Gregg L. Engles

The chairman and CEO of Dallas-based milk processor and distributor Dean Foods Co. (formerly Suiza Foods). Engles is best known for his consolidation of the dairy industry. Engles and his business partners began with the purchase of Suiza Dairy in 1993, and Velda Farms in 1994. In 1996, they created Suiza Foods Corp. by merging the dairy companies with their packaged ice company, Reddy Ice Group. However, they sold the ice company in 1998, in order to focus on dairy. Suiza Foods became a major force in the industry, with $1 billion in sales in 1997 and dozens of acquisitions. In 2001, Suiza acquired Dean Foods Company and began operating under its name.

Engles was born in 1957 in Oklahoma, raised in Denver and earned his JD from Yale in 1982. He began his career as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals but did not remain in law for long. He attempted to form a jet time-share business, then almost went bankrupt investing in real estate just before the market crashed. In 1988, prior to entering the dairy business, Engles and his business partner Bob Kaminski purchased Reddy Ice. Over the next two years they worked to consolidate the ice business by purchasing 15 ice plants.