Glenview Company to Ring NASDAQ Closing Bell

Members of a leading hearing aid company based in Glenview will ring the NASDAQ closing bell on Monday in New York City in recognition of the company’s recent Chicago Innovation Awards honor.

Beltone, originally a Chicago company that’s been operating out of Glenview since 2005, won the innovation award for Beltone First, the first hearing aid to connect seamlessly and stream audio to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices without the need for additional pendant-like relay devices.

Beltone representatives Barb VanSomeren, vice president of marketing and Kathleen Keith Hansen, director of marketing will be joined by 10 or so other innovative companies’ representatives that won Chicago Innovation honors recently at the only such NASDAQ event where a single city is represented on the platform.

They will collectively ring the closing bell at the end of the day on March 23. Each company will also have a chance to address those in attendance about their company.

“I’m really excited to be able to ring the bell and talk about the great technology that is out there for hearing help,” VanSomeren said.

“There are still too many people suffering from hearing loss needlessly. We have so many newer, discrete devices that can help people hear more clearly.”

One of them is the Beltone Legend, which just launched a few days ago. Available at any Beltone location in North America or by visiting www.beltone.com, the Legend is a small device that can be worn in the canal of an ear and connect wirelessly to an iPad.

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The Beltone First (what the company was honored for), VanSomeren explains, was the first to allow a sync between a hearing aid and electronic device without having to connect other relay devices.

“Before that, you needed to have a transmitter you’d wear around your neck,” she said. “But our technology is compatible with IOS without accessories.”

Being honored for innovation, VanSomeren looks forward to connecting with other groups around Chicago that have won the award.

“We are seeing a lot of creativity that is happening,” she said. “We met with (Cook County Board President) Toni Preckwinkle about a week ago and are now starting to have grass roots connection points to grow innovation in the area.”

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