Binder4

TABLE OF
CONTENTS

1 DEDICATION 2010 YEAR OF THE COMMITMENT
2 HISTORY 2011 YEAR OF DISCOVERY
3 TIMELINE 2012 YEAR OF THE MISSION TEAM
2013 VISION FOR AFTERCARE
2014 YEAR OF DEVELOPING TRAINING
2015 YEAR OF CHANGE
2016 YEAR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND PHASE 4
2017 PASSION + PURPOSE = IMPACT
2018 FIRST COUNTRY COORDINATOR SUMMIT
2019 BUTTERFLY EFFECT
2020 BELONG, BELIEVE, BECOME





1

DEDICATION



“Over the last three decades I have been witness
to many amazing experiences, but nothing

eclipses the constant, everyday, purpose-driven
life Bill leads to help individuals hear.

The message that is shared is of love, caring,
hope, understanding and respect for this life we
are so briefly given. Bill adds so much meaning

to all of our lives: family, employees, partners
and patients. Thank you for showing all of us
at Starkey the life-changing impact of showing

others that you care about them,
and that by working together,
we can change the world”

Tani Austin



How we walk with the
humble speaks louder than
how we sit with the great.

ANONYMOUS

2

HISTORY



WILLIAM (BILL) F. AUSTIN
Founder, Principal Owner, Chairman of Starkey

In 1961, to help pay for college and with the goal of attending
medical school to become a missionary doctor, Bill started in the
hearing aid industry making ear pieces in his uncle’s shop. His role
quickly expanded, and he began designing hearing aids as well.
One day, Bill worked tirelessly to fashion a hearing aid for a patient
with profound difficulties who others had given up on. The joy in
the man’s eyes when he could finally hear better set Bill on his life’s
mission — to help the world hear. Bill then realized that through this
industry, he could impact and help more lives than by working alone
as a missionary doctor, and that his life would have a greater value.
So, Bill started his own company.

Bill’s company serviced and PAUL AND FRED WILLOUGHBY
repaired more hearing aids WITH BILL AUSTIN
from any manufacturer than
anyone else in the world.
And, Bill and his expanding
team continued to design,
manufacture, and sell
in-the-ear hearing aids.

In 1970, Bill purchased a three-employee company for $13,000
called Starkey Laboratories, which was making ear molds for Bill’s
business. Bill then folded his larger operation under the Starkey
name, and the rest is history. Bill’s original repair shop still operates
within Starkey.

More than 50 years later, Bill’s business acumen has grown
Starkey into what it is today: the only American-owned and
operated global hearing aid manufacturer. Starkey continues
to set itself apart in the industry through its quality, service and
innovation.

Now in his sixth decade in the industry, Bill is at his happiest
when personally providing and assisting people with hearing aids.
When necessary, Bill works day and night, often seven days a week,
to ensure that everyone receives the care and treatment needed to
utilize their own hearing aids. Bill Austin’s generosity and steadfast
belief that the gift of hearing can change the world led him to found

WILLIAM F. AUSTIN BUILDING, EDEN PRAIRIE, MN

Starkey Hearing Foundation in 1984, a charity that educated and
shared about hearing, hearing aids and hearing health to those
in need around the world. Bill and his wife, Tani Austin traveled
with the Foundation as their top volunteers, on dozens of hearing
missions every year until 2020.

Alongside audiologists, hearing professionals and other volunteers,
Bill has helped the poor on missions in more than 100 countries and
on every continent except Antarctica.

Nationally and internationally, Bill has been a part of helping more
people achieve better hearing with hearing aids than anyone else in
the history of the industry.

In addition to the young children in third-world countries he has
witnessed hear for the first time, Bill has personally assisted five
U.S. Presidents, two Popes, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela
with Starkey hearing aids, to name a few.

However, no matter a person’s reputation or financial means, Bill
treats every person with the same respect and kindness; providing
the gift of hearing is bigger than him — it’s a lifelong commitment to
change the world.

