History & Culture
Ogle School prepares committed students for rewarding careers in the beauty industry through salon-modeled, student-centered training and development of the highest caliber
MISSION
The Ogle School Mission is our promise to students. In return for their personal sacrifices, dedication and creative energy we will help them realize their dream, a fulfilling career in the beauty industry. We train our students in the time-tested skills of cosmetology and esthetics as well as innovations in their chosen field. However, we understand that career achievement is as much about character as it is skill. Beginning day one, we challenge students to become true professionals. We model our schools after successful salons with the same policies, codes of conduct and professional expectations they will encounter in their future jobs. At the same time, we recognize they are students, and professionalism takes time, patience and our support to develop. Ogle School graduates understand that ultimately, their success will be determined by their clients. Throughout our process we endeavor to meet the highest practicable standards and our instructors, equipment and facilities reflect that commitment. Our Mission establishes our shared (with our students) accountability for completion, licensure and placement in a desirable job and we strive for superior performance in each.
HISTORY
Shelton Ogle is an internationally renowned hair stylist and an icon in the beauty industry. Shelton’s deep roots in the DFW area means he has had the privilege of doing generations of hair within many families – from grandparents, to parents to children. He has done their weddings, their children’s weddings and everything in between – truly becoming a part of their lives.
Shelton was exposed to the beauty industry at a young age as the grandson of a well known Dallas barber. Initially, Shelton thought he would become an architect. However, thankfully for thousands of successful Ogle School graduates, Shelton decided to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and channel his passion for design and creativity into a career in the beauty industry. After graduation, Shelton started working for a local salon. Quickly he realized that salons offered a job, but provided no training or path to perfect his craft. At the age of 20, Shelton was offered the opportunity to be the lead stylist and manager of a salon located inside a high end department store. The lesson he learned from being part of this high-end retail environment became one of the foundations of his educational philosophy; always put the customer first.
At the age of 21, Shelton bought and opened his first salon. He quickly realized the key to his success was staff. It became very clear to him that there was a shortage of well-trained stylists available. Combining an emphasis on training with passion and respect with his customer-first philosophy, Shelton opened his second salon and his first school in 1973 at the age of 23, in the growing city of Arlington, TX. Over the next several years he would develop the structure, methods and techniques focused on developing stylists technical skills and personal branding; a combination that has made Ogle School one of the most successful beauty schools in Texas. Along with developing a weekly beauty industry show that aired on PBS, Shelton would open an additional 3 schools and salons in Hurst, Fort Worth and Dallas over the next 30 years.
The Ogle School footprint has now expanded to 9 schools across the Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston markets. In 2021, Ogle School was acquired by RLJ Equity Partners and continues to carry on the legacy that Shelton Ogle set as the foundation of success. In 2023, Ogle School is celebrating its 50th year as a premier beauty school in Texas. Over those 50 years, Ogle School has graduated tens of thousands of beauty industry professionals and established itself as one of the leading providers of cosmetology and esthetics training programs in the country.
VALUES
At Ogle School, we make our values a part of everything we do. To us, it’s our T.I.R.E.S. (Teamwork, Integrity, Respect, Excellence, Service to the Customer) and it’s our dedication to these values that’s made Ogle School a leader in cosmetology and esthetics education in Texas for over 50 years.
Teamwork
The pursuit of our mission is grounded in the knowledge that no one of us can achieve as much as all of us. When people with diverse responsibilities, backgrounds, and perspectives come together for our students, exciting things happen.
Our most important teams consist of members who are student-centered, not self-centered or organizationally-centered. Members play specific roles in admissions, financial planning, education or career services. Everyone works hard at communication and cooperation to ensure that our students’ progress is flawless. Team leaders are accessible, organized and focused on the goal, but open to the possibilities. Team members understand and identify with priorities. They seek to make a personal contribution and feel free to express different views with confidence that they will be heard. In the students’ eyes, we always strive to stand united as a team. This is a critical component of sustaining their confidence in Ogle School and their future.
