Sputnik Entertainment Archives's video: HELEN MATSOS AT BRIDGEHAMPTON BENEFIT

Editor and Singer Helen Matsos is one of the incredible people who volunteered their time to get involved with Starkey annual Bridgehampton Benefit. We caught up with her on the red carpet for a quick chat about his feelings on the event. http://www.bridgehamptonbenefit.com http://www.starkey.com FOLLOW US: http://www.sputnikent.com http://www.twitter.com/sputnikent Starkey Hearing Technologies is an American-owned and operated company founded in 1967 and based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It is the only American-owned major hearing aid manufacturer in the world and is the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the U.S. The company has 21 facilities in more than 18 countries throughout North America, South America, Central America, Europe, Asia and Australia and employs nearly 5000 people worldwide. With sales of more than 1 million hearing aids annually, Starkey Hearing Technologies is one of the world’s leading hearing aid manufacturers. William (Bill) F. Austin was born in Springfield, Missouri to his father, J.E. "Dutch" Austin, a Georgia-Pacific lumber grader and his mother, Zola, a factory worker. Bill grew up in Garibaldi, Oregon with the intention of becoming a doctor. In 1961, he enrolled in a pre-med program at the University of Minnesota but later dropped out to open a hearing instruments shop in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. In 1967, Austin started Professional Hearing Aid Service out of his home. He built ITE (in-the-ear) hearing aids, but had difficulty finding a good repair service. He soon partnered with a technician from Chicago who had relocated to Minnesota and the two started their own repair company. Austin employed technicians that worked out of his basement to repair and service hearing aids of all types. Professional Hearing Aid Service was the only all-make hearing instrument repair service at the time. Austin eventually moved his company out of his home and into a large office building located at 4725 Excelsior Boulevard in St. Louis Park. It was during this time that Austin started charging a flat rate for hearing aid repairs, something that was unheard of in the hearing aid industry. Starkey Laboratories changed its name to Starkey Hearing Technologies in 2012. That same year, Starkey hosted the very first Hearing Innovation Expo, held at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The event was a first for the hearing industry and was attended by more than 3,000 hearing care professionals. Highlights included a keynote address from President Bill Clinton, speeches from industry thought leaders, world-class scientists and executives from Fortune 500 companies The second Hearing Innovation Expo returned to the Cosmopolitan in January 2014, again headlined by former presidents. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush delivered keynote addresses for those in attendance. Expo 2016 was held January 20-24 and included Ben Affleck, Magic Johnson, Presidents Bush and Clinton, author and motivational speaker Andy Andrews, Randi Zuckerberg, author Daniel Pink, entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, author Mike Maddock and panelists from ABC's Shark Tank, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, Daymond John and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. In 1973, Bill Austin created the Starkey Fund, which was a battery-recycling program with proceeds aimed at helping people in need receive hearing assistance. This fund evolved into the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which was officially founded in 1984 by Bill and Tani Austin. In 1985, Starkey Hearing Foundation conducted its first mission at XV World Games for the Deaf in Los Angeles, fitting more than 800 deaf athletes. In 2015, Starkey Hearing Foundation was the official Healthy Hearing partner of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles. As the Healthy Hearing partner, the foundation provided free hearing health exams and free hearing aids to Special Olympics athletes. The foundation fits more than 175,000 free hearing aids annually to children and adults through global hearing missions all around the world and through the daily efforts of its domestic Hear Now program. As a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, the foundation has pledged to fit more than one million hearing aids by the end of this decade. Austin’s philosophy is that the gift of hearing opens up a whole new world of opportunity by connecting individuals to life and helping them realize their potential. The goal of the Foundation is not only to help restore hearing, but to empower people with the ability to build themselves better lives and the knowledge that they too can help those around them. The Starkey Hearing Foundation works closely with strategic partners in each country it travels to. These partners include national and regional health leaders, schools and non-government organizations. Members of the foundation recruit and train local volunteers to help ensure the long-term success and sustainability of each hearing mission.