

presidents, two popes, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and other notable leaders with Starkey hearing aids. In 1983, the company's sales doubled when Ronald Reagan started wearing its hearing aids while he was president, which caused a manufacturing crisis at the company to meet demand. Starkey started manufacturing hearing aids, offering the industry's first 90-day trial period. In 1970, he purchased an ear mold company called Starkey Labs for $13,000. "Bill" Austin started a small hearing aid repair store after dropping out of medical school.


As of 2019, the company had more than 5,000 employees in 24 facilities, serving more than 100 markets worldwide, and is the only American-owned global hearing aid manufacturer. Starkey Hearing Technologies is an American privately owned company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota that makes hearing aids, and is one of the largest hearing aid manufacturers in the world.
