EDEN PRAIRIE, MN (May 24, 2023) – Toyota Racing Development (TRD) and Starkey are pleased to announce a new official partnership. Starkey’s SoundGear has been named the Official Hearing Protection Partner of TRD and the Toyota Performance Center (TPC).
“Starkey is proud to partner with TRD to provide custom hearing protection to their staff, drivers and team members,” said Brandon Sawalich, president and CEO of Starkey. “Long-term exposure to loud noises is one of the primary causes of hearing loss and is the only one that is preventable. By working with an elite organization like TRD who cares about the health and safety of their employees, we can help raise awareness of the impact of noise-induced hearing loss.”
Whenever sound is a problem, SoundGear has a solution. SoundGear offers a wide range of hearing protection, racing, and enhancement products designed to dampen the noise within the environment so that the wearer can be in noisy environments for longer without potential damage to their hearing. As part of this exciting, new partnership, Toyota development drivers (TD2) and members of the TRD staff will receive custom hearing protection to help them be their best in loud environments such as racetracks and manufacturing facilities.
“We are excited to unveil this new partnership with Starkey and SoundGear,” said David Wilson, president, TRD. “In our short time working together, I’ve personally seen the quality and effort the team at SoundGear puts into all of their products. Racetracks are filled with outside noise and with the help of SoundGear our drivers and team members will be able to efficiently hear what they need to hear in order to be able to achieve the best results. This new partnership will also support our manufacturing and testing facilities where employees will now receive extra protection and comfort from SoundGear’s products.”
SoundGear joins an exclusive list of TRD partners, including ExxonMobil, HARMAN Automotive, Safelite Auto Glass, Apex Tool Group, Yahoo, Stratasys, GF Machining Solutions, Segra, and Racing Force Group.
About Starkey
Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Owned by Bill Austin since 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Learn more at starkey.com.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 20 electrified options, with more in showrooms later this year.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
