Listen Carefully feat. Brandon Sawalich | CEO of Starkey

Blaise Delfino: 0:06

You're tuned into the Hearing Matters podcast with Dr. Gregory Delfino, and Blaise Delfino of Audiology Services and Fader Plugs, the show that discusses hearing technology, best practices, and a growing national epidemic, hearing loss. On this episode, we are so excited to welcome the president and CEO of Starkey, Brandon Sawalich. Brandon, welcome to the show.

Brandon Sawalich: 0:32

Thank you Blaise and it's honor to be here this morning, a lot going on in our industry. And I've been seeing the success of Hearing Matters in your podcast and glad

Blaise Delfino: 0:41

Brandon, thank you so much. This show is going to be here. to have a lot of energy and I think we're going to educate a lot of hearing healthcare professionals. And those individuals not only currently wearing hearing aids, but interested in being fit with hearing technology. Brandon, you grew up in the hearing healthcare industry, briefly share with us your journey at Starkey. You went from working in the Olmec repair lab, to CEO of the world's largest privately held hearing aid manufacturer. That's no easy feat.

Brandon Sawalich: 1:11

No, it's not. There's a lot of learning lessons along the way. But I've been around the hearing industry my whole life. My grandmother started in the industry in 1959. And then my mother got into it 1983. And I was going to be an astronaut had no interest in hearing aids whatsoever. You know, things happen, of course, and started at Starkey 94, right out of one year of college summer job was going to go back, learn how to do all make repairs and ear molds. And they're really the art of the business and the service component. And then I got into sales and just started doing various jobs at Starkey. I've done everything from get cups of coffee, take people to the airport, I worked the front desk reception, I've done everything that was needed. So it's kind of the Starkey culture. If there's something needs to be done, you jump in and do it.

Blaise Delfino: 1:59

And as a leader, you understand how essential every single role in your organization is. Brandon, as you transitioned into a leadership role at Starkey, you had the opportunity to connect with audiologists and hearing health care professionals globally encompassing a deep appreciation for hearing health care providers. Why is it so important for individuals who suspect that they, you know, present with a hearing loss to visit a licensed audiologist or hearing health care professional

Brandon Sawalich: 2:31

Going back, you know, even when I started at Starkey the jobs and roles that I did are on campus, and we were doing a lot of classes on campus here for the template ad, CIC and SQL products. And I got to meet a lot of hearing healthcare professionals, audiologists hearing aid specialists, and became lifelong friends. I mean, you do that kind of work. And it's a small industry. Starkey is sort of a family culture as you don't service and care. And so those customers are friends. And so I got to hear and learn. And even like you said, even whether it's my job here at Starkey, or working and building those relationships, it's always about the patient industry's evolved, continues to so I'm going to change overnight. But the role of the hearing healthcare professional is instrumental in my opinion, because we all know that, you know, it's the evaluation, the product is a third of the process. That's the solution. But people are coming to you, they want to hear better, and they're looking for hearing help. And we're all in the team's environment virtual. And we know how that's changed relationships, and even doing business. Now try to self diagnose when you're hearing some can not saying it's impossible. But I also know that every year is different. Everybody hears differently. It's not like your vision and you know, the easy comparisons. And it's not a consumer electronic device. So the role of the hearing healthcare professional and I've said this publicly for more than a decade, better hearing is best served through hearing healthcare provider. And if somebody chooses to buy something online or at a Walgreens, you know, the role of the hearing healthcare professional can still be involved, because it's community based. So what are they doing? What are you doing to get out there and educate the patient and why that's important?

Blaise Delfino: 4:13

Absolutely. And raising awareness of the importance of hearing health care, Brandon, when patients come into our practice, we ask them when their last hearing test was and all too often it's either, I'm not really sure I can't remember or elementary school. We have to do better.

Brandon Sawalich: 4:31

Exactly. It's you took it right out of my mouth. And, you know, the FDA proposed ruling came out, I've done several interviews, and that's kind of my theme is we have to do better. And we as an industry have to do better. We've been compared to a product that's on the shelf of Best Buy. And we know that's not the case because it is an art and a science. How many patients have you seen and you've perfected your art and your craft, and it's not just buying a piece of plastic, as I say just sticking it in your ear? There's a whole process to it. So, you know, for myself what I have seen as even the last 20- 25 years. Yeah, we have a lot of education to do, but also there's a huge opportunity with it. And really since 2016, I've been pushing and building relationships in DC and elsewhere to make sure that the proper education and the right understanding of hearing health care gets out there.

Blaise Delfino: 5:23

Absolutely. And Brandon to really dive into it for years, you and Starkey, have had a presence in Washington, DC, and you and your team continue to defend our industry against all of these outside threats. On September 21 2021, Starkey announced the launch of listen carefully, what influenced this initiative?

Brandon Sawalich: 5:49

Well, I don't know the exact date. But what put me over the top might say to drive this home was in July when President Biden put out the executive order. And hearing from the FDA, the OTC ruling was one of the executive orders to have it done within 90 days. Well, I think about every fact was incorrect. So then there was I believe it was Good Morning America, and then something in the Wall Street Journal. And it lit a fire. I mean, the fire was there. But I will say it starts to fire because the narrative and everything was just so wrong. And, you know, I talked to the White House, probably about a month later, thanks to relationships and Senator Klobuchar, who were very close with and understands what hearing is because Minneapolis has been the headquarters of hearing technology for years. We had a good discussion, Klobuchar, myself and Barbara Kelly from HLA, I asked them to join me with members of the White House that put out the statistics. You know, they were very receptive, they understood. And so the dialogue started, and then listen carefully is like wading into place, just keep these facts. We're not trying to change a narrative as a professional industry, because it's not Starkey, branded. If you see it's really for anybody to use as needed. And we wanted a one source of truth. Here are the facts. And here's the backup information, data research on those effects.

Blaise Delfino: 7:07

Brandon, to dovetail off everything that you just said. This isn't just a Starkey initiative. This is one place where all of the correct and appropriate facts live. But Starkey is really teaming up with the other manufacturers out there such as Oticon, and phone app. And can you tell us what HIA is currently doing? Because you're all banding together, which is so enlightening and so amazing to see, you know, put competitive differences aside, you're banding together to raise awareness of the importance of hearing health care.

Brandon Sawalich: 7:41

We want to do from Starkey standpoint, get that done and out, and then continue the work that we do as a board. I was chairman of HIA, from 2016, to just this past July, Gary Rosenbloom, who I think you just had on recently, it is now, Geron there was a peaceful transfer of power there. Because we have an engaged board. We all have like minds. Yes, we compete on the streets. That of course, never is topics on the agenda. It's always about the greater good of the hearing, healthcare industry and educating those in DC because in 2016, I recognized that HIA had to change. And in order to get better, sometimes you have to break something. And what I mean by that is really we retooled HIA. Kate Carr is the president of HIA with Bridget Lindsay. And yeah, Kate is well connected with people in DC. And the board was engaged Carol Rogan, who did an phenomenal job for ha and I love Carol, she served and, you know, she recognized and we had great talk. So now the HIA 2.0, the board was engaged, and we really focused it around. The main thing was having a seat at the table because we were blindsided by OTC. We weren't in the conversation. President Obama's counsel, if you look at who is on there, they're really if I recall, wasn't anyone like yourself or others who fit hearing aids with a patient front of them? Right. And there are a lot of assumptions. So we wanted a seat at the table and be known as a trusted voice of authority in DC and information. So, you know, we wanted them to know that we were there and we've built those relationships, and they're paying off and Starkey, yes separate from HIA Starkey has been involved for quite a while you work with people in DC and they want to know you're there for them. And that doesn't mean just donations. I help people look at that stuff. doesn't get you anything it gets. Yeah, you have access or it's kind of a map and your tour guide if you have a lobbyist of DC but you still have to educate make your case of your pitch, because there's a lot going on and they have a lot of bigger priorities than just hearing.

Blaise Delfino: 9:53

Exactly. Absolutely. Brandon if patients were to purchase an over the counter hearing aid, they could essentially be doing more harm than good. And in essence, they could moreso be treating a symptom rather than a cause. What are some of the dangers of purchasing an over the counter hearing aid?

