Jerry Ruzicka

Jerry Ruzicka


Starkey Hearing Technologies, Eden Prairie, Minn, has terminated the employment or accepted the resignations of at least four prominent senior executives, including President Jerry Ruzicka, Senior VP of Operations Keith Guggenberger, CFO Scott Nelson, and Senior VP of Human Resources Larry Miller.
Hearing Review requested comment from several people in the company, but did not receive an immediate response. However, a spokesperson for the company referred to a statement from Starkey Hearing Technologies Founder and CEO William F. Austin that said, “We can’t comment due to an ongoing investigation. There are no issues that affect our company and it’s business as usual.”
Ruzicka was the longest serving US president among the world’s largest “Big 6” hearing aid manufacturers, and has worked in the hearing industry for over 35 years. He began his career at Starkey as a line manager, moving up to VP of Manufacturing until being appointed company president in 1998. Since that time, Starkey’s revenues have more than tripled, with the company being focused on becoming a research and technology leader. Ruzicka has also been extremely influential in the industry, serving as the chair of the Hearing Industries Association (HIA) from 1999-2005 and 2007-2012, as well as serving on the board for many years of the Better Hearing Institute (BHI), European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Assn (EHIMA), Hearing Instrument Manufacturers’ Software Assn (HIMSA), Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Patent Partnership (HIMPP), Wilson Tool and Envoy Medical (maker of the Esteem implant). He was named the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Health Sciences Award in the Upper Midwest Region.
UPDATE: Since Hearing Review broke this news on Wednesday morning, several news sources and blogs have reported on this story, including the CBS local affiliate, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).  It is believed that Ruzicka’s contract was to expire around the end of the year.