Michael “Mike” W. Rice, who led Utz Brands for more than 50 years, died Oct. 10 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, surrounded by his family. He was 84.
Rice was born Oct. 4, 1942, to Francis Xavier Rice and Arlene Utz Rice; his mother was the daughter of Utz founders Bill and Salie Utz. He grew up in the family business, unloading 100-pound burlap potato sacks in the summers beginning at age 11 and working jobs after school and on weekends. After graduating from Mount St. Mary’s University in 1965 and earning a law degree from George Washington University Law School in 1968, he formally joined Utz that year.
Rice became EVP in 1970, was named president and CEO in 1978 and assumed the role of chairman and CEO in 1992. Under his leadership, Utz grew well beyond its Central Pennsylvania and Maryland roots, expanding into new snack categories, increasing manufacturing capabilities and bringing its products to consumers nationwide.
“Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves. Pay attention to the details,” Rice often said, a mantra still repeated among Utz associates.
Logistics hub named for Rice and wife Jane
In 2012, Rice moved into the role of executive chairman, turning day-to-day leadership over to Dylan Lissette, a fourth-generation family member through his marriage to Rice’s daughter Stacie. After Utz went public in 2020, Rice served as director and chairman emeritus on the board. He retired from the board in August 2024, continuing in an advisory capacity. That December, Utz opened a 650,000-square-foot national logistics hub in Hanover named the Rice Distribution Center in honor of Rice and his wife of 60 years, Jane.
“Mike is a true Utz icon whose contributions to the company are too numerous to count,” said Howard Friedman, CEO of Utz. “What was always clear was Mike’s belief and treatment of the associates of this company as family. His legacy at Utz will forever live on.”
“After 30-plus years of working beside Mike, I can easily say that there was no other individual who contributed so much to the success of this business over the last 50-plus years,” said Lissette, chairperson of the Utz board. “Mike had a strategic vision of where this company could go, hired great people along the way, and I know ultimately that there was nothing that gave him more pride than hearing about our associates, and their successes in growing the company.”
Devoted to Hanover
Rice was closely involved in philanthropy, most personally through the Rice Family Foundation, established in 2017 to support education, health and the well-being of families in the Hanover community.
Utz said Rice’s passing does not affect the planned closing of its transaction with Intersnack Group, announced in July, which will return Utz to private ownership with the Rice and Lissette families and Intersnack each owning 50 percent. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.
Hanover, Pennsylvania-based Utz manufactures salty snacks under brands including Utz, On The Border Chips & Dips, Golden Flake, Zapp’s, Boulder Canyon, Hawaiian Brand and Tortiyahs, distributed through grocery, mass, club, convenience and drug channels.
Related: Utz To Go Private In $2.9B Deal With Germany’s Intersnack