Dr. Brent Steele and his mother Joan, a retired pharmacist, understand the problems facing the hearing impaired very well. Both Dr. Steele and Joan have had experience with family members and close friends who are hearing impaired. They made the decision to become franchise owners once they met Sam Thomasson, founder and CEO of Zounds Hearing.

Thomasson’s quest to create the best hearing aid on the market was born out of a desire to help his hearing impaired daughter, and the Steeles wanted to be a part of that journey. “I first became aware of the challenges of hearing loss when I was a high school student,” said Dr. Steele. “I saw that our principal didn’t respond to students unless he was looking directly at them. He couldn’t hear us properly and as a result, our communications with him suffered. He became somewhat alienated from us, and I know that it was frustrating for him.” As both mother and son come from the medical field, they saw the benefit of providing top quality hearing aids at an affordable price to those who need them. “Our goal was to find a company that had the values, the heart, and state of the art technology to truly change people’s lives,” said Joan “and when we found Zounds, we knew it was the right fit.”