Salt Lake City-Sonic Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ:SNCI), the only U.S.-based publicly traded manufacturer of digital hearing aids, announced today that Paul R. Wennerholm has joined the company as president and chief operating officer.Mr. Wennerholm was previously with Patterson Companies, Inc., a $3.6 billion dental, rehabilitative and health supply company, with operations throughout the world. Wennerholm has held several positions of increasing responsibility with Patterson, and most recently headed one of the most successful divisions at Patterson.
"Paul brings a tremendous amount of leadership, sales, operational and P&L experience to Sonic, and I am very pleased we were able to invite him to join our organization," said Sonic Innovations Chairman and CEO, Sam Westover. "Paul's primary responsibility in the immediate term will be to provide his executive sales management expertise to our North American wholesale organization. He has a proven track record as a sales executive, and I am looking forward to his immediate contributions to that organization."
Regarding the appointment of a president and chief operating officer, Mr. Westover noted, "Sonic has made great strides over the past several years focusing on and executing a successful strategic plan and we are seeing the financial results from those initiatives. It is important that we maintain our focus on those activities, which is what I have asked Paul to do."
Wennerholm holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with minors in Economics and Spanish from Brigham Young University. He is a former board member of the Horton Valve Company and is involved in various professional and community organizations.
About Sonic Innovations:
Sonic Innovations is a global provider of superior hearing solutions. The company is passionate about quality, technology, and improving lives through enhanced hearing. Sonic Innovations is dedicated to the growth and success of their hearing-healthcare partners.
Sonic Innovations, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, has international offices and manufacturing centers across the globe. Sonic Innovations and their distributor partners provide hearing care services and solutions in more than 25 countries. Sonic Innovations is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market System (SNCI) and can be found online at www.sonici.com or the Sonic Innovations Web Channel at Audiology Online.
Sonic Innovations' partners have prescribed more than 1,000,000 Sonic hearing instruments.
About Paul R. Wennerholm
Paul R. Wennerholm was selected as Sonic Innovations' president and COO in August 2008. Prior to joining Sonic Innovations, he spent 14 years with Patterson Companies, Inc., a $3+ billion dental and rehabilitative health supply company with operations around the world. During his years with Patterson, Wennerholm earned the distinction of becoming the youngest-ever executive/division manager in the company's 130-year history. At Patterson, he held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility beginning as a technology specialist and sales and marketing executive (from 1994 to 1996) followed by promotions to equipment manager (from 1996 to 1999), division manager in Salt Lake City (from 1999 to 2004) and most recently led one of Patterson's most successful divisions in New England (from 2004 to 2008). From 1992 to 1994, he was the Western regional sales manager for PPI Group, a $3.8 million provider of software for medical and dental practices nationwide. Wennerholm received a B.A. degree in political science with minors in economics and Spanish from Brigham Young University in 1992.
