Starkey Korea shines at Rotary Convention
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Starkey Korea CEO Richard Shim, left, poses with Rotary Club Governor Kim Do-youl, in front of its booth while attending this year’s Rotary Convention at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Starkey Korea
By Lee Min-hyung
Starkey Korea participated in this year’s Rotary Convention, as part of its efforts to extend humanitarian aid to the world, the company said Tuesday.
The local subsidiary of the hearing aid manufacturer offers free hearing tests and consultations at its booth during the five-day event, which kicked off Saturday at the KINTEX convention center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
The Rotary International Convention is held in a different city annually, discussing ways to tackle humanitarian challenges facing the world.
“The Rotary Club has made a miraculous donation for 6 million children suffering from polio across the world,” U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a congratulatory speech at the event, Saturday.
The number of participants for this year’s convention was the largest ever, participated in by some 50,000 Rotary members.
The U.N. chief and Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn joined the event, pledging to continue their support of fighting issues such as international conflicts, water pollution and disease.
Starkey Korea CEO Richard Shim and Starkey Hearing Technologies Vice President Brandon Sawalich, stressed the company would extend its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by continuing to participate in key social activities ― including human resource cultivation and donations of hearing aids.
For every sale, the company donates to the Starkey Hearing Foundation, helping the underprivileged around the world get hearing-related support. The company has so far donated more than 1 million hearing aids globally.
Rotary International marks its 107th convention since the first in 1905.
In recent years, Rotary members across the world have focused on resolving six pressing challenges ― including basic education, pollution and community development.
The Starkey Korea head pledged last year at a regional meeting that it would share its expertise with other Asian countries, offering its marketing and business strategies to such countries as Indonesia and Singapore.
Starkey was founded in 1967 under the motto of “Together, we can change the world.” Starkey Hearing Technologies were co-founded by Bill Austin and Tani Austin.