Brandon Sawalich, senior vice president at Starkey Hearing Technologies, Minneapolis, Minn, was named one of Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” honorees at the awards ceremony on March 5, 2015. According to a Starkey announcement, the ceremony drew professionals from across Minnesota to celebrate the honorees. The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal “40 Under 40” list includes young business and community leaders from throughout the Twin Cities. Starkey reports that Business Journal editors evaluated a record number of nominations this year and chose 40 people under the age of 40 who have already established themselves as leaders in their industries and the community.
“I am honored and humbled to be one of the 40 Under 40 honorees,” Sawalich said in the announcement from Starkey Hearing Technologies. “Leadership is easier when you surround yourself with the best and brightest and allow them do their jobs. I work with a great group of people who make me better and the Starkey Hearing team stronger every day.”
The Starkey announcement describes Sawalich as a passionate, forward-thinking advocate for hearing health. As a 20-year employee of Starkey Hearing Technologies, he has built expertise in nearly all aspects of sales and marketing in the hearing industry. Earlier this year, Starkey reports, Sawalich led the effort to educate customers on the technology of the company’s Halo, a Made for iPhone hearing aid. He hosted 31 training sessions across the country, and oversaw the national advertising campaign to educate the general public on the new technology.
Philanthropy plays an instrumental role in Sawalich’s corporate outlook and his personal life, with longtime involvement in Special Olympics Minnesota and the International Hearing Foundation. Salawich is also an active participant in the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which fits more than 150,000 hearing aids annually to children and adults during more than 65 missions all over the world.
Sawalich began his career at Starkey Hearing Technologies at the age of 19 in the company’s hearing aid repair lab and held several roles within the company before being named senior vice president in 2010. Sawalich currently oversees the company’s market development, leading a team of more than 350 customer-facing professionals in sales, marketing, and customer relations.
Source: Starkey