For his philanthropic work, Bill has received numerous honors:
Heart To Heart, Award in India for helping the people
Outstanding Business Award from E&Y
2002 HOBY Albert Schweitzer Leadership Award
2003 National Caring Award
2004 The Humanitarian Award from Variety International
2006 Honorary Doctor of Laws by Pepperdine University
2008 Heroes Among Us from Peoples Magazine
2008 Horatio Alger Award
2009 The Woodrow Wilson Award
2010 Mexico’s Aztec Eagle Award
2011 The Jefferson Award
2012 The Orange Ribbon Award, Named Goodwill Ambassador
Chengdu, China
2013 The Albert Schweitzer Leadership Award
2014 Twin Cities International Citizen Award
2015 Golden Cross Award, Santo Tomas, Philippines,
only given out 10 times before WFA was the 11th

2017 United Nations named the first Goodwill Global
Ambassador for Ear and Hearing Health
2018 The AG Bell Lifetime Achievement Award
2021 Minnesota Governor declares as William F. Austin

and Starkey Day, February 10

THE HORATIO ALGER AWARD THE JEFFERSON AWARD

THE GOLDEN CROSS AWARD THE GOODWILL GLOBAL AMBASSADOR FOR
EAR AND HEARING HEALTH



It looks like the beginning of a
beautiful relationship, and the
beneficiaries will be the hearing

impaired children of Africa.
NELSON MANDELA
1ST PRESIDENT OF
SOUTH AFRICA

38th President of the United States
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr.

39th President of the United States
James Earl Carter Jr.

41st President of the United States
George Herbert Walker Bush

42nd President of the United States
William Jefferson Clinton

43rd President of the United States
George Walker Bush





Getting better in experience.
Getting better everyday.
Making little adjustments

lets us get better everyday.
BILL AUSTIN



TANI AUSTIN

Chief Philanthropy Officer of Starkey

Tani Austin has more than 3 decades
of experience in the hearing healthcare
industry, including maintaining her own
hearing aid practice for 10 years and
serving as the Illinois Department of
Public Health Practicum Examiner for
licensure of hearing aid dispensers,
Secretary of the Illinois Hearing
Society, and on the National Board of
Certification in Hearing Sciences.

Tani’s mother, Pat Manhart, has been in
the hearing industry 3 years longer than
Tani’s husband, Bill Austin. Pat opened
her own hearing aid clinic during a time
when women working and owning their
own businesses was not the norm. Pat’s
passion for the patient was very much like
Bill’s which set a training ground

which led Tani to
join the hearing aid
business in 1982.
Through her deep-
rooted passion for
the patient, she would
eventually cross paths
with Bill Austin.

While both Starkey and the Starkey Hearing Foundation were
started by Bill, they have grown to enrapture the importance of
caring that Bill has pledged his life to, because of his wife and
partner in life, Tani. His mission became her mission and together
their “passion plus purpose” made an everlasting impact on the
industry and the world.

In her current role as Chief FOUR GENERATIONS IN THE HEARING AIDS
Philanthropy Officer for INDUSTRY: BRANDON SAWALICH,
Starkey, she executes the
company’s philanthropic AMELIA SAWALICH, PATSY MANHART, TANI
efforts, focusing on
improving hearing health
across the world and other
important humanitarian
causes in our local
community and beyond.

Named Female Philanthropist of the Year and honored at the First
Ladies Summit at the UN General Assembly in 2015, Tani, has given
the majority of her time to volunteering for and supporting the
Starkey Hearing Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity.

Tani, along with her husband, Bill Austin, founder and Chairman of
Starkey, traveled the world, leading the field and hands on effort,
for hearing mission trips for the majority of each year until 2020.
Through their tireless work and using their unique skill set and
resources, Bill and Tani were the catalyst which catapulted the
Starkey Hearing Foundation to be the leader in community- based
hearing healthcare for people in need around the world.

Tani’s experience provided community-based and practical hearing
healthcare services to people in remote areas. Having run her own,
labor intensive business, there was a natural transition to the vision
of 70 teams in 70 countries training and educating them in this
unique skill set.

According to the World Health Organization, over 430 million
people in the world’s population have disabling hearing loss, with
the greatest prevalence in low and middle-income populations.
The impact of hearing loss not only affects the individual but their
family, community, country, and the world at large. Especially
in third-world countries, gaining the ability to hear provides the



opportunity for gainful employment, which in turn helps the entire
family. Bill and Tani’s efforts have touched the lives of millions of
individuals through the hands of many.

Through providing hearing healthcare services, Bill developed and
Tani documented the process for building, running, and evaluating
hearing. The WFA® Community-Based Hearing Healthcare Program
was established in 2000 and is in more than 70 countries to date,
where people in the country are paid to work and provide services
to the poor.

Tani Austin’s relentless efforts volunteering for Starkey Hearing
Foundation has helped it become a global force in empowering
local communities to develop simple, scalable, sustainable,
community-based hearing healthcare.

