{{Short description|American businessman}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = E. Dean Werries | image = | caption = | birth_date = 1926 | birth_place = | death_date = April 25, 2012<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/finance/former-fleming-chairman-werries-dies | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621182647/http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/former-fleming-chairman-werries-dies | archive-date=2012-06-21| url-status=live | title=Former Fleming Chairman Werries Dies }}</ref> | death_place = Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | office = Chairman of Sonic Drive-In | term_start = 1995 | term_end = 2000 | predecessor = | successor = J. Clifford Hudson | occupation = Businessman | party = | spouse = | children = | website = | footnotes = | office2 = Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce | term_start2 = 1995 | term_end2 = 1997 | governor2 = Frank Keating | predecessor2 = | successor2 = Ron Rosenfeld }}
'''E. Dean Werries''' (1926–2012) was an American businessman from Oklahoma. Werries previously served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce under Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating from 1995 to 1997. Prior to his service as Secretary, Werries served as chairman of Sonic and as chairman and chief executive officer of the Fleming Companies, Inc.
==Career with Flemings== Werries joined the Fleming Companies, Inc, a Kansas, later Oklahoma-based supplier of consumer package goods to retailers, in 1955. In 1981, he came that firm's President. He remained in that position until 1988 when he became Fleming's chief executive officer. Werries retired as CEO in October 1993 to become the chairman of the board of directors for Fleming. He continued to serve as chairman until 1994, when he retired as the age of 64.
==Career with Sonic== While still CEO of Fleming, Werries was elected to the board of directors for Sonic Drive-In in 1991. When Werries retired from Fleming in 1994, Sonic shareholders elected him as the chairman of their board of directors. He remained with Sonic until his retirement in 2000. J. Clifford Hudson, Sonic's CEO, was elected as board chair to succeed Werries.<ref>{{cite news | last = Journal Record Staff | title = Sonic names Hudson chairman of board | publisher = The Journal Record | date = January 20, 2000 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_20000120/ai_n10135228/ }}</ref>
Following his retirement, he was named director emeritus, which allowed him to participate in all meetings of Sonic's board of directors but not the right to vote.
==Secretary of Commerce== In 1995, Republican Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating appointed Werries as his first Secretary of Commerce. As Secretary, Werries oversaw the operations of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. He remained in that position until he resigned in 1997. Governor Keating appointed Ron Rosenfeld, a housing development expert, to succeed Werries as Secretary.<ref>{{cite news | last = Rodgers | first = Kim | title = Keating Picks Dean Werries for Commerce | publisher = The Journal Record | date = February 17, 1995 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_19950217/ai_n10074838/?tag=content;col1 }}</ref>
==Personal life== Werries has served on the board of directors for Oklahoma Christian University and has served as a trustee of the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics Foundation.
==External links== *[http://www.sonicdrivein.com/business/profile/boardMembers.jsp Sonic Drive-In website]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before= }} {{s-ttl|title=Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce<br /><small>Under Governor Frank Keating</small>|years=1995–1997}} {{s-aft|after=Ron Rosenfeld}}
{{s-end}}
{{Frank Keating cabinet}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Werries, Dean}} Category:State cabinet secretaries of Oklahoma Category:2012 deaths Category:1926 births
{{Oklahoma-politician-stub}}