Hanover-based Utz Brands, a branded salty snacks manufacturer, recently opened a 650,000-square-feet logistics center in Hanover.
The Rice Distribution Center, named after the grandson of Bill and Salie Utz, Michael W. Rice, will serve as the company’s primary logistics hub for its facilities located throughout the United States for inventory storage, consolidation and distribution.
The center will have the capacity to move 1.1 billion pounds of product and 2.3 million pallets of product annually.
“Our new logistics center reflects our commitment to operational excellence and growth,” Howard Friedman, Utz Brands CEO, said. “The facility expands capacity, enhances efficiency, and streamlines operations for our customers, and we are proud to honor Mike Rice’s extraordinary legacy through it. A sincere thanks to the state of Pennsylvania and our many local agencies for their help and support in bringing this vision to life in a way that alleviates traffic flow and congestion in our community.”
Rice recently retired after more than 50 years with the company.
A traffic light will be installed at the intersection of High Street and Kindig Lane in Hanover to ease congestion near Utz’s operations. The light is the result of a collaboration between the Governor’s Office of Transformation and Opportunity, Adams County, the Borough of Hanover, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.