Brandon Sawalich: 10:12

We've all heard the stories even before this ruling came out and proposed really cheap amplifiers have been around long before you know, I've even started Starkey, I've, I've heard all the worst stories, right of how people would buy these products, there was no return policy, there wasn't any guarantee or service. And so once you bought it, you owned it. And which is really then why the FDA did come into play in the 70s. And, you know, kind of went from the wild, wild west, to bringing some guidelines and, you know, regulating that hearing aids or clasp on to medical devices, and protecting the patient and the consumer. And we also know, last 20 years, in the 90s, you had a lot of catalog, hearing amplifiers. And then you've also introduced the internet. So it's been there. So since 2016, this bill is really put a brand in ID, a marketing, whatever you want to say around this type of product. And yes, could somebody do harm? Yeah, they could if there's not a potential for the gain and output and you got your condition. I mean, there's so much to it. There's not just one area that somebody could be harmed by purchasing something they don't know anything about per se, but it's up to them. I mean, the patient's going to decide at the end of the day, and and I'm very optimistic by working with the FDA that you know, our number one is patient satisfaction and patient safety. So hopefully, we go through this commenting period, and that they get those guidelines and guardrails down. And the other thing is how do we know that somebody has a hearing loss by an online test? I mean, Starkey has it online. I mean, we've had an online test for years. It's a quick measuring. And I've also you've heard before, well, you can quickly tell if you can you hear that your fingers, Rob, I mean, go for

Blaise Delfino: 12:00

Like the Whisper Test. Yeah, it's, it's not, it's not really accurate.

Brandon Sawalich: 12:05

So go get it professionally done. It doesn't take long we go get our cholesterol and everything else checked, then you have the whole mild to moderate and severe to profound. Patients don't know what that means. There's no score, there's no hearing score, like there is for blood pressure or cholesterol, we have to make sure safely we provide those guardrails around mild to moderate, with the right hearing loss versus profound, severe to profound and of course, how's the health of the ear? Are you gonna start with the ear? What's in, you know, we all know it could be wax, right? Sometimes it is,

Blaise Delfino: 12:37

There could be something going on Retro cochlear, so it is so important to visit a hearing healthcare professional,

Brandon Sawalich: 12:43

Many red flag conditions, I know that nobody likes to talk about that openly, especially in other media, because they talk about the device and how much that costs, it's hearing is essential in hearing health care is a global issue. And that's why they have to go get it done correctly. That's the only thing that we've been saying for quite a while and we support, you know, we want more access. But it's got to be done.

Blaise Delfino: 13:06

Right. Brandon, you mentioned it is a global issue. And the Starkey Hearing Foundation has been assisting in this global issue for a long time. So when the statement of hearing health care needs to be more accessible, tell us a little bit more about the accessibility aspect. Because from what we're seeing our family has been in the industry for well over 20 years, hearing health care essentially has been accessible.

Brandon Sawalich: 13:33

It is and it's really, you know, again, when you're pushing for new initiatives or others, whether it's in DC and go elsewhere, states access and affordability, those are very simple for people to understand and their use, probably without understanding the entire offering from our industry. I mean, we know that here in the US if people can't afford a hearing aid, we have Starkey cares, or we provide a free hearing aid. You have states that are required by law, I think it's 38 providing some type of insurance or assistance, medical, for instance. So support for people that with low income or have a need for the hearing aid. You have different technology levels. You know, there's it's that whole hearing aid $6,000. Well, Starkey and others could start continue to educate about bhandal nonvolatile in the service of the warranty and all that but also the associations and private practice clinics need to do the same because we also know there's $900 I mean, it's out there, but we're getting kind of a little bit of a bad rap for misinformation. Yeah, and continue to educate, but we're doing it and it's our responsibility. We have to do more. Continue to say the same thing. And so I always say when you're tired of hearing yourself talk, maybe it's starting to catch on somewhere because we just have to be repetitive during it access is available.

Blaise Delfino: 14:55

It is it absolutely is no Brandon to echo what you're saying here at Audiology Services, we have a solution for $899 for the pair. And, again, we have and we do participate with Starkey cares. And if a patient comes to us and they cannot otherwise afford a hearing aid, we are going to help them. Absolutely. And what I'm personally so excited about is that you have to look at the positives in life, right? Because life is too short to be negative. But we're excited because the importance of best practices and hearing healthcare differentiates you from an over the counter product. And Brandon, what can our fellow audiologists and hearing health care providers do to raise awareness of the importance of visiting a hearing healthcare provider and being fit with hearing aids by a licensed audiologist or hearing health care provider? What can our fellow colleagues do or continue to do?

