SBA Presents Awards to Small Business Leaders
5/21/98
The News & Observer, (Raleigh, NC)

The Small Business Administration will present awards to five area businesses at The Celebration, an event celebrating small businesses sponsored by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.

This year, the Small Business Administration is proud to announce that Sheila Hale Ogle, president of Media Research Planning and Placement, Inc., has been named the 1998 North Carolina Small Business Person of the Year.

MRPP specializes in providing media market research, media planning and media buying for advertising agencies, creative firms and local, regional and national advertisers. Since its inception, Ogle's company has enjoyed tremendous success, which is illustrated by a sales increase of more than 400 percent between 1994 and 1996. But her success goes far beyond the walls of her business. Ogle has proven her commitment to her community and to student development. Ogle has been instrumental in the Triangle Advertising Federation, where she established Career Day, and the Student Advertising Club at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She founded the Triangle Ad2 Club and has been extremely involved in both the Cary and Greater Raleigh chambers.

Triangle Business Journal's Charlene Grunwaldt and David Mildenberg will receive the SBA's Media Advocates of the Year award. Grunwaldt is the journal's publisher and Mildenberg is the editor. Triangle Business Journal is a weekly business newspaper dedicated to comprehensive coverage of small business in the Triangle area. The TBJ has been a passionate promoter of the region's small business community. In addition to including at least five stories on small business in each issue, TBJ sponsors such events as the Fast 50 awards, the Power Breakfast and the Women in Business Awards.

Yvonne Aselle will be presented with the SBA's Accountant Advocate of the Year award. Aselle is a self-employed certified public accountant practicing in Cary. She provides accounting, tax planning and preparation, full service bookkeeping and payroll services, financial planning and consulting. She is an ambassador and chair of the small business council at the Cary Chamber, an instructor for GoodWorks and serves as the treasurer of the North Carolina chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

This year's Women in Business Advocate of the Year is Deidre Jersey of Public Images/Meeting Details. In her role as president of the North Carolina chapter of the national association of Women Business Owners, she was instrumental in revitalizing the chapter and securing its financial stability. She also represented women in her role as vice president of the N.C. Delegation for Small Business.

The SBA will also present its Champion Award to Judy Burns, awards chair for the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Gary L. Cook, district director of the SBA Charlotte District Office will present the awards.

Media Advocates of the Year
Charlene Grunwaldt and David Midlenberg of the Triangle Business Journal

Account Advocate of the Year
Yvonne Aselle, CPA

Women in Business Advocate of the Year
Deirdre Jersey of Public Images/Meeting Details

Champion Award
Judy Burns, Focus Communications