Who We Are and Why Seattle Hearing and Balance
Sandra and Nichole have known and worked alongside one another for many years as colleagues in the audiology community. Over that time, Nichole came to know not only Sandra as an audiologist, but also the kind of practice she had built and the reputation she had earned with patients, physicians, and the Seattle community.
When Sandra began considering the future of her practice, Nichole knew this was an opportunity Hear Northwest needed to pursue. Not simply as an opportunity to grow, but as an opportunity to protect what Sandra had spent years building.
Sandra created more than a successful audiology clinic. She built relationships, earned the trust of generations of patients, developed strong connections within the medical community, and created a culture centered on professional, personal hearing care. Nichole understood that a practice like that could not simply become another location of a national chain, big-box retailer, or manufacturer-owned hearing aid company without risking the very things that made it special.
For Nichole, keeping Sandra's practice within private audiology was personal. It meant ensuring that patients would continue to be treated as patients, not transactions, and that the clinical decisions made inside the practice would continue to be driven by what is best for the individual sitting across from the provider.
Sandra's name may eventually transition as the practice becomes part of Hear Northwest and Olympic Hearing & Balance, but her legacy does not end with the sale of the practice.
It continues through the patients who have trusted her, the relationships she developed throughout Seattle, the standards she established, and the people who will carry those standards forward.
That is the kind of growth Hear Northwest believes in: preserving what great private-practice audiologists have built and giving it the resources, people, and support to continue for the next generation of patients.
Hear Northwest is a locally owned, independent hearing healthcare company owned by Nichole Kingham, Au.D. built around a simple belief: patients deserve personal hearing care delivered by people who are part of their community.
Our story began with Eastside Audiology, and we have grown by bringing together established private practices and opening new locations where we believe patients need greater access to high-quality hearing care. Today, our clinics operate under trusted local names while working together as one team, sharing resources, expertise, training, and a commitment to exceptional patient care.
As hearing healthcare changes, independent practices are increasingly being replaced by big-box retailers, national chains, and hearing aid manufacturer-owned clinics. We believe there is an important place for something different.
We want to keep private hearing care private.
Our goal is to grow Hear Northwest by opening new clinics and acquiring established practices whose owners want their patients, employees, and legacy cared for after they step away. Growth allows us to provide the resources and opportunities of a larger organization while preserving the relationships, clinical independence, and personal attention that make private practice special.
We are building a network of hearing care professionals who can learn from one another, support one another, and provide patients with more options without losing the local connection they value.
Our vision extends throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Wherever we grow, our purpose remains the same: protect independent hearing healthcare, invest in great people, and expand access to exceptional patient-centered care.
Our Story