Our commitment to teamwork mandates a participative management style that is student-centered. Training ensures that team members have the requisite skills and leaders understand and fulfill their roles and responsibilities. Our communications are thoughtful, open and designed to support understanding and feedback in advance of execution. Ogles’ information systems are designed to support student-centered teamwork. Associate compensation and incentive systems are based, in part, on team play.
Individual achievement is satisfying, but achievement of excellence through teamwork is exhilarating and, once achieved, forever pursued.
Integrity
Integrity is the ability to meet life’s challenges with equal parts of courage, honesty and sound moral principle. Our commitment to personal integrity compels us to do the right thing.
Organizations with the highest integrity are the most respected and produce the best outcomes. They face their shortcomings with honesty and address their issues. Dishonesty is not tolerated, irrespective of short-term consequences. We are truthful despite the pressure of our daily work and we expect the same in return. Breaches of academic integrity are not tolerated because we know that honor is the cornerstone of learning and achievement.
Commitment to personal integrity is demonstrated by keeping promises and commitments; openly disclosing potential conflicts of interest; upholding educational and business ethics; learning and following Ogle School policies and best practices; maintaining the confidentiality of proprietary, employee, and student information; rejecting gossip; respecting company and associate property; and upholding the laws and regulations of our communities. If we learn that we may have violated the law, we will disclose that breach to the appropriate authorities.
Ogle School personnel strengthen our commitment to integrity through a policy of open communication and explicit expectations. We have in writing our values, policies, and best practices. We affirm our commitment to integrity at the time of employment. Ogle School continuously audits for regulatory compliance.
Respect
Respect expresses our long-term interest in each associate and ensures that every associate counts.
At Ogle School, respect is awarded when an associate joins our team and we welcome associates of all origins and beliefs. We have learned that only through mutual respect and trust will associates extend beyond the boundaries of self interest in the collective pursuit of our mission. We award that same respect to everyone that we encounter in pursuit of Our Mission including clients, vendors, students and prospective students and we expect the same in return.
Respect mandates a participative management style that values the contributions of all associates in decision making. We are a culture of good listeners. Differences of opinion are aired openly and not personalized. Information is shared responsibly, accurately and not selectively disseminated for the sake of avoiding conflict or responsibility. Respect mandates that we equip our associates with the training and tools necessary to perform their jobs including information systems and technologies.
The most important expression of respect to an associate is the opportunity to meet a challenge that requires stretching beyond previous limits. This is the dynamic of personal growth that leads to being our best. We ensure personal growth through a Performance Review and Planning process. Performance is measured against realistic, collectively established goals. Our review process is designed to challenge and support associates to achieve their personal potential. We also support respect through market based compensation, incentives, benefits and career advancement. We comply with all laws and regulations governing employment. Our goal is measurable employee satisfaction.
Excellence
Excellence is striving for inspired or exceptional results. This is a common personal characteristic shared by all of our associates. Being our best is about exceeding the ever-escalating expectations of our students, clients, other customers, associates and owners in achieving The Ogle School Mission and enhancing the future of our company. Although we will never achieve perfection, there is no excuse for not doing our best.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so our business is inherently subjective. Nevertheless, we set the highest standards for instilling both skills and creative artistry in our students. Most importantly, our graduates understand that the quality of their clients’ total salon experience will ultimately define their career success.
Objectively, we accept accountability for improving measured performance in student completion and placement, customer satisfaction, administrative execution, regulatory compliance and financial performance.
Being our best shapes the way we do our work. It demands that we anticipate the future; plan effectively; communicate constantly; invest in human, technological and capital resources; and provide appropriate incentives and recognition.
We will always strive to be the best we can be.
Service to the Customer
A customer is anyone whose needs and expectations must be satisfied to achieve Our Mission. Our service goal is measurable customer satisfaction which is achieved through strong personal relationships, active listening, open and accurate communication and flawless execution.
Our Mission establishes the significance of students as customers. We are centered on their needs which are determined by the expectations of prospective clients and employers. All decisions are considered in the light of student employability. We value and believe in student’s dreams.
Beyond exemplary training and professional development, we provide students with financial planning, support services and placement assistance with the professionalism, efficiency and timeliness afforded any valued customer. As customers, our students must fulfill their obligations too, which are clearly defined in our Student Catalog and Enrollment Agreement.
