Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group known for innovative and effective treatment. The clinic is consistently ranked among the best in the world. Patients are referred to the Mayo Clinic (main campus in Rochester, Minn.) from across the U.S. and the world. Each year, more than one million patients from all 50 states and from more than 150 countries are seen within the Mayo Clinic system.
Audiologist Pamela Gjertson is one of the more than 3700 physicians/scientists employed by the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Gjertson recently set out on a mission trip to Mali, a country in northwest Africa, with a supply of Williams Sound Pocketalkers® in hand. She tells this story of her travels:
“What an absolutely amazing trip I had to Mali! As you probably know, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. The people there live with such simplicity, dignity, vibrancy and joy. John Updike in his book, The Coup, refers to this region as ‘misery interwoven with mercy’. I would add ‘despair interwoven with delight’.
“As for the practice of Audiology in Mali: It doesn’t exist. There are no audiologists and no educational programs for training them for the future. Diagnostic testing and hearing aid dispensing are performed by nurse’s aids who receive a short training course. There are no newborn-hearing screening programs, nor anyone trained in pediatric audiologic evaluations. No one performs vestibular evaluations.
“The otolaryngology staff at the Bamako University hospital in Bamako, Mali, (top) were thrilled to receive five Pocketalkers! They had never seen anything like this before and will be using them to communicate with the hundreds of hearing-impaired patients they see each week.
“While at the Fete du Chameux (Festival of the Camels) in Tessalit, Mali, I delivered a Pocketalker and a bag of Mayo-donated surgical supplies to a nurse from the local hospital (above). Getting to Tessalit involved a 20-hour bus ride (that included boxes of chickens in the aisle), and then a hot, bumpy 12-hour ride in a 4×4 Jeep accompanied by a military convoy, due to al-Qaeda threats to kidnap foreigners.
“The Pocketalker is such a great product for this sort of primitive setting because it uses batteries that are readily available; it is durable for this hot, dusty environment; and it is so easy to demonstrate (no French required)!”
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
