The way forward was clear as a bell to brothers Jim and Mike Feeley.
They got into the hearing aid business in 1984 after recognizing that an aging population was becoming increasingly hearing impaired and that advanced electronic technology in hearing devices was available to help them.
Today, every Tulsa World reader knows them as "Clear-tone."
"We also realized there was significant need in this area," Jim Feeley said. "When you start working with the hearing impaired you realize some of their challenges and some of the things they lack in life, the impact it has on their relationships with family and friends, and the workplace.
"We're in our 30th year as a family business, and our kids are coming up in the business. We're family formed, owned and operated."
Jim Feeley, 54, and brother Mike Feeley, 49, are at the helm, while Mike's son Charley Feeley, 29, is operations director. Paul Jackson, 29, is marketing and sales manager and is married to Jim's daughter Jamie Feeley, who is executive secretary.
Sister company Sebotek Hearing Systems is its manufacturing wing at CityPlex Towers, 81st Street and Lewis Avenue. Clear-tone Hearing Aid Labs is the local distributor and its International Export and U.S. Sales divisions sell to hospitals and physicians all over the world. Clear-tone is privately held so the Feeleys prefer not to reveal the company's annual sales figure. Units are priced at $200 to $3,000, depending on features selected.
Clear-tone customer Dave Simons, of Broken Arrow, said, "Clear-tone is a great product made here in Tulsa. Clear-tone has great people. They're patient and take care of you. They are just terrific and I feel like they're my family."
Mike Feeley, co-founder and co-owner, said, "When it comes to hearing impairment, everybody has a unique hearing loss signature, so everyone's hearing loss is different. The challenge for hearing instruments or hearing devices is the ability to tailor that specifically to a person's hearing loss and their needs.
"We develop, manufacture and fit custom solutions to people's ears and degree of hearing loss," he added. "The technology was developed here in Tulsa (and), is the first-ever, 'receiver-in-canal' (RIC) hearing device."
RIC takes a miniaturized hearing aid speaker and places it in the ear canal where it floats comfortably. The sound receiver has been removed from the processor.
The processor is also small and holds a computer chip that controls the quality of sound and also contains multiple microphones that receive sound from many directions. The processor fits behind the cartilage of the ear.
Algorithm software programs the Feeleys developed drive the processor, deciding what is amplified and what is blocked.
"The placement of the receiver is what enhances the sound quality: the closer its speaker is to the eardrum, the better the fidelity. What we have been able to do with RIC technology is place the speaker close enough to the ear drum that it creates a huge potential for better sound quality," Mike Feeley said.
The Sebo HD line of instruments incorporates a host of new features designed to provide SeboTek's best in sound quality, noise reduction and speech- enhancement technology. Sebo HD helps users better enjoy conversations, nature sounds and the sounds needed for safety and security.
The Feeleys are not stopping there. Sebo-LINK Bluetooth Wireless Connectivity provides wireless and hands-free communication between your hearing instruments and other audio devices, working like wireless headphones with mobile phones, personal media or MP3 players and personal computers.
"We can apply the same wireless technology to your television set," Mike Feeley said. "You can watch TV and we can send the TV sound wirelessly to your hearing instruments."
Charley Feeley, Clear-tone's director of operations, said close to 50 percent of all hearing aids sold in the U.S. and western Europe are RIC devices. The Feeleys hold multiple patents on the technology or license use of the technology on 60 percent of those patents.
Marketing and Sales Manager Paul Jackson said helping the baby boom through its hearing travails is a key point in the company's plan for moving forward.
"Many in the baby boom are already entering their retirement years and are experiencing hearing loss. This is a serious thing and can create strife within families and friends, groups and social settings - television volume and speech queues being central issues.
"Baby boomers embody active lifestyles and are working into their 60s and 70s. They work hard and play hard. They're out on the golf course, they're boating, they're driving convertibles. Our focus, moving forward with this generation, is to introduce high-tech hearing devices to complement their active lifestyle," Jackson said.
Clear-Tone Hearing Aid Labs
Address: 2323 S. Sheridan Road
Founded: 1984
Employees: about 100, worldwide
Phone: 918-838-1000
Owners: Mike Feeley and Jim Feeley
Operations: Charley Feeley and Paul Jackson
Email:
info@mycleartone.com
Clear-tone Hearing Aid Labs
Address: 2323 S. Sheridan Road
Founded: 1984
Employees: about 100 worldwide
Phone: 918-838-1000
Owners: Mike Feeley and Jim Feeley
Operations: Charley Feeley and Paul Jackson
Email: info@mycleartone.com
Phil Mulkins 918-699-8888
phil.mulkins@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Clear solution
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