Our Team
Strategically spread across two locations in San Diego and Dallas, our team is ready to create a specialized procurement program to meet your needs.
Dan Spinazzola
Founder and Chairman
Born and raised in Port Chester, NY, Dan moved to San Diego in 1951. Dan graduated from the University of Utah after playing football for the Utes. Inspired by the desire to disrupt the food service and retail industry, Dan’s professional career centers around finding solutions and implementing strategic procurement and food marketing programs. He has spent over 50 years building sourcing solutions with proteins, produce, and many other products to meet clients’ needs.
Dan established Diversified Restaurant Systems, Inc. (DRS) in 1986 and began working on specialized solutions for the restaurant industry, and his two sons, Mike and Mark Spinazzola joined him in 1989 and 2003. With over 35 years in the industry, this family-owned business has earned its place across North America and beyond. Dan inspires many due to his passion for the produce, protein, and foodservice business. Dan’s aspiration to provide premium supply chain management and procurement strategies to the produce business and cross-functional industries has led Diversified Restaurant Systems, Inc. to be a one-stop solution for customer needs.
Dan works with various community organizations and is involved with numerous non-profit organizations. His innovative vision and desire to lead have connected him again with the University of Utah, where he supports individuals with the same passions as him. In his free time, Dan enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Mike Spinazzola
President & CEO
As President & CEO of Diversified Restaurant Systems, Inc. (DRS), Mike brings 40 years of experience in the produce industry. Born in Salt Lake City, UT, Mike grew up in San Diego, CA. He graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness Marketing while beginning his career in the produce industry in 1982 with Maggio Inc. He worked in the packing shed, harvesting, and sales departments to understand the industry. The experience sparked his passion for produce and helped pave the way for his career in the produce industry.
In 1991, Mike became a DRS partner; he has played a crucial role in developing unique solutions tailored for challenging programs. Throughout his career, Mike has cultivated countless long-term relationships with partners in the produce industry and has become a subject matter expert in supply chain management and procurement functions related to the quick-service food industry. Never standing still, Mike works tirelessly and is a highly active member of the produce industry; he is currently a Board Member of the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) and is a past Board Member of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA). He has served on numerous advisory boards, committees, and mentoring programs.
Mike currently lives in Dallas, TX, with his wife Erika. He enjoys spending time with his family, doing community activities, and golfing in his free time.
Mark Spinazzola
Executive Vice President, Foodservice Sales
As Executive Vice President, Foodservice Sales at Diversified Restaurant Systems, Inc. (DRS), Mark brings 25 years of experience in the corporate sector. Mark is trained at creating the best action plan for each client’s distinctive needs and is steadfast in facilitating their progress. Raised in San Diego, CA, Mark earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Shortly after his graduation, he moved to Tokyo, Japan, to attain extensive business experience and immerse himself in the Japanese language and culture.
Mark sharpened his sales, marketing, and business development skills while living in Japan and returned home to San Diego in 2002 with his wife, Masami, and daughter Karina. Mark joined DRS in early 2003, bringing his sales and business development experience to the protein category. Over the last 21 years, Mark has managed protein sales to a large, global food chain, including the day-to-day coordination of manufacturer operations, new product development, and ensuring product volume requirements and specifications meet customer needs. He is fluent in Japanese and brings a global perspective to the team.
Mark lives in San Diego with his wife Masami. Mark enjoys international travel, especially returning to Tokyo to see their daughter Karina and other family members.
Amy Smith
Director of Supply Chain Operations
Amy Smith is the Director of Supply Chain Operations at DRS. Amy grew up in Ontario, Canada and moved to the U.S. for University earning an academic and athletic scholarship for swimming, competing for the University of Indianapolis while obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication. She began her career as a writer but shifted her focus after moving to California to utilize her organizational skills to assist executives and creating efficiencies in reporting and operations. Amy found her home at DRS in 2009 and began assisting executive leadership with data projects and organization. Taking on increasing responsibilities as her supply chain knowledge and produce expertise grew, Amy helped develop a team structure to maximize efficiencies in the business model and took on a managerial role training and coaching team members to ensure the highest quality of work is delivered.
Amy prides herself on providing a professional, organized, and comprehensive product that takes into consideration the current and future business needs. Her exemplary attention to detail and process creation has allowed her to successfully execute legal contracts, manage RFPs, develop reporting on goals and KPIs as well as provide strategic direction.
Amy and her husband Joel moved from San Diego, CA to Dallas, TX in 2021 and along with their two kids enjoy swimming and spending time exploring their new city.
Michael Silva
Director of Purchasing
Michael Silva grew up in a small farming community in Tracy, CA, and at 11 years old started working with his family’s custom hay service business. He graduated from San Diego State with a BA in Public Administration and started his career in supply chain after graduation. He is currently the Director of Purchasing for DRS and has over 18 years of supply chain experience across distribution management, logistics, inventory control and procurement functions.
Michael’s understanding of farming gives him a unique perspective of assessing the needs of growers in relation to crop planting, forecasting, and navigating commodity markets. His specialization allows him to understand impacts of the weather on crops and the direct impact on farmers.
Michael’s focus has been on procurement for chain programs over the past 10 years and has direct buying experience across many categories including bakery, eggs, fluid dairy as well as processed and fresh produce.
Michael currently lives in Alpine, CA with his wife and two children. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and taking his kids to sporting events.
Tammy Cruz
Office Manager
Tammy Cruz was raised in Omaha, NE and received a BA in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Tammy’s career started as an Accounting Specialist with Duncan Aviation and progressed into a role managing banking processes with First Data Corporation in Denver, CO. Tammy spent several years in Oil & Gas serving on the Board of Directors for an engineering consulting firm based in Denver, CO.
In 2016 Tammy moved to San Diego, CA, and started with DRS as the Office Manager overseeing all finance and accounting processes and assumed all Human Resources functions. In 2021, Tammy relocated to DRS’ Dallas office and manages the financial, accounting and Human Resources roles for both the Dallas and San Diego locations.
In her free time, Tammy enjoys trying new restaurants throughout Dallas and playing the piano.
Brandon McKibbin
Supply Chain Manager
Brandon McKibbin grew up in the Salinas Valley and received his BS in Agricultural Business at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has over 20 years of experience in the produce industry. Brandon spent 13 years with Fresh Express/ Chiquita focusing on Innovations, Sales & Customer Service, Demand Planning, and Logistics. His last several years at Fresh Express/Chiquita focused on the Foodservice Business Management team suppling product to McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, and all the major Broadline Distributors across the country.
Brandon has been with DRS since 2015 managing supply chains, developing relationships with bulk produce Growers and Re-Packers in the US, Canada, and Mexico. He currently is DRS’ Supply Chain Manager, with a concentration on developing and executing sourcing programs to supply DRS customers with the freshest produce at the most competitive prices on a daily basis.
Brandon currently lives in Encinitas, CA, and enjoys surfing as much as possible and staying active outdoors in his free time.