Utz Quality Foods leader Michael W. Rice dies at 84

Michael W. “Mike” Rice, the longtime leader and former chairman of Utz Quality Foods, has died at the age of 84. He passed away on October 10 at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania.

Rice spent over five decades with the family-owned snack manufacturer, serving as president and CEO starting in 1978 and later as chairman. Under his leadership, Utz transformed from a regional potato chip business based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, into a national competitor. He oversaw the expansion of product lines to include pretzels, popcorn, and cheese curls, and managed significant increases in manufacturing capacity and distribution reach across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

A graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University and George Washington University Law School, Rice joined the company formally in 1968. Following the company’s transition to a public entity in 2020, he served as a director and chairman emeritus. In recognition of his contributions, Utz opened a 650,000-square-foot national logistics hub in Hanover in December, named the Rice Distribution Center in honor of Mike and his wife, Jane.