Without Tani Austin, there would never have been a “So the World
May Hear Awards Gala.” She knew that bringing people together
for such a meaningful event would dramatically amplify the impact
of the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s global efforts. Tani worked
tirelessly each year to ensure that all in attendance would have
an experience they would never forget and leave knowing they
too can change the world by reflecting caring into the lives of
others. The “So the World May Hear Awards Gala” brought more
awareness to the world of the importance of hearing to the quality

of life, and support to the Starkey Hearing Foundation, allowing the
programs to develop into a community-based program that could
be taught in universities and to governments.

In 2016, Tani was invited to be the Delta Zeta Sorority Convention’s
Initiate. The national sorority supports speech and hearing health
awareness and pledged to raise $5 million. They completed this
goal in 2020.

Tani’s commitment to philanthropy goes beyond hearing. By
supporting a multitude of both local and global charitable causes,
her inspiring vision and selfless dedication has helped change
countless lives.

Tani has been the architect of Bill’s vision, “So the World May
Hear” from the moment their lives became one.



Esther Lungu, First Lady of Zambia 2015-2021
Monica Geingos, First Lady of Namibia, President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush

Senator Beth Mugo, President Uhuru Kenyata

Sandra Granger, First Lady of Guyana
Esther Lungu, First Lady of Zambia

Rosemary Seninde, Uganda’s Minister of State for Primary Education
Gabriela Roberta Rodríguez de Bukele, First Lady El Salvador, Sister Rosemary



–

The ear is the road
to the heart.
TANI AUSTIN









3

TIMELINE

60’s

1961 1962

Harold Starkey opened Starkey Labs William opened a retail business,
in St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Professional Hearing Aid Services, in
In February, William Austin began in
the hearing business as an ear mold South Dakota
technician

1963 1965

Harold Starkey moved Starkey Labs William moved his business,
to Maple Plain, Minnesota Professional Hearing Aid Services to
Minnesota
1967
1968
Starkey Labs is incorporated as a
Minnesota corporation. He began to market the hearing aid
• William F. Austin started to repair service everywhere
market the All Make Repair
service in Minnesota

1970 70’s

In August of 1970, William F. 1970

Austin bought Starkey Labs All William F. Austin business’
became part of Starkey Laboratories
from Harold Starkey in Minnesota Incoporated

for $13,000

1971 1972

On January 1, 1971, Starkey Starkey develops RE-1, the first real
introduced the first Starkey custom ear system to measure hearing aid
in-the-Ear (ITE) Customer Master. performance in situ for hearing
Starkey was no longer sole focused research
on repair and ear molds
1974
1973
Starkey acquires a new facility and
January 1st Starkey introduced moves its headquarters to current
the Starkey CE-1 Custom in the location, Eden Prairie, MN
ear hearing instrument to all of its
customers; as a hearing aid worthy 1975
of their consideration
• In the introduction letter, patients Starkey introduces the world’s first
were offered a 30-day trial for directional custom ITE hearing
hearing aid fittings with “worry aids, as well as the first Cros/bicros
free” warranty custom ITE hearing aids
• The “Starkey Fund” was
introduced as a means to 1976
help those who couldn’t afford
hearing aids Starkey introduces its C.A.R.E.
• May 1, extended to a 90-day trial program. Continuing orAl
to give patients & dealers Rehabilitation Education. A program
adequate time for adjustments to ensure more successful adoption
that would assure better hearing of hearing care.
needs were met • Introduced the SSP Power BTE

1977

Starkey introduced the BC-1
headband bone conduction for
those without external ear canals
• Introduced the ST-1, a power
stethoscope for hearing impaired
physicians
• Opened Starkey UK facility

1978 1979

Starkey introduces TM-1 masker and Starkey introduces HAL (Hearing
the MA-1 masker aid for those Aid Laboratory) an instrument
suffering from tinnitus for measuring hearing aid
• Introduced HSL (Hearing Science performances suitable for hearing
Laboratory) and a book for aid dispenser offices.
classic experimentation in • Opened Starkey Canada
hearing science
• Introduced the RE-2 as a
commercially available real ear
measurement system

80’s

1980

First Starkey cruise, “Seminars at

Sea” for hearing aid dispensers

• Opened Starkey Germany

1981

Opened Starkey France

1982 1983

Introduced, Starkey’s first ITC President Ronald Reagan was fit in
(In the Canal) hearing aid late August with a Starkey Intra in the
canal instrument. On Sept 7, 1983,
1984 President Reagan made a public
announcement that he had been
Starkey Hearing Foundation fit with Starkey hearing aids. With
received its 501c3 certification this public announcement, sales
rose across the country, and helped
reduce the stigma associated with
hearing aids.