Zounds Hears Success with Third Hearing Center in Phoenix Area
Diamondback’s Announcer Mark Grace to Participate in Grand Opening CelebrationPhoenix, Ariz. – May 2, 2008 –Zounds Hearing, the Mesa-based retail company focused on providing hearing aids with state-of-the-art fidelity, low price point and professional service, expands in its hometown market with a third retail hearing center, located in the Paradise Valley Mall near Sears.
This opening marks the 14th hearing center around the country in less than two years, making Zounds one of the fastest growing hearing companies in the United States. The company was founded by Arizona’s own Sam Thomasson, whose hard-of-hearing daughter served as the inspiration for the technology behind Zounds. Thomasson made a promise that he would develop a better quality hearing aid and that promise became a mission to make better hearing more accessible to millions of Americans.
The opening, timed to coincide with Better Speech and Hearing Month, helps bring attention to the needs of the hard-of-hearing. According to the Better Hearing Institute, hearing loss affects 10 percent of the population – many of whom are foregoing treatment and suffering in silence. Hearing loss can cause anxiety, depression and stress; making communication between sufferers and caregivers difficult.. In Phoenix, a city of more than 1.4 million, this means more than 140,000 are affected with hearing loss and can be helped with a hearing aid.
Mark Grace Joins Grand Opening
In the spirit of local heroes, Mark Grace, former Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs first baseman, local Arizona resident and broadcaster for the Diamondbacks, will be at Zounds in Paradise Valley to sign autographs, take photos and meet fans and customers during the event. Entertainment will be provided by a professional string quartet. A raffle of Diamondbacks tickets and Mark Grace jerseys (Cubs and Diamondbacks) will be held throughout the event.
The grand opening activities start at 12:30 p.m. MST, Wednesday, May 7, at the Zounds Hearing Center in the Paradise Valley Mall near Sears. Local executives from the company’s Mesa headquarters, including CEO John Costello, will be in attendance to mark the occasion.
“The Phoenix area has been great to Zounds and we couldn’t be happier to have Mark Grace on hand to celebrate our third hearing center in Arizona,” said Costello. “We’re growing fast with 14 hearing centers already and our customers couldn’t be happier with the performance of our product. This year is going to be even more aggressive as we continue to grow nationally on both coasts.”
Commitment to the Community:
In March, Zounds launched its first social responsibility program with the Twilight Wish Foundation in an effort to help grant wishes to local senior citizens across the country who can’t afford to make their wishes come true on their own. The $225,000 national hearing partnership will give the gift of hearing to more than 80 individuals across the country; many through the three Phoenix-area Zounds Hearing Centers.
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.