Sheila H. Ogle

Sheila H. Ogle, a top Triangle businesswoman at the multi-million dollar level, has this to say about the “past 50” milestone: “After 50 you become your own person, you set your own style. You’re not trying to live up to anyone but yourself. In your 40s, you’re constantly looking up to others but at 50 you have become what you looked up to.”

Others look up to Ogle because she is the owner and CEO of not one, but three thriving businesses:

• Media Research Planning and Placement, Inc. (MRPP), one of the largest full-service media agencies in the southeastern United States. 
 
•  Integrated Clinical Trial Services (ICTS), which provides a more effective approach for pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies enrolling patients in clinical trials. 

•  The Matthews House/ Matthews House Café & Catering Company, a unique events facility in Cary, N.C. that hosts weddings, receptions, business meetings, and a growing trend in funeral services. 


Born and raised in Cary, N.C. Ogle began her career in advertising in 1962 at Raleigh’s WRAL television, where she first worked as the assistant to the women's director before moving up to work for Senator Jesse Helms, who was editorial director at WRAL television at that time. After five years at WRAL, Ogle went to work for the J.T. Howard Advertising Agency, now known as Howard, Merrell & Partners. 

Her two-decade-long career with J.T. Howard taught Ogle all the “in’s and out’s” of the advertising business. To grow any further, she needed to establish her own business. Ogle credits her father for encouraging her to take the plunge. “My father's work ethic and the values that he instilled in me inspired me to start my own business," she said.

Ogle founded MRPP, Inc. in 1986. Today the firm is one of the largest full-service media agencies in the southeastern United States and has grown into a multi-million dollar business. But the road to success was not always smooth.

September 11 had an immediate and devastating effect on the agency and the advertising industry as a whole heralding in the most challenging time in MRPP’s 20-year history. The client calls started the very day of the terrorist attack. People wanted to know, “Is it too late to cancel my advertising campaign?” 

In the days that followed, Ogle took a proactive approach with her clients, getting on the phone and personally talking to each about how their business was being affected and what she could do to help. In many cases, she recommended postponing and even canceling clients’ media buys particularly for her clients in the tourism industry. While these decisions hurt MRPP’s bottom line that year, they solidified Ogle’s client relationships for years to come. Her clients respected and responded to her advice. Throughout it all, MRPP remained profitable, largely by maintaining a committed, lean staff dedicated to top-notch customer service.

The Blue Ribbon Study Commission meeting after The Carolina Hurricanes won The Stanley Cup. From Left: Denise Bennett, Sheila Ogle, and Virgina Parker.

Named North Carolina Small Business Person of the Year in 1998, Ogle has won numerous other awards and accolades. She was the first recipient of the Business Journal’s Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award and the first woman inducted into the UNC Advertising Hall of Fame. The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) named her Business Owner of the Year, locally and nationally. She was recognized among Business Leader Magazine’s Top 10 Women Extraordinaire in 2002.

Sheila serves on the board of directors for The North Carolina Women in Public Service where she works to implement the objectives and mission of the organization, serving as a catalyst for change and fostering a network of influence and power for women.