Brandon Sawalich: 15:52

I firmly believe that hearing healthcare as community based you got to get involved in community and it goes to educate there's not a national ad campaign that somebody can do that's going to change somebody's mind? I mean, over time, I've heard the Got Milk suggestion many, many times. Could you do it? Yes. But there isn't a national brand people aren't going in because of a name that's on the piece of plastic they should be going in, because they know that Blaise is the best caring professional in my town community, he's going to help me here just like, I know, an hour south from here, I can go to the mail, and I'm going to get good health care for what I need. And so we're doing a disservice to ourselves by having discussions and debates around a hearing aid, when again, it's about hearing healthcare, that is 1.1 third of the process. And we know this, so you and others have to get involved with the community to educate, and then the associations, the associations have to educate and get out there and take a stance as well. And I believe there's a lot of opportunity for that to grow and continue, because it just can't be a manufacturer doing it. I've had many people and I'm sure there'll be many hit pieces per se that come out like oh, you know, there was one last week on the hearing aid cartel. And like we're getting a hearing aid cartel. Because you know, what, what I remind everybody and I say in the interviews is that for what we do as manufacturers, the government is wanting to make more accessible in their minds. And with the over the counter product. We've been working with the FDA for five, six years, we're making the products they are deregulating and making more accessible, what we're focused on is patient safety and those guidelines so can't say that we're trying to keep others out. Look at 28 years, I've seen Sony, Bosch and loan, Johnson and Johnson go down the list, Panasonic, all these consumer electronics companies that come in, they come out what Bose does good for them. Try it the startups since 2016. They've seen some start, you've seen him go out pretty quick, because what's the one thing the one thing is is about the patient? Yes, the patient care and patient satisfaction and service. It's not about selling a widget or commodity. It's more than just the transaction. It's about caring for the patient. And that's why when others come in, in the industry, they just kind of you guys step back, you've been doing this wrong for quite a while. Okay, go for it. There's more to it than this. And it's a relationship between the professionals and the manufacturers. And it's a process. I embrace competition from our side of manufacturers because it makes it better competition and disruption drives innovation. Yes. So you know, it's not that he and others have been against this at all. We've been involved in the discussions make sure it's just done right.

Blaise Delfino: 18:43

Absolutely. And Brandon, I've been to Starkey campus. I have seen the patents. Okay, it takes innovation it takes time, effort, energy investment, every single year from a manufacturers behalf to drive that innovation and what we believe that a lot of professionals need to continue to drive the point is that yes, we are treating a hearing loss but it's what's between the ears what is between the ears that is your brain, because we know that untreated hearing loss is linked to cognitive decline or dementia of the Alzheimer's type, an increase of falls, rehospitalization, anxiety depression. Untreated hearing loss is linked to all of these comorbidities that we believe that something over the counter may not be able to accommodate. So continuing to visit your hearing healthcare provider and professional and on behalf of audiology services in the hearing matters podcast Brandon, thank you and your team for continuing to fight for the hearing healthcare providers. This is an exciting time. I know being a younger clinician, I am so amped up and excited to continue help our patients on the road to better hearing to help them hear better and live better. And Brandon, thank you so much for joining us on the show today. Do you have any final thoughts that you wanted to share with our listeners, and the floor is yours, my friend!

Brandon Sawalich: 20:04

Well, thank you. And I appreciate the invite and the discussion. I hope we could do more of this because there's a lot to talk about. Don't be discouraged, don't get distracted by the bright, shiny objects or the recent article that obviously is written with purpose and probably got some space in a magazine or online for other reasons. Because I firmly believe, too, that the greatest decade for our industry is ahead of us. It's an aging population. And we're making and designing engineering, like you said, through a lot of hard work IP technology, that more and more people are going to need and they don't want but there's a time in their life that they're going to want and they need to see hearing professionals that are going to help them hear better and live better. So don't be discouraged. Because bright days are ahead. We're in a good time now. Just drown out the noise and focus on the patients in the community and doing what's best for the patient. Because at the end of the day, the patient's in charge.

Blaise Delfino: 20:59

You're tuned in to the Hearing Matters Podcast with Dr. Gregory Delfino, and Blaise Delfino of Audiology Services and Fader Plugs. Today, we had the president and CEO of Starkey, Brandon Sawalich discuss the evolution of hearing healthcare. Until next time, hear lifes story.