Hear This! – Zounds Enters Portland With New Retail Concept
Portland Hearing Center Makes 17th Retail Location Nationwide;Grand Opening to Feature Portland Native A.C. Green
Portland, Ore. – June 13, 2008 – Zounds Hearing, a unique manufacturing and retail company focused on providing hearing aids with state-of-the-art fidelity, price point and professional service, opened its doors recently in the Clackamas Town Center, the company’s first location in the Portland area.
The official grand opening, featuring local hero, former NBA basketball player and Oregon State star A.C. Green, will take place on Tuesday, June 17, at 12:30 p.m.
The Portland hearing center is the first Zounds location on the West Coast and marks the 17th location across the country. Zounds’ cross-country expansion makes it one of the fastest growing hearing companies in the United States.
“I’m excited to bring Zounds’ technology to another market in the United States. We’ve had great success in the Midwest and along the East Coast, and we are looking forward to establishing ourselves on the West Coast,” said Zounds Founder Sam Thomasson. “Even with our fast growth, we will continue to develop and provide hearing aids with the best sound quality. Hearing loss affects too many Americans to stop opening more locations.”
Thomasson started Zounds as a promise to his hearing-impaired daughter, Kate. He vowed to create a new hearing aid to overcome her annoyance with her own aids due to excessive feedback, poor sound quality and discomfort in the ear.
For almost 15 years, Sam made more than 100 prototypes of aids and spent large portions of his life savings to create a product he believed in. Some days he would work all day and all night without any sleep. This dedication and stamina lead Sam to develop the technology behind Zounds, raise the necessary funds to expand nationally and fulfill his promise to make better hearing more accessible to millions of Americans.
Another Record-breaking Grand Opening Event
The Zounds Hearing grand opening festivities are from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17 at the Zounds Hearing Center in the Clackamas Town Center, between Nordstrom and Sears. Legendary NBA player A.C. Green, who currently holds the record for most consecutive games played during his career, will be there to celebrate the opening. Fans of all ages can get autographs, take pictures and meet the Portland native.
In addition to A.C.’s appearance, Zounds Founder Sam Thomasson and CEO John Costello will be in attendance for the opening.
“The West Coast is an exciting part of the country for us to explore. With our headquarters in Mesa, Arizona and two other stores in the Phoenix area, we are excited to add to our strong presence in the West,” said Costello.
Local Hearing Loss
According to a MarkeTrack survey, hearing loss affects about 10 percent of the U.S. population, while three in 10 people above age 60 are affected by hearing loss. In Portland alone more than 10 percent of the population is above 65, which means there is a significant percent of people likely affected by hearing loss. Four out of five of those in need of hearing aids don’t wear them!
Zounds Hearing aids feature breakthrough technology and design, including:
• Enhanced noise cancellation that eliminates up to 90 percent of background noise
• Exceptional voice clarity and enhanced feedback cancellation that virtually eliminates the squealing that traditional aids are known for
• Rechargeable batteries and remote control to fine tune one’s listening experiences throughout the day or night
• Fitting and testing takes less than two hours and the aids are programmed by a licensed professional
About Zounds
Zounds Hearing designs, manufactures, and markets high performance hearing aids for use with mild, moderate, and moderate/severe hearing impairments. Headquartered in Mesa, Arizona, the company's technology enables superior product performance, lower price, and a faster purchase process through its branded hearing centers. Zounds utilizes a combination of internally developed research and exclusive, licensed technology developed by Acoustic Technologies. Zounds aids are available through a network of state-of-the-art Zounds Hearing Centers in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.ZoundsHearing.com or call 1-888-5ZOUNDS.