Our Team

Meet our Team

Our Savor Imports team is passionate about the rich culture of international ingredients and flavors. We also share a passion for tasting and experiencing great food—with each other and with our customers. We love to collaborate and pride ourselves on our responsive and transparent nature—we share information and insights about our products, services, and solutions to nurture your business.

As a customer-focused company, we will anticipate and respond to your needs and provide the right solutions. Trust is at the center of all our products and services. Our mission is to be your go-to resource for international foods and flavors.

  • Lance Ficken

    Director

    Lance has led the Savor team since its founding in 2011. He has more than 25 years of experience in the US foodservice industry. Lance enjoys watching his two boys participate in youth sports, golfing, cooking, and travel. His favorite travel location thus far is Seville, Spain and his bucket list destination is Tahiti. Lance’s favorite meal to cook at home is paella, and his favorite food ethnicity is Thai. Lance works out of Savor's corporate office in Chesterfield, Missouri.

  • Steve DiMartinis

    National Sales Manager

    Steve has 28 years of experience in the foodservice industry and has been part of the Savor team since 2019 and is passionate about Boston Sports Team—where he was born and raised. Steve is now a resident of North Carolina and is a proud father of two young men. He enjoys spending time at the beach with his wife. His favorite food to cook at home is a nicely grilled NY strip steak, and his favorite food ethnicity is Italian. Steve works remotely out of his home in Hampstead, North Carolina.

  • Don Turley

    Corporate Chef Product Innovation

    Chef Don evaluates all of Savor Imports items for quality, flavor, and overall fit in Savor’s pantry. Don is also responsible for continually sensory benchmarking Savor food items to ensure they are the "best in class" in the industry! Don has been a chef for 26 years and has had the privilege of traveling (and eating) his way around the world. His favorite food destination is Singapore, and he enjoys golfing, boating, and fishing near his home in the North Georgia Mountains.

  • Maria Morckel

    National Accounts Manager

    Maria has 25 years of national accounts sales and leadership experience in the foodservice industry. She lives in Denver, Colorado. In her free time, Maria enjoys spending time with family, cooking, entertaining, golfing, and yoga.

  • George Purnell

    National Accounts Manager - South

    George is one of Savor's National Accounts Managers. He grew up in the industry through his family's company and is in his 4th decade in foodservice. After 8+ years as Protein Sales Manager at Dot Foods, he joined the Savor Imports team in 2018. George is a Mississippi State supporter and a lifelong Cardinals baseball fan. He works from his office in West Point, Mississippi.

  • Derek Tipsword

    National Accounts Manager

    Derek has extensive experience in foodservice, having managed his family’s distribution business for over 26 years. Derek managed and developed strategies for restaurant operators, national accounts, club stores, and retail customers for food manufacturers.

    Derek resides with his wife and daughter in Blue Mound, Illinois, where he spends his free time working on home remodel projects, raising chickens and gardening. He also loves traveling the world, cooking new dishes at home, and playing music at his local church.

  • Jim McKain

    Zone Manager - Midwest

    Jim joined the Savor team in 2022 with 30 years of experience in the foodservice industry and an extensive background in sales, training, and culinary. Jim and his wife Kathy live in Omaha, Nebraska and have two adult daughters. When Jim and Kathy are not working, they enjoy Nebraska athletic events, various arts organizations' offerings, and, above all other interests, traveling. Jim’s favorite destination to date so far is Rome, or maybe Paris, or perhaps Barcelona. Jim is an avid cook and enjoys making and eating foods of many ethnicities with wood-fired pizzas leading the way.

  • Marisa Vieira

    Zone Manager - West 

    Marisa joined Savor Imports in 2023 as a Zone Manager. She has 12 years of experience in the foodservice industry and substantial culinary training. In her free time, she loves to golf, spend time with her 12 nieces and nephews, and relax near the San Diego Bay. Marisa’s favorite cuisine is East Asian, and she loves experimenting with new recipes and flavors. Marisa is also a massive fan of the San Diego Padres and enjoys going to games at Petco Park. When she isn’t traveling, Marisaworks out of her home office in San Diego, where her family has resided for 9 generations.

  • Josh Hoenig

    Sales Specialist - Midwest

    With extensive experience in food service operations, Josh has developed a strong understanding of the industry's dynamics. Based in Milwaukee, Josh is passionate about making pizza and trying new recipes. Outside of work, they find joy in outdoor activities like fishing and clay shooting.

