William Austin

William Austin of Dallas, Texas, for going above beyond as a tireless advocate for hearing-impaired children around the world. Austin left medical school to focus on helping people hear better and started Starkey Laboratories in 1961. Determined to provide not only a better product but also better hearing, Austin’s philosophy led to countless innovations and fueled the company’s growth though decades of success. From the inception of his business, he has given away hearing aids to people who could not afford them. Last year, he gave away more than 50,000 aids—more than 232,000 since 2000—to the underprivileged in the United States and around the world. Austin regularly makes hearing “missions” to other countries, donating his time, money, and hearing aids while personally administering aids to kids everywhere he travels. Aside from providing the actual hearing equipment, Austin helps to restore dignity and changes the lives of those from places where hearing loss is stigmatized.



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