Our Professionals

 
Linda Grong, Au.D.

Dr. Linda Grong attended Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas for Audiology after earning a Master’s Degree is Speech Pathology from the University of Minnesota. She earned a Clinical Doctorate in Audiology through the University of Florida, making her both a Gopher and Gator fan.

Dr. Grong has worked in Alabama, Texas and Minnesota. She has provided services for South-West-Central Educational Cooperative Service Unit, the Minnesota Department of Health, as well as the Services for Children with Handicaps.

After working in education as a speech language pathologist and the launching the educational audiology program for the 18 counties in Southwest Minnesota, Dr. Grong was looking for a career that would allow her to spend more time at home-not on the road for 500 miles every week. Private practice was the answer.

Dr. Grong opened the Hearing and Speech Center. She has been serving the needs of her community for over 20 years. The private practice started as a part-time venture and grew very quickly. Her primary office is in Marshall with satellite offices in Willmar and Worthington. The Marshall and Willmar offices are staffed 5 days a week, and the Worthington site is staffed two days a week.

Dr. Grong describes herself as a generalist. At the Hearing and Speech Center, she provides diagnostic services, hearing aid sales and service, tinnitus counseling, and aural rehabilitation.

Dr. Grong currently lives in Marshall, Minnesota with her husband David. She has two grown children and one granddaughter. David recently sold his business but continues to work as a refrigeration contractor. They joke that he continues to try and keep MN cold! Dr. Grong and her husband treasure spending time outdoors, building a timber-framed boathouse and learning to sail on Lake Superior. Her goal is to learn how to sail well enough to sail around Lake Superior. Dr. Grong says she bakes really good bread and wants to one day have her own wood-fire oven in which to make real artisan bread.
 
 
Deric Peterson, Au.D.

A native of west central Minnesota, Dr. Peterson received his Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders from Minnesota State University-Mankato, and his Master’s and doctorate in Audiology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Peterson completed his doctoral externship at the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview and gained valuable experience seeing patients from all ages that involved different aspects of audiology.

Dr. Peterson currently lives in Marshall with his wife Jessica and their young daughter Olivia. When not in the office, Dr. Peterson enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, hunting, watching the Twins and Vikings, and spending time on the lake.
 
 
Laura Wing, Business Manager

Laura started with the Hearing and Speech Center in March 2011. She has a business and management background and is busy learning the ropes of medical billing. Prior to coming to Hearing and Speech Center, she was the accounting manager at a manufacturing facility and in years past was a licensed childcare provider. Laura enjoys spending time with her husband, Jason and their daughters, Hailey – age 14, Kendra – age 12, Hannah – age 11 and son Keegan – age 7.

They enjoy camping and their children’s music concerts, dance competitions, and sporting events.
 
 
Jenny Welch, Patient Care Coordinator/Receptionist

Jen joined the Hearing and Speech Center staff in January of 2009 after working for 17 years as a Certified and Registered Dental Assistant. She jokes she knows teeth not ears, but at least they are in the same part of the body. Jen is the Patient Care Coordinator and Receptionist and is happy to help with any of your questions or needs.

Outside the office Jen enjoys spending time with her family-husband Travis, 12 yr old twin daughters Allison and Gabrielle and her 7 yr old son Sam. They enjoy spending time on their farm site South of Vesta, Minnesota, as much time as possible at their camper on Lake Shetek, boating, hiking and all sports activities at Wabasso Public School especially football, volleyball and wrestling, Jen and Travis are learning to like basketball since it is an activity their daughters enjoy. She is an avid Wabasso Rabbits and Minnesota Vikings fan. Jen and Travis also coach 4th through 6th grade youth football, so she also has 40 boys to keep track of from August to November, it presents an interesting challenge.

Jen looks forward to expanding her knowledge to other areas at the Hearing and Speech Center in the future.
 
 
Karen Carlson, Front Office Staff

Karen Carlson joined the Hearing and Speech Center in February, 2012, and is working as Front Office Staff in the new Willmar location. She completed her MBA from Southwest Minnesota State University in August, 2011, and has worked in various office settings in the Willmar area for the past 25 years

Karen and her husband, Tinner (Howard, Jr.), live in Willmar. Tinner owns his own auto body frame repair business and has been a member of the Willmar Fire Department for 22 years. Karen and Tinner have two children, Jessica, 28 and Matthew, 25, and two yellow labs, Tango, 10 and Trigger, 4. (These last two are the kids that never grow up!) Jessica is married and lives in Stevens, PA, with her husband Wes and their two beautiful little girls, Genevieve (Ginny), age 2 and Luciana, 5 months old. Matt graduated from Mankato State University in 2010 and is currently working in the twin cities area as a shipping broker. In her spare time Karen enjoys riding motorcycle with her husband, watching NASCAR races with friends or, on calm summer evenings, hanging out in the back yard around a bon fire. Karen says that, when time and money allow, a trip to Pennsylvania to play with her granddaughters is always her first choice for a vacation.

Karen is excited to learn more about audiology and is looking forward to being a part of the Hearing and Speech Center practice and providing quality care and state of the art solutions for better hearing to Willmar area residents.