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Dr. Laura Brockel ampli�ies her patients’ lives

Former local teen starts facemask company

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

Progress Staff Writer

As a child, Laura Brockel often visited her great aunt who fell deaf after a case of the measles. She watched her struggle with ampli�ication devices and doctors. “She found it dif�icult to �ind someone who was reputable and had the quali�ications to handle someone with the profound hearing loss she had,” the North Scottsdale resident said.

“She had had cords running up her dress from a battery pack strapped to her leg. She had a ‘body aid,’ a large box that she wore in her bra and that led to her hearing aids.”

Witnessing that plight, Dr. Laura Brockel studied audiology at Purdue University and AT Still University. She recently opened a mobile practice, Executive Hearing Solutions, that specializes in hearing devices and advanced audiology technology.

“Testing is done in their homes,” she said

Scottsdale audiologist Dr. Laura Brockel started a mobile service.

about her patients. “I have a portable audiometer. If they need hearing aids, all the testing and �itting can be done in the home. They don’t have to go anywhere.” Frequently, Brockel works with professionals whose jobs are affected by their hearing loss.

“Fortunately, we’ve come a long way with technology,” said Brockel, whose practice is private pay. “I specialize in higher-end technology. I’ve worked with attorneys who are having dif�iculties hearing conversations with their clients or in the courtroom. “A lot of business executives have problems on Zoom calls, in the boardroom and in the courtroom. I mainly help executives maintain their edge in the corporate world, and not give way to the younger folks who are coming in.”

The practice comes after 30 years in manufacturing — product manager, technical trainer, audiology support and manufacturing representative. Her knowledge is so vast that she has spoken at a variety of conferences and training sessions in the United States, Hong Kong, Spain and Jamaica. “I’m a �irm believer that all audiologists should spend some time working for a hearing aid manufacturer,” Brockel said. “You learn the ins and outs of audiology when you work for a manufacturer, as opposed to working with a private practice or an ENT practice.

“You learn how hearing aids work, how they’re �itted, the tricks of the trade— things you otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to learn easily.”

A year into Executive Hearing Solutions, Brockel is pleased with the results — and it �its her personality well.

“I love meeting people from all walks of life,” she said. “I’m de�initely a people person. My kids tease me and say, ‘Mom, do you have to talk to everybody?’ It’s easy for me to talk to people. I think it’s fascinating to �ind out how people fell into their careers. This is the perfect career for me.”

Dr. Laura Brockel

Executive Hearing Solutions 1-800-985-9470

PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

Dropping out of high school for a year helped a former Scottsdale teen who moved last year to Florida start her own facemask company.

Kylie Smith, who attended Scottsdale Preparatory Academy for middle school and Rancho Solano for her freshmen year, before she moved to Sarasota with her father, Rick Smith, and the rest of her family.

There, she ran a Kickstarter campaign for her company, Exa Mask, and raised $77,000 to start shipping her �irst batch of 1,000 masks. The masks are created with TR-90 Nylon, a high-quality material that can last up to two years. Exa Mask has a threepart �iltration system composed of an air frame, �ilter and magnetic veil. Its nose piece creates a full seal around the nose while the face shield hovers above the wearer’s face. Unlike traditional N95 mask, Smith said her masks allow easier breathing, have a detachable shield for eating and �ilter out 95 percent of particulates, allowing for protection against disease, pollution and environmental debris.

“I designed Exa Mask, so that it would be the last mask you’ll ever need to buy,” said Kylie, who came up with the idea before COVID-19 when she and her father visited China in 2017, where they needed a mask to ward off the effects of air pollution. After paying $60 for a mask that was

Kylie Smith models her Exa Mask, which drew enough Kickstarter funds for her to ship her fi rst 1,000 units. (Special to the Progress) con�ining and seemed ineffective, Kylie came up with the idea of a mask with an interchangeable �ilter. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Kylie dropped out of high school for the year to pursue Exa Mask full time.

“This product being something that can help people in their daily lives,” she told Sarasota Magazine last month. “The sense of urgency motivated us to move faster.” Kylie, now back in high school as a senior, said, “Next for Exa Mask, I’d love to see schools as well as airline and retail employees using Exa Mask. Exa Mask was designed for all-day wear, so it is ideal for those populations who need to wear masks for their jobs.”

Information: https://examask.com/