Minnesota Hearing Healthcare Providers, Inc

Gooood Hearing Vietnam! It's World Hearing Day! -

Goooooood Hearing Vietnam! It's World Hearing Day! Hey there business owners! I'm betting I don't have to tell you how vital it is to ensure you have enough funds coming in to cover operating expenses, pay employees and to earn enough yourself to make it all worth doing. The whole thing can be scary and unpredictable whether you are just starting ...

Have Fun and Earn CEU's! 2024 MHHP 28th Annual Convention -

Have Fun and Earn CEU's! 2024 MHHP 28th Annual Convention

Registration is Open! 2024 MHHP Convention -

Registration is Open! 2024 MHHP Convention

A big thank you to everyone who attended the 2023 MHHP convention! We had a great time learning and connecting! Families had fun as well enjoying the resort’s water slide and playing broomball! Look forward to connecting with everyone next year!

We look forward to seeing everyone at our convention!!

Only 1 Week until the 2023 MHHP 27th Annual Convention! -

Only 1 Week until the 2023 MHHP 27th Annual Convention!

IMPORTANT - MN House Bill HF 2038 -

IMPORTANT - MN House Bill HF 2038

Minnesota Hearing Healthcare 2023 Convention Agenda -

Minnesota Hearing Healthcare 2023 Convention Agenda

Register for the 2023 MHHP 27th Annual Convention

Earn 10CE's while enjoying the calming beauty of lake country, but beautiful and serene doesn't have to equal boring. Alexandria is a micropolitan with a lot going on and Arrowwood Resort has the amenities you'd expect in a top notch resort
Indoor Waterpark
Full Spa
Sledding Hill
Ice skating Pond
Ice fishing
Cross Country Skiing
and
MHHP sponsored Broomball!

Reserve your room under the MHHP block rate by February 7th 2023 for only $139+tax per night!

Arrowwood Resort ~2100 Arrowwood Lane NW ~ Alexandria MN 56308 ~ 866-386-5263
Call 866-386-5263 to extend your stay or upgrade your room and let them know you are with the Minnesota Hearing Healthcare Providers Convention!

Register here: https://form.jotform.com/223125065097049

Register Today! 2023 MN Hearing Healthcare Convention March 9-11 -

Register Today! 2023 MN Hearing Healthcare Convention March 9-11

Great Fun yesterday in the community at our Lunch and Learn event! Thank you to all that joined us!
For more information about setting up lunch and learns in your area, contact us at [email protected]

Concerned about hearing loss? Would you like to learn about how hearing loss is linked to your overall health and learn ways to prevent further hearing loss? Join us on October 4, 2022 at Waite Park Pizza Ranch and enjoy FREE lunch while you learn. E-mail Sheri Lumley at [email protected] or call 612-280-0948 to register.

Hello MHHP Members,

I'm creating a Member/Provider Directory to hand out at Community Outreach Events and distribute at Senior Centers as well as post on our website.
Could each of you let me know if you would like to be included in the Directory, and if so, please e-mail the following to me by September 28th 2022

PROVIDER NAME
PROVIDER CREDENTIALS ie: HID, BC-HIS, AuD, MS etc.
BUSINESS NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER
APPLICABLE SPECIALIZATIONS ie: Tinnitus Care, Speech Pathology etc. you have received training or an accreditation for.

We are hosting a Community Outreach Event on October 4th 2022 in Waite Park and I would like to have the directories ready to distribute. We also intend to provide these to other locations around Minnesota, so you need not be in the St. Cloud area to benefit. It is just the deadline I need in order to get them created and printed.

If any of you would like to attend the event to take appointments or help answer questions, please contact me at 612-280-0948 or e-mail me. If you are within an hour of the St. Cloud area, we'd appreciate it if you would be willing to post the attached flyer in your office or other appropriate areas.

This might be a great opportunity if you have a client on the fence about a hearing aid, give them the information on our community event as indicated in the attachment so they can learn more about hearing loss, and tell them to come back and see you afterwards if they are interested.

