Denis LeBlanc, who has operated hearing clinics for more than 20 years, emphasizes education is the key component of his business.
The Dieppe-based owner of Audiologie Avenir Hearing is motivated by his customer’s needs and that means a lot more than selling hearing aids. “Audiology and hearing health involves a lot of one-on-one interaction and creating a relationship with the clients,” LeBlanc said.
“For our company, that means selling hearing aids, but it also means proper counseling, listening to the feedback, and educating our customers about ways we can improve their health and their lives.”
For the last five years, Avenir has hosted Hearing Health New Brunswick conferences at the Avenir Centre, Moncton’s spectacular downtown arena and events center, to talk about hearing-loss prevention and the affects hearing loss can have on individuals and families.
“The people who work at Avenir are more than just clinicians,” LeBlanc said. “They care about the people they are serving. They want to give back to their community and help the people who may be struggling with hearing issues.”
After earning an undergraduate degree at l’Université de Moncton and majoring in audiology at the University of Ottawa, he opened his first clinic with partner Pauline LeBlanc (no relation) in Dieppe in 2000. He also worked clinics at The Moncton Hospital and the Dr. Georges-L-Dumont Hospital.
They purchased more outlets and today there are 11 Avenir Hearing centres – the original in Dieppe, two in Moncton as well as others in Shediac, Miramichi, Fredericton, Oromocto, Quispamsis, St. Stephen, Grand Falls, and Edmundston. There are plans for growth outside of New Brunswick.
“We are fortunate that we have built a very positive reputation with our clients and our employees,” LeBlanc said. “In fact, prospective employees come looking for us rather than us recruiting them. “They all want to work for a positive company that is making an impact on their communities. This is our mission and we will continue to pursue.”