Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center Battle Creek, MI

This is my 11th year in the hearing healthcare business. I honestly can't think of a career more rewarding that being a part of helping people hear. I am currently an Audioprosthologist and Board Certified-Hearing Instrument Specialist. I started working with Miracle-Ear in 2007 for a Miracle-Ear franchisee that operated a number of stores throughout the Midwest. After working for him for five and a half years, I purchased a portion of his business that I had run and operated for him. Since purchasing from him over five years ago and starting with four locations, we have doubled in size and currently operate 10 locations throughout West Michigan. Believe it or not, I still see patients five days a week splitting my time between a few locations. I've built a lot of wonderful relationships over the years and continue to enjoy serving our clients.

I have many stories I could tell as I've been able to help many people improve their quality of life through hearing better and reconnecting them with those they care most about. By far my most rewarding experience is that of a young girl that was 18 at the time I met her and already wore hearing aids. She had had a brain tumor removed when she was younger that had resulted in hearing loss. Her father was a patient of mine asked me to evaluate her. At her evaluation I quickly determined that she could hear much better than she currently was with her present hearing aids. The audiologist that had been taking care of her kept telling her that her hearing aids were working. That might have been true that they were working and producing sound, however they never took the step of measuring the sound pressure output of her hearing aids to determine if they were giving her the best outcome. Instead because they produced sound she was told they were working.

Following her hearing evaluation, I was able to then measure what her hearing aids were doing and determined they were producing sound, but not even to allow her to hear well. Her hearing aids were 20 decibels from where she should have been to get the best outcome. Within six weeks of fitting her with new hearing aids she was a brand new person and the tension that was created at home due to silence and the frustration created by the hearing loss had disappeared. She was able to get a job. Her teachers no longer believed she was cognitively impaired and learning disabled. Her reading ability went from a fourth grade reading level to a sixth grade reading level. She even had a boyfriend before too long. It was a radical difference by simply giving her the gift of sound and the levels she needed to hear again.

This is just one example of the impact hearing better has had on someone. These "Miracles" happen daily in our offices.The growth of our business over the last few years has been the greatest compliment from our loyal patients, referring their friends and family and entrusting us with their hearing healthcare needs. I currently serve on the board of the Michigan Alliance of Hearing Healthcare Professionals. I've personally been recognized as one of "The Best Hearing Healthcare Professionals" in both 2012 and 2013 by the Hearing Review Magazine. This is very humbling yet a result of striving to be the best and expecting excellence from myself as well as our staff every day, delivering excellent outcomes for our patients.

On a personal note I am married to my wife Becky seven years. We have three daughters, Avery (6), Ellie (4), Isabelle (3), and a son Otto (1.5 years) that keep us very busy at home. My wife works for Helen DeVos Children's Hospital part-time as a pediatric oncology nurse. We reside in the Byron Center Area and enjoy Red Wings Hockey, traveling, biking, and summers up north on the Lake.

Professional Experience
Justin has 5 years experience as a hearing aid specialist and 2 of those 5 years as an Audioprosthologist.

Credentials
Justin has received accreditation as an Audioprosthologist from International Hearing Society.

Favorite Part of working with Miracle-Ear
Justin's favorite part of working at Miracle Ear is being able to make such and impact on on patients lives helping them reconnect with family and friends.

Professional Experience
Ryan has 6 years of education in Audiology and began working at Miracle-Ear after leaving the doctorate program at Western Michigan University.

Credentials
Ryan has a Bachelor's in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from Michigan State University, as well as two years of experience At Western Michigan University's Doctorate program for Audiology.

Favorite Part of working with Miracle-Ear
Ryan's favorite part of working at Miracle Ear is Building patient relationships