Sheri Lumley
Executive Director
Minnesota Hearing Healthcare Providers - MHHP
[email protected]
612-280-0948

Meet the MHHP Board of Directors
Richard FJ Caruso – Director at Large
Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, BC-HIS

Rich is a decorated 20-year US Navy Hospital Corpsman (Retired), spending most of his military career assigned as a medical asset to the United States Marine Corps. Rich trained as an Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) Technician in 1979, early in his military career. He has worked within the Veteran’s Administration as one of its first Audiology Technicians from 1998-2004. Rich has been a Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Dispenser since 2004. He has worked with a major manufacturer as well as with a Hearing Foundation. Since 2012 he has worked for Lucid Hearing, LLC.
Rich sits on the Minnesota Hearing Instrument Dispenser Advisory Council and the Competency Review Board at the Minnesota Department of Health as well as being an HID Exam Proctor. Rich has been a member of the International Hearing Society since 2007 and member of Minnesota Hearing Healthcare Providers since 2009. Currently Rich sits on the IHS Federal and State Advocacy Committee, IHS State Chapter Strategic Planning Committee and the IHS State Chapter Handbook Committee. Rich has visited over 60 countries, is active within the community, church and multiple Veteran’s Organizations both as a member and various Officer positions. Rich is an avid motorcycle enthusiast, and rides for charitable causes with multiple Veteran Motorcycle Groups. Rich is the proud father of three boys, and five grandchildren.

Contact: [email protected]

Meet the MHHP Board of Directors
Sheri Lumley – Executive Director BS MS

Sheri grew up in San Diego California and attended San Diego State University, after graduating with a BS in Criminal Justice Administration, she joined the United States Marine Corps as an Administrative Officer. Sheri then decided a sub-zero climate might be the thing for her and moved to Minnesota. Sheri surprised herself and stayed, where she ended up working in county government for 23 years, during those years she decided to further her education and attended St. Cloud State University where she studied economics with an emphasis on Public and Nonprofit Institutions. Even after all of these years, Sheri claims she still hasn’t acclimated, although happily lives across from the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge with her husband Robert. Together they have five children, with only the youngest (15), still living at home.

Sheri is active in her community. Sheri served on the Becker School Board, as Campaign Finance Manager for a Minnesota House of Representatives Candidate and is involved with her church where she has made costumes, organized kickball tournaments and was Race Director for the PumkinFest 5k. Sheri has also designed and created costumes for local productions and plays viola in the Buffalo Community Orchestra. Sheri loves to travel, learn foreign languages and is an avid runner. On one occasion she was able to combine all three of these passions and ran a ½ Marathon in Szekesfehervar Hungary. Sheri is excited to be a part of MHHP and is really looking forward to helping the organization grow and thrive.

Contact: [email protected]

Meet the MHHP Board of Directors
Karl Bensen – Director of Membership
Hearing Instrument Dispenser, HID

Karl took ownership of Hutch Hearing in 2018 where he enjoys the challenges of navigating the business world while continuing his passion for helping people improve their lives with better hearing. Karl was drawn to the hearing healthcare industry by his father-in-law in 2006, after moving out of the Twin Cities.
Karl and his wife have since settled on 8 acres in the country where they are raising our three children. There are often a half dozen or so ducks settling in on the property and have more recently been joined by a few peacocks his family enjoys taking care of.
Most of Karl’s time spent outside of work consists of parenting, ministry and teaching at church, and playing tennis or softball.
“I am glad to serve on the MHHP Board of Directors in an effort to build on the organization’s standing in our industry, preserve our profession, and lift each other up in serving our patients with best practices.”

Contact: [email protected]

Meet the MHHP Board of Directors
Raphael Cheron – Director of Marketing
MA Hearing Instrument Dispenser HID

Raphael M. Cheron has a MA in Healthcare Administration and directs Sounds Good!. Originally from Haiti, Raphael moved to New York as a teenager, attended college and went on to receive his master’s degree.

Raphael began working in New York with adults living with disabilities, going on to operate five residential homes. Raphael was responsible for all the operations and direction of these residential homes, ranging from staffing and managing service delivery to nutrition and activities. In his work with residential care for individuals of all abilities, Raphael worked closely with the state to abide by rules and regulations, a relationship and experience he brings into his current role as a Certified Hearing Instrument Dispenser with the State of Minnesota
After having worked for a couple of hearing healthcare chains, Raphael decided to open his own practices in Burnsville and St. Louis Park, so he could help his client’s by providing unique service offerings. When Raphael is asked about the core of who he is he immediately mentions:
”to connect, help and make the lives of others better”
These are values that have followed him from Haiti to New York and from residential care for adults with different abilities to his current role as a hearing instrument specialist in Minnesota.

