Premium Ingredients: About Us - Executive Profiles

Executive Profiles

Donald K. Thorp, President
Daniel T. Thorp, Vice President
Ronald E. Juergens, Vice President

Stephen J. Watts, General Manager, Premium Ingredients Int'l (UK), Ltd.
Donald P. Cepican, Chief Financial Officer
Richard D. Calabrese, Vice President, Sales & Marketing

Suzanne C. Johnson, Research & Development Director

Donald K. Thorp
President
Don Thorp attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on a full scholarship in football, graduating with a B.S. degree in business finance. After graduating, Don played professional football for the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. During the off seasons, he worked for Greenfield, Thorp Co., the broker company founded by his father, Richard Thorp, and Aaron Greenfield in 1978. He worked directly in every aspect of the company, from customer service to accounting and sales. In 1988, Don retired from the NFL and joined Greenfield, Thorp full time. In 1992, with his father, brother and uncle, he established Premium Ingredients, Ltd.—now Premium Ingredients International.

Daniel T. Thorp
Vice President
As an original founder of Premium Ingredients International, Dan Thorp oversees operations of Flavor Savor, a division of Premium Ingredients International. Dan holds a B.S. degree in business administration with a geology minor from Arizona State University.

Ronald E. Juergens
Vice President
Ron Juergens joined Premium Ingredients International as part owner in 1995. Ron's entire career has been in the food industry, building long-term relationships with suppliers throughout the Asian market. He is an expert in assessing and establishing new supply partnerships for Premium Ingredients International.

Stephen J. Watts
General Manager, Premium Ingredients International (UK), Ltd.
Steve Watts joined Premium Ingredients International as part of its 2002 acquisition of AMC Chemicals, a division of Amalgameted Metals Corporation, PLC. Steve joined AMC Chemicals in 1980 as sales manager and was appointed General Manager in 1985 to initiate business in the food industry. He graduated with honors from Swansea University, Swansea, Wales. Steve holds a First Class B.Sc. Honors Degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science.

Donald P. Cepican
Chief Financial Officer
Don Cepican came to Premium Ingredients International as CFO in 2002. Don is a Certified Public Accountant with over 20 years of accounting and finance experience in global manufacturing and distribution. He holds a business administration degree with an accounting major from the University of Iowa and an MBA degree from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.

Richard D. Calabrese
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
After 20 years of sales management experience, Rich Calabrese joined Premium Ingredients International in 2002 to oversee direct and indirect distribution channels. He has a B.A degree in business administration from Elmhurst College.

Suzanne C. Johnson
Research & Development Director
Dr. Sue Johnson was the research and development director at a major Midwest flavor company before joining Premium Ingredients International in 2005. With a B.S. degree in chemistry, she earned her Masters degree and Ph.D. in physical analytical chemistry from Northwestern University.