000 number for our Starkey Care's partners. But what I really want to focus on is what can we do, what larger Starkey Care's events can we do across the country and across the globe, right? Yeah, and I'll give you an example of that. We had um a state attorney general on campus um a couple of months ago. And uh, you know, obviously, as as we all know, you know, state AGs really regulate the hearing aid space in their state, right? So we had them here, they were understanding, you know, about Starkey in the industry, it was a really good meeting. At the very end, this state AG, um, I introduced uh the AG to Mr. Austin, right? And they chatted for a few seconds and then the AG walked out. But as the AG was walking away, Mr. Austin came up behind him and said, and don't forget, we will come and do a Starkey CARES event program. If you have people that we need to come help, we will be there to help them in your state, right? And that's what it's all about. So how do we grow and scale not only our number of neighbors that need partners, right, but the number of patients who have hearing loss that we can help?

SPEAKER_03 30:52

He never misses an opportunity to figure out another way that he can try to achieve his gold of goal of so the world may hear. And I think he takes that goal literally that he wants to get each and every person and provide them with the opportunity to hear better and live better. Um okay, so um it's one of our traditions uh that we like to talk a little bit of since we're uh you know we're called uh uh the you know we're focused on sound on this podcast. So, Michael, I'll begin with you. I know that you're quite a music a fan of music, and uh one of the things that we'll do often is ask, you know, like your favorite sound or musical artist. And I know for you that's gonna be difficult. You've got a broad array of many genres. Many genres from Celine Dion to the Bee Gees. So um uh what's your favorite who's your favorite musical artist? The sound that you really want to preserve your hearing for?

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Yeah. I would say the Bee Gees, right? When I'm on a plane, if I'm listening to music, uh generally it's the uh the Bee Gees number one hits album, which folks should know. They're number three all time with number one hits uh according to Billboard. So I just throw that out there. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 32:00

And then how about your favorite quiet place that you go to retreat or the sound, the place that you go? You talked about tinnitus and hearing loss are two of the big uh concerns with veterans. But yeah, what about on the other end? Where do you go, where do you go for your sanctuary?

SPEAKER_01 32:17

Yeah, no, I've got, you know, in we've got an office in the house, right? And we've got the doors. And and generally, you know, during um you know, during COVID and when folks were working from home, but yet, you know, the kids were away at school, uh I could I could really focus and get a lot done just with the doors closed uh in the office, right? So the other place, I'll tell you, it's not necessarily quiet, but I spend a fair amount of time on a plane with a set of headphones on, I can really concentrate and focus and get a lot of thinking done uh because you don't have the bothers, right? I mean it's just you for a couple of hours. So I can uh that's another place where I go there.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:52

Okay, and so now if um Jake and as well, you've talked about the fact that you have a hearing loss, you know better than Michael or I, even how precious the sense of hearing is. I also know you're a fierce competitor. And um, if you would just hand that over to Jake. Uh I'm gonna rather than do the the issue of your favorite sound, you and I have competed with hurdle. So um uh Jake, go ahead and try to play a small sample of this and identify the song because we have done this a few weeks.

SPEAKER_02 33:23

We have. Um you and I, yes, we we had a little bit of it. And I I've stepped away from hurdle a little bit, so I'm out of uh Okay, here we go. So can you get that?

SPEAKER_03 33:39

Back and Black by ACDC. No, Franz Ferdinand. But good guess. But uh this one time I beat him, he's he's remarkable at this game. But not today. Today today you acclaim victory. It's the you got to give me a little victory this year because the stunk all season. And so uh with that, we're we're out of time. I'm really appreciative of both of you coming on and providing a wealth of information about the Starkey Cares program, the corporate social responsibility. Uh it's the holiday season. There's no better time. If you haven't enrolled in the Starkey Cares program, uh please go to the website. Jake, again, give us the website. Just Starkey.com slash Starkey Cares. And you can go and you can start thinking about those patients who will have the opportunity to hear better during the holiday season and into the new year because of this program if they fall between the cracks. And you know, Michael and Jake, I really appreciate your being here. And if you uh uh like this session, please like us on your favorite podcast platform, uh, share it with your friends. Uh please enroll uh and and and uh subscribe on your favorite platform so that you're you're sure not to miss a single episode. We look forward to to seeing you and hearing you, and thank you very much for listening.