River Falls WI - Andrew Salon & American Hearing Service.
My name is Andrew Gott of Andrew Salon & American Hearing Service.
I started learning about hearing instrument sciences when I was knee high. I learned from my father who has been working in the hearing aid industry for over 40 years. When I went to show and tell for my first time, I brought hearing aids to school. I officially started working for my father in our family business, American Hearing, at a young age answering the phone and learning how to effectively communicate with people who had a hearing impairment. I found the technology fascinating. I enjoyed seeing my father help others to have a better life quality with hearing aids. As time progressed, I became a technician working on new hearing aid technology and software integration.
In addition, I found another creative outlet. When I started doing hair in 1999 at a Great Clips in Minneapolis, I instantly realized that I found a creative passion that quite frankly didn't feel like work to me at all. I wanted to see more of the world and traveled and worked in Boston, trained at Vidal Sassoon, and later in Chicago at Mario Tricoci. As I practiced in various salons, I found that my clients were delighted with my creativity, and it was fun to share with them.
After gaining a bit of life experience I moved back to Minnesota where I blended practicing as a hairstylist and hearing instrument specialist. I earned my National Board Certification in hearing instrument sciences and began serving as a hearing instrument specialist in the State of Wisconsin.
While the fields may seem unrelated, I find that they intersect in a fascinating way. Communication is the pathway to success. Both modes of service help people to feel better and relate more positively in their social circles. Instead of living in the growing sense of isolation that a hearing loss gradually imposes, new hearing instrument technology can help them to feel more a part of things as they once again communicate and participate in life on a more normal social level. Hairstyling too makes people feel happier about their appearance and working with them creatively to express who they really are is another source of career gratification for me. I'm excited about bringing these two services to the River Falls and surrounding community and look forward meeting the needs of many people here.