Clients are essential to our students’ education. They come to Ogle School knowing they will be serviced by students in a timely, supervised and enjoyable atmosphere. The single most important factor in an Ogle School education is the practice it affords our students and is measurable by client satisfaction.
Employers are our customers; their expectations for highly qualified graduates must be met to satisfy Our Mission.
Accrediting and regulatory agencies are customers that must receive accurate and timely information.
Finally, we all serve customers within Ogle School – each other. The needs of admissions personnel must be met to build our student body. Financial planning and Student Services Coordinator personnel must be trained if students are to receive financing and maintain academic progress. Of course, Instructor needs must be supported by School Directors and Campus Support Center. We all have internal customers and we strive to help each other be successful.
Our goal is student completion, licensure and placement and the satisfaction of each and every customer encountered in that pursuit. We regularly survey all of our customers and act on those surveys to ensure that their satisfaction remains high.
ESG APPROACH
The pursuit of our mission is grounded in the knowledge that no one of us can achieve as much as all of us. When people with diverse responsibilities and perspectives come together, exciting things happen.
The success of our company is due to the contributions of employees from diverse backgrounds, national origins and heritage. We seek to enhance diversity by supporting an environment that recognizes the value and worth of all individuals, treating others with respect and courtesy, and enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for acts of harassment, discrimination and/or intimidation.
Across our organization, we hire, promote and provide development opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws. In addition, we support diverse students, including those from disadvantaged groups through our programs, scholarships and financial resources.
Our instructors, staff and student body reflect the diverse communities in which we operate. Individuals from minority groups represent approximately 75 percent of our personnel and 80 percent of our student population.
Ogle School is committed to the highest levels of ethics, integrity, accountability and responsibility and believes in treating all individuals with absolute dignity and respect. Our practices, policies and expectations for conduct are in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and are supported by our values and Business and Ethical Code of Conduct.
At Ogle School, we:
- Encourage an environment that recognizes the value and worth of all individuals
- Provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for employees, students and clients
- Exercise a zero-tolerance policy for acts of harassment, discrimination or intimidation, and apply equal employment opportunity in recruitment, hiring, training and promotion, among other areas
- Offer market-based compensation and provide eligible employees incentives, family benefits and career advancement
- Promote the highest-caliber training, development and continuing education programs
- Forbid the use of forced and child labor in our business and supply chains
- Do not allow or require employees to work more than the maximum number of hours legally permitted by applicable law
- Uphold the laws and regulations of our communities and work to drive positive impact wherever possible
Ogle School has defined procedures to ensure any reported complaint is investigated thoroughly, promptly and in a confidential manner. All employees are advised of their responsibility to report incidents of misconduct to Human Resources or a member of the Executive Team and receive regular training on various compliance topics. The company prohibits retaliation against any employee who makes a report in reasonable good faith.
Ogle School seeks to build a culture of trust, open communication and shared responsibility in the spirit of continuous improvement across our company. As part of this endeavor, we actively engage with our many stakeholders to ensure we are providing opportunities for feedback and collaboration. Our means of engagement differ among stakeholder groups, yet our goal is consistent – to anticipate the future, plan effectively and ensure exceptional results.
Students – Our team-oriented groups promote an intimate atmosphere and foster warm, supportive relationships among students. Upon acceptance into the program, students participate in an initial orientation program and are offered ongoing support services, including career counseling, resume and interview training, employment assistance and other general advisement. Faculty and staff are available for tutoring assistance and instructors provide feedback through direct critique and grading of student work. Students are encouraged at all times to communicate concerns with members of faculty and administration.
Employees – We select skilled and committed team members and provide them with open communication and explicit expectations, including written values, policies and best practices. We provide regular training to ensure our leaders have the requisite skills and understand and fulfill their roles and responsibilities. Employees receive a review every 12 months, at minimum, to evaluate current level of performance, examine progress and establish goals. We believe strongly in direct access to management and encourage all employees to voice opinions and share suggestions.
Clients – Clients are essential to our students’ education. Our service goal is measurable customer satisfaction, which is achieved through strong personal relationships, active listening, open and accurate communication and flawless execution. As such, we regularly survey all of our customers and act on those surveys to ensure their satisfaction remains high.
