![]() Plus, there was the pleasant smell and the customer belief that the oil actually came from Hawaii. We were growing like crazy.”īut what made people flock to this new product? Part of the answer, Rice said, is that he had the right idea at the right time. “I paid them big money to do that work because I needed them, and I needed it done quick,” Rice said. And when it came time to apply labels to bottles, 11-year-old kids became incredibly resourceful. He wasn’t qualified to make lotions but called upon someone who could. ![]() He rubbed his concoctions on beachgoers to get a feel for what worked best. He mixed oil in the can and came up with his own formulas - a little “A, B, C” with “X, Y, Z,” Rice said. ![]() Rice had grown the company to a $70 million business when this photo was taken on July 18, 1981. Ron Rice, founder of Hawaiian Tropic, started his suntan oil business by mixing his formulas in a trash can. “I would run around the mountain like you wouldn’t believe. He would mix mortar during the day to help build his dad’s dream home on top of the mountain. Growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, Rice could do only three things: hunt game for Sunday morning meals, play defensive end and build a house.īefore he made his way to the top, Rice climbed from his family’s home on the side of a mountain toward the peak carrying rocks. Keep scrolling for the original story documenting Rice's life, from "mountain boy" to beach tan tycoon. Obit: Notorious Hawaiian Tropic founder and UT grad Ron Rice dies at 81 “Tennessee gave me more credit than I was really worth,” he told Knox News in 2020. His life has been filled with fast cars, celebrity encounters and “so much money we were rolling in it.”īut before his fame and fortune, Rice was just a student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville looking to capitalize on a unique opportunity after flunking out of nearly every school he attended. Rice, who died in his 12,000-square-foot beachfront home Thursday at age 81, became a multimillionaire by creating Hawaiian Tropic suntan oils and lotions, marketed through years of bikini pageants featuring Playboy models and Marla Maples, whom Rice would introduce to her future husband, Donald Trump. “I ended up getting in a different kind of oil business,” he said. But after graduation, the need for these products had declined. Rice had been working as a chemistry teacher and was trained in college to find oil and uranium. Maybe he - even with his limited knowledge - could do better. He saw floats, surfboards, umbrellas, and a beachgoer using a bottle of Coppertone.Ĭoppertone seemed to be the only product of its kind at the time, he said, and the stuff wasn’t all that great. BOTTOM LINE: I pay for all my stuff, just like you do.A young Ron Rice sat in his lifeguard stand looking around the beach, wondering what more he could do with his life. I've been doing reviews for over 25 years with Amazon - over 6,200 reviews posted, those reviews have been viewed well over 50,000 times, including well over 26,000 likes. It's a shame they phased this rating system out because it did help you see who has been around the longest and who is a trustworthy reviewer. For some reason our shopper ranks are no longer visible - so, to give you a little more info about me, I am a top 50 reviewer (#30 the highest rank achieved). I also refuse to 'change' my review for a refund of a product I have given a poor review - and that is offered from time to time. I receive/accept NO free products or discounts that are not available to all shoppers- ever. I am not influenced by any outside source. All of my reviews reflect my honest, personal experience with the reviewed item - your experience may be different. Having said all of this, I never hesitate to update my reviews should new info seem useful. I have purchased this brand for most of my life and have always loved it, relied on it.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |