08/14/2026
In the words of one of our founders! Thank you Suzi and Jane (may she rest in peace). Please take a minute to read their story!
I first met Jane, my business partner, after I graduated with my masters degree in audiology from the George Washington University. She became my clinical fellowship year supervisor at a small family-owned hearing aid practice in Silver Spring. When that company essentially sold overnight to a franchisee brand that we each did not want to be employed by, Jane turned to me and said, “let’s go start our own business”. I half-laughed and she said “no, I’m serious”. My response? “Give me three days to think about it.”
That evening I went to a DC United soccer game and I was in the parking lot with my now ex-husband and telling him about the day’s events. During that debriefing to him is when I made the decision that I was going to do it! I went to work the following morning and I said, “I don’t need three days. I decided last night I’m in!”
We started getting our business together out of Jane‘s basement including making business cards, getting a logo (thank you Staples), finding office space, equipment, etc. I took out a small loan to get started and Jane matched every penny. By the way, the three diamonds in the logo referred to our first three patients that we already knew would be coming to see us once our doors opened—One of them was my father-in-law, one of them was a patient from the old business that got wind we were gone and wanted to come with us. The third was Jane’s neighbor.
Once we opened our doors on August 15, 1996, we started networking with ENTs and most of them had their own audiologists. But we persevered and eventually we came across Dr. Siegel and Dr. Bosworth, and we soon joined them along with Dr. Epstein in starting an office in Rockville near Shady Grove Hospital.
We did not draw salaries for the first six months as we tried to establish ourselves. I was a newlywed and wondering, how am I gonna make it?! But we did.
We started hiring more people, and that was always fun to expand the Hearing HealthCare Family. We had some interesting front office staff in the beginning but when we found Agatina, we were golden. Jane and I used to giggle over some of the interviews but she always said “she had such kind eyes”… about Agatina.
Jane and I never once had a single argument in the 19 years that we had the business together—never exchanged a bad word, never disagreed on anything—one of our hearing aid representatives to this day says he has not seen anything like our special friendship. We were each other‘s best friend, sometimes a sister, a mother, a daughter, a confidant, someone who knew all my secrets and I think I knew all of hers too! We lived our professional career and were also there for each in the outside-of-business world as well. She attended my wedding in 1995 (and subsequently helped me through my divorce), I watched her children grow up, go to college and become exceptional adults, helped Jane through her battle with breast cancer, she helped me with my Type 1 Diabetes. We traveled together to many places, one of the most outstanding was in 2010 when we did an “Audiology Outreach” in Kenya. We thought we were going to go on Safari, but when we realized how in need the Kenyans were for proper audiological care, we changed our vacation around to be able to help warriors, children, and others on the Masai Mara. What a tremendous experience that was!
When we decided to sell the practice it was a lengthy feat! There’s none other like her and I miss her every day.
It sometimes hard to believe that I’ve been out of the business for 9 years now—I still miss it. I miss the patients, I miss helping people, I miss the camaraderie with other audiologists on Staff, but I am enjoying my retirement. I’m forever grateful to the Hearing HealthCare Family over the years—this includes Gina Trant, Kris Deak, Agatina Celia, Clare Williams, Sienna Burke, Nicole Recchio Parker, Jennifer Kincaid, Phoram Sanghavi, Rachel Walters, Laura Repetto, Nikki Smith,Marina Martin and current employees that I did not have the pleasure of working with—Christina Keith and Becky Kitsoulis! Happy 30 year anniversary Hearing HealthCare!!
