A Few Words From Our CEO
While furthering my education at Drexel University, I was introduced to the world of the hearing impaired through a work program at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.
While there, I found my life's work. I witnessed lives dramatically improved with proper hearing enhancement and committed myself to providing that to as many people as possible!
I started with the premise that if I could build better earmolds, people would get better results from their hearing aids. In 1979, I founded Authorized Earmold Labs in the basement of our home and we began building earmolds.
Once we were building the best earmolds, we proceeded to begin building the best hearing aids. In 1984, we founded Authorized Hearing Systems and were soon building hearing aids superior to those offered by the world's long established manufacturers.
By 2001, we were selling over 40,000 units per year. In this time, we expanded from our basement to two facilities in Bristol, Pennsylvania and a third in Plymouth, Minnesota.
While pleased with our success, statistics showed that too few of those in need of hearing assistance were taking advantage of the solutions available to them. I knew there had to be a better way to help more people.
The solution came while caring for a member of our family who had suffered a devastating accident. Once released from the hospital, I found myself performing tasks that I believed required highly trained medical professionals. I was told that times had changed and had they. With minimal training and excellent support from the professionals, I was soon giving IV medications, injections and administering physical therapy. Not only was I performing these functions, I was doing them routinely and doing them well. I had been empowered and I was capable.
In this experience, I came to realize that the advances in technology have enabled each of us to do things we never believed possible. While with most things it is not necessary to become experts, with the right product, training and support, we can become self reliant. If with health care, why not with hearing aids?
With that realization, we decided to sell Authorized. In 2001, we launched America Hears on the principle that people prefer to be as self reliant as possible and realize the true economic and psychological benefits thereof.
Our model is simple. We design, develop and manufacture the most advanced digital hearing aids available today, programmed for you and delivered directly to you.
Bypassing the traditional sellers of hearing aids has not made us many friends in the industry. But, times have changed. With today's technological advances, we are accomplishing the journey we started 29 years ago - improve the lives of as many hearing impaired people as we can. Satisfied customers confirm this each day.
Baby boomers, me included, thrive on the latest technology. We take advantage of all we can to help us live our lives to the fullest. Hearing aids are one of those things that truly do.
We look forward to empowering you.
Sincerely,
Henry C. Smith
President and CEO