Partners – Our partners share in our high standards for conduct and excellence and include leading companies in haircare, skin care and professional tools. We exercise strong relationship management and routinely communicate with our partners across the spectrum of professional products.
Communities – We not only value the communities in which we live and work, but we recognize the value our school has on our communities. We regularly give back through employee and student volunteerism and outreach activities, including our free ‘day of beauty’ whereby we provide free haircuts to the homeless within our communities.
At Ogle School, we promise to preserve and protect confidential information, agreements, or materials from unauthorized disclosure and use. Protected information includes, but is not limited to, nonpublic information, database technologies, and employed data including reports, notes, records, electronic communications, or other materials and communications containing confidential information.
We pride ourselves on exercising appropriate care, discretion, and integrity when dealing with the assets and information of Ogle School, our customers, vendors, and business partners. We not only maintain the confidentiality of information obtained in the course of conducting business but only share confidential information on a need-to-know basis. If required, we obtain permission from business partners and customers prior to any disclosures.
To ensure the safety and security of our employees, students, clients, and all other stakeholders, we have installed a variety of programs and devices and perform audits of software systems and activities to ensure compliance and mitigate potential cyber threats. All software in use by Ogle School is officially licensed software and is thoroughly scanned for viruses before being loaded onto business computers.
As a leader in our communities and industry, we continually strive to do better – and that commitment is reflected in our approach to mitigate our impact on the environment where possible.
First, we seek to improve energy efficiency given the electricity demands for our industry. This includes sites equipped with energy efficient LED lighting and smart sensors to effectively reduce energy consumption. In addition, as we continue to expand our footprint, we will consider real estate options that incorporate green building standards and utilize renewable energy sources. Next, we strive to minimize waste by placing recycling bins in strategic locations and encouraging our staff and students to make use of reusable options, such as refillable water bottles. In addition, we are working to expand the use of high-quality, eco-friendly products in our schools and salons. To do so, we partner with suppliers and vendors with strong commitments to sustainability, including those that offer products free of artificial colors or fragrances that can add to greenhouse gas emissions.
We recognize that even small improvements can have a significant impact, and we will continue to make everyday changes to ensure we are doing our part to support beauty within our schools – as well as the natural environment.
Ogle School seeks business partners who share in our values and standards for conduct. Our business partner code of conduct sets out the minimum standards expected from our valued suppliers and vendors with whom we do business. In addition, we encourage our business partners to work with their own supply chains to promote business conduct in line with these principles.
Ogle School business partners are expected to:
- Conduct business with the highest levels of ethics, integrity, accountability and responsibility
- Act in Ogle School’s best interest in fulfilling its mission and take care to avoid the potential or appearance of conflict of interest
- Comply with all laws and by-laws of the United States
- Exercise honesty and candor in every activity including compliance with the spirit as well as the letter of the law
- Preserve and protect confidential information, agreements or materials from unauthorized disclosure and use
- Maintain organizational and personal integrity by refraining from inappropriate behavior on and off the company’s premises
- Support an environment that recognizes the value and worth of all individuals
- Prohibit acts of harassment, discrimination and/or intimidation
- Provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace
- Seek to minimize impacts to the environment and local communities from business activities
All business partners are expected to report any violations of this code or applicable laws, rules and regulations to Ogle School personnel.
The company will treat reports seriously, investigate as required and take appropriate action.
Alignment with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals
Quality Education
We are committed to being a leader in cosmetology and esthetics education through salon-modeled, student-centered training and development of the highest caliber.
Gender Equality
We seek to empower women with resources and support, including career counseling and employment assistance to help students achieve their goals.
Work & Economic Growth
We provide employees competitive wages, strong benefit programs and opportunities for development. We drive student completion, licensure and placement in rewarding careers within the beauty industry.
Reduce Inequalities
We provide equal opportunities and strive to create workplaces where all feel welcomed and valued. We have long supported the LGBTQ community and other minority groups. We do not include separate curriculum components based on either race or ethnic origin, requiring students to become familiar with all types of hair, skin and nails.