Contact: [email protected]

Meet the MHHP Board of Directors

Travis Simonson – Director of Governmental Affairs
Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, BC-HIS

Travis has worked in the hearing industry for over 20 years. He spent the first 14 years on the manufacturing side of the business where he started in an Inside Sales position at Rexton/Siemens. Travis worked my way up into management and spent the last few years with them managing the Inside Sales department. He then took a two-year break from the hearing aid industry and worked for a medical device company.
Travis was drawn back to the hearing aid industry and decided to work toward obtaining his Hearing Instrument Specialist Certification License for the State of Minnesota at the same time working for Sonova as a Sales Representative. Once he became a Licensed Dispenser, he opened his first clinic in Cokato ‘Minnesota Hearing Solutions’ and just a year and a half later he opened a second clinic in Cold Spring. He has been working full time, sharing time between his two clinics for over five years.
Travis has been married to his lovely wife for 23 years and together they have been blessed with 12 children. Eight boys and four girls, with ages ranging from their baby, who is just three years old to their oldest at twenty-two years. He loves spending time with his kids, where they enjoy travel in their RV. He keeps busy with activities year-round; golfing in the summer and playing ice hockey and downhill skiing in the winter.

Contact: [email protected]

Meet the MHHP Board of Directors
Gina Kontz- Secretary
M.A. Audiologist

Gina Kontz, M.A., is the Audiologist/Owner of Hearing Care by Gina, which she opened in 2018. Gina has been an Audiologist since 1994 and has 28 years of experience testing hearing and fitting hearing aids. She'd always worked for somebody else until 2018, when she opened her own business in Montevideo, MN.
Hearing Care by Gina is a full-time office open 5 days a week. Gina also has a part-time office in Ortonville, MN open one day a week, located at Fairway View Neighborhoods.
Gina lives on a farm outside of Dawson, MN with her husband, Michael, of 30 years. Michael is a licensed contractor and also has his own business, Kontz Construction. She has twin boys who are now 25 years old. Her son Connor got married in May 2022, and her son Luke is attending college in Moorhead, MN.

Contact: [email protected]

Meet the MHHP Board of Directors
Scott Hagans- Vice President
Hearing Instrument Dispenser, HID

Scott Hagans is a graduate of Brown College, a certified Hearing Instrument Specialist in the state of Minnesota and has been a member of the Minnesota Hearing Healthcare Providers for many years. Scott’s background stems from his family’s long-term involvement in the hearing industry, a solid foundation from which he’s built his skillset. Scott’s ability to blend this background with a high measure of compassion and care allows him to provide a level of service that enables him to be one of the best among hearing professionals.
Scott’s experience includes working in private practice environments where he dispensed all major brands of hearing instruments. Scott is proficient in hearing evaluations, testing and fittings, Real Ear/Speech Mapping verification, tinnitus therapy and aural rehabilitation.

Contact: [email protected]

Meet the MHHP Board of Directors
Brian Hillesland – President
Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, BC-HIS

Brian is the owner of Jefferson Hearing Aid Center in Wadena, MN and Preferred Hearing Aid Center in Brainerd, MN. He got started in the hearing health care profession in 1986 when his father first got hearing aids and Brian saw how it changed his life in a positive way. He has seen numerous changes in the industry and is always amazed at how far hearing aids have come.

"I find it very rewarding to be able to help people improve their communications and enhance their relationships with friends and family".
Brian and his wife Patti, have two sons, who are both married to wonderful women, and one grandson. Brian enjoys golf, racquetball, pickleball, and fishing.

Contact: [email protected]

Share your Opinion and WIN FREE 2023 MHHP Convention Registration
Click on the link to complete the survey
https://mailchi.mp/[ # # # # # #]/share-your-opinion-and-win-free-2023-mhhp-convention-registration

Are you a Hearing Healthcare Provider? Share your Opinion and take our 5 minute survey and you could win FREE Convention Registration to the 2023 MHHP 27th Annual Convention, March 3, 4 & 5 - https://mailchi.mp/8bc7b691c7d2/share-your-opinion-and-win-free-convention-registration

Minnesota Hearing Healthcare Providers, Inc updated their information in their About section.

Stay Tuned for further information, Dates and Times .

MHHP convention Is Still On for 2021.
This year we will be doing a virtual class for everyone’s safety.

February 28-29, 2020

2020 Minnesota Hearing Healthcare Providers, Inc. Annual Convention Pics.

There's still time left to Register for the 2020 MHHP Annual Convention! Don't Forget!