  • Elong Ling

    International Category Manager

    Elong is responsible for managing a large portion of our product offering. She searches the world to find the right items for the Savor pantry, works with vendors throughout the buying process, and manages inventory sales growth. She brings 10 years of foodservice industry experience to the team. Her favorite cuisines are Taiwanese because she's from Taiwan, and TexMex because she grew up in Texas. Elong works remotely from her home in Dallas.

  • Joe Fortner

    International Category Manager

    Joe recently joined the Savor team and is responsible for managing a portion of our product offering, mostly focused in South America and Europe. Joe spent the previous 10 years in the Dot Foods Business Development department working with supplier partners and running the Domestic Commodity offering. Joe and his wife Amanda live in the St. Louis area, where they were both born and raised, along with their twins, Reed and Kinley. Most of Joe’s time is spent at a ballpark, field, or court helping coach or simply watching the twins play sports. Joe enjoys all types of cuisine, especially when they are focused around seafood. He works out of Savor’s corporate office in Chesterfield, MO.

  • Tammie Pate

    Logistics and Trade Compliance Manager

    Tammie manages all of Savor’s logistics and international trade compliance processes. She joined the team in 2013 and has 20 years international logistics and compliance experience. Her passions are quilting and cooking and she is an avid reader. Tammie lives and works remotely in Atlanta, Georgia.

  • Danielle Moorman

    Sourcing Specialist

    Danielle has been working with the entire Savor team since 2016 supporting all areas of the business. Most Recently assisting in handling the logistics process, along with Supplier and item onboarding. Danielle works out of Dot’s corporate headquarters in Mt. Sterling, where she lives with her husband, Chad, and son, Wayson.

  • TrIsh Lovan

    Marketing Manager

    Trish Lovan joined the Savor team in 2024. Trish brings 18 years of marketing and branding experience. As Savor Marketing Manager, she leads Savor’s branding, digital marketing, event planning, packaging design and sales collateral development.
    In her free time, she loves cooking, spending time outdoors with her three young sons, traveling (anywhere!), reading, gardening and attending her kids’ various games and performances. She loves all food ethnicities and is passionate about trying new flavors and sharing them with her sons.
    Trish works out of Savor’s corporate office in Chesterfield, Missouri.

  • Tamber Wade

    Graphic Designer

    Tamber joined Savor in early 2021 as graphic designer. Tamber supports the entire team by designing sales collateral, emails, packaging labels, and assisting with all marketing activities. Tamber moved to Illinois from Louisiana in 2017 and has a background in tourism. Outside of work, her hobbies are freelancing, DIYing, creative writing, and watching Youtube. Tamber enjoys home cooking and cajun cuisine. Tamber works out of Savor’s corporate office in Chesterfield, MO.

  • Keira Gilmore

    FSQA Import Manager

    Keira Gilmore joined the Savor team in 2022. She came to us with 11 years of experience in quality. She has a bachelors degree from Quincy University. She enjoys creating memories with her boys, crafting, and exploring new restaurants and wineries.

  • Alex Wilson

    FSQA Import Specialist

    Alex joined the Savor team in 2024. He assists in maintaining Savor’s quality assurance and product compliance.

    Alex received his Bachelor’s Degree at SIU Carbondale. He currently resides in Mt. Sterling with his partner Stephanie and their pets Olive and Henry.

    In his free time, Alex enjoys Frisbee Golf, gardening, cooking, motorcycle rides and wedding videography.

  • Bailey Keech

    Master Data Analyst

    Bailey has worked with the Savor team since 2020 to gather, upload, and enhance item data for all Savor items. She maintains everything from core spec information, such as dimensions and weights, to marketing information such as images and nutrition panels within Savor’s internal systems that then populate customer-facing e-commerce platforms where Savor's products are sold. Bailey has been with Dot Foods for 7 years at the headquartrs in Mt. Sterling. She loves hunting, fishing, jet-skiing, water skiing, and helping out on her family horse and cattle farm.

  • Danielle Gailey

    Ecommerce Merchandiser

    Danielle joined the Savor team in late 2022 as an Ecommerce Merchandiser. Danielle supports the team by analyzing customer data, optimizing product search results, as well as building and maintaining digital content. As a graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University, Danielle has 7 years of experience in the foodservice merchandising industry, where she first began working in Richmond, Virginia. Danielle relocated to Brooklyn, New York in 2019 where she currently lives and works remotely for Savor. Outside of work, her hobbies include taking pottery classes, sewing, and exploring the vast number of restaurants in New York City.