Michael W. “Mike” Rice, the longtime chairman and chief executive officer of Utz Quality Foods who helped transform the Hanover, Pa.-based snack manufacturer from a regional potato chip business into a national competitor, died October 10 at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He was 84.
Rice spent more than five decades with the family-owned company, serving as president and CEO beginning in 1978 and later as chairman of the board. During his tenure, Utz expanded its manufacturing capacity, diversified its product portfolio and extended its distribution well beyond its Pennsylvania and Maryland roots.
Born October 4, 1942, in Hanover, Rice was the grandson of William and Salie Utz, who founded the company in 1921, initially producing potato chips in their home kitchen.
Rice graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in 1965 and George Washington University Law School in 1968. After being admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar, he worked briefly for Control Data Corp. in Virginia before returning to Hanover at his parents’ request to join the family business.
He succeeded his father, Francis Xavier Rice, as president and CEO in 1978, beginning a period of sustained investment in production facilities and geographic expansion.
Building a National Snack Business
Under Rice’s leadership, Utz expanded beyond potato chips into pretzels, cheese curls, popcorn and other salty snack categories.
The company undertook major manufacturing expansions during the 1980s, including a 300,000-square-foot addition to its High Street facility in Hanover. It also expanded distribution into Richmond, Norfolk, Philadelphia and Delaware, followed by additional markets throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Rice became chairman of the board in 1992. The following year, Utz began serving national retail customers, and in 1996 the company entered the New York City market. A new distribution center opened in Hanover in 1997 to support its growing national business.
The company continued expanding its manufacturing and distribution network during the 2000s and subsequently added several regional snack brands through acquisitions, including Zapp’s, Bachman, Good Health and Golden Flake.
Rice transferred day-to-day senior leadership to his son-in-law, Dylan Lissette, in 2012. Lissette became CEO in 2013, while Rice remained chairman.
Utz became publicly traded in 2020 through a combination with Collier Creek Holdings. Rice subsequently served as director and chairman emeritus before retiring from the company’s board in 2024.
Industry Leadership and Community Involvement
Rice was active in the broader snack food industry, serving for many years on the board of the Snack Food Association, including as chairman in 1982.
When Rice retired from the Utz board in August 2024, the company credited him with helping build the manufacturing capacity, product diversity and distribution network that supported its transformation into a national snack food manufacturer.
“Mike is a true Utz icon whose contributions to the Company are too numerous to count,” then-CEO Howard Friedman said in the company’s retirement announcement.
Friedman also cited Rice’s longstanding commitment to company employees, describing him as one of the principal architects of Utz’s growth.
Outside the company, Rice served on the boards of the Hanover Area YMCA and Hanover Hospital. He also was a founding member of Sageworth Trust Co. in Lancaster, Pa., in 2001.
Rice and his wife, Jane, established the Rice Family Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofit organizations. The couple also supported educational programs and community fundraising initiatives throughout the Hanover area.
Rice is survived by his wife of 60 years, Jane Epley Rice; daughter Stacie Rice Lissette; son Matthew Rice; two sisters; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild, along with additional stepfamily members.
Visitation will be held October 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. at Kenworthy Funeral Home in Hanover. A memorial service is scheduled for October 31 at 1 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hanover.
The family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Hanover Area YMCA or a charity of the donor’s choice.