Utz Announces Board of Director Retirement of Michael Rice and Appointment of William Werzyn Jr.

Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE: UTZ) (“Utz” or the “Company”), Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE: UTZ) (“Utz” or the “Company”), a leading U.S. manufacturer of branded Salty Snacks and a small-cap value and growth Staples equity, announced that Michael W. Rice has retired from his position on the Utz Board of Directors (the “Board”), effective August 20. Mr. Rice will continue to participate in Board activities as an observer. The Company has also announced that William “B.J.” Werzyn Jr. has been appointed as a Director on the Board and will fill the vacancy created by Mr. Rice’s retirement.

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Utz Announces Board of Director Retirement of Michael Rice and the Appointment of William Werzyn Jr. See Michael Rice (left), William “B.J.” Werzyn Jr. (right). Source: Utz Brands, Inc.

Mr. Rice served Utz in numerous roles in a career that spanned well over fifty years. Mr. Rice formally joined the family business in 1968, and became Executive Vice President in 1970, President and Chief Executive Officer in 1978, and Chairperson and CEO in 1992. In 2012, Mr. Rice turned the day-to-day senior leadership for the then family-owned company to Dylan Lissette, a fourth-generation family member through marriage. Utz became a publicly traded Company in 2020, after which Mr. Rice served as a Director and Chairperson Emeritus on the Utz Brands, Inc. Board of Directors.

During his tenure, Mr. Rice is credited for diversifying the Company with pretzels, cheese curls, and other Salty Snack food subcategories, expanding Utz’s capabilities and capacity, while also leading the business’s accelerated geographic expansion beyond Utz’s Central Pennsylvania and Maryland roots. Mr. Rice was often quoted as saying, “Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves. Pay attention to the details,” a mantra that has lived on and is often repeated among Utz associates.

“Mike is a true Utz icon whose contributions to the Company are too numerous to count,” said Howard Friedman, Utz CEO. “What was always clear was Mike’s treatment of the associates of this company as family. His legacy as one of the true architects of Utz’s amazing success will forever live on. We are thrilled that Mike will continue to participate with guidance and insight to the Utz Board in an observer capacity.”