Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has appointed Al Harper, owner of American Heritage Railways, as its interim chief executive officer and principal executive officer.
Harper’s appointment is effective immediately and follows the resignation of interim CEO Jeff Geygan, which was announced last week. Geygan had served in the role since 2024.
Neither Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory nor Geygan responded to requests for comment on the reason for Geygan’s departure.
Geygan, who had grand plans to turn the “hemorrhaging” confectionary company around, expressed an intention to remain in the role longterm, despite the interim title. In January, he told The Durango Herald that “you’ll know (the company) is fixed when you see we have a new CEO.”
Geygan will remain on the RMCF board, according to a Form 8-K filed Thursday.
According to a company news release, Harper was selected because of his familiarity with the company’s business and franchise system from his previous service on the board of directors. The release also cited his decades of business and management experience and his track record of growing companies.
Harper, who served on the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory board for a year in 2024, has been a major investor in the company. Although he recently sold a notable portion of his shares – around 190,000 – following the company’s underwhelming fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings report, Harper told The Durango Herald in an earlier interview that he remains optimistic about the company's future.
He said the stock sale was a business move meant to capitalize on a temporary increase in the share price rather than an effort to distance himself from the company.
“(The company is) really struggling, but we still love the company, and we’re not bailing on it,” he told the Herald earlier this month.
Harper and his son originally hoped to buy the company, but turned to investing in stocks instead after discovering the cost was out of reach.
“Our original intent – my son John and I – were interested in trying to buy the company, and when that couldn’t be done ... then we decided, ‘Well, let’s invest in the company, go on the board for a year,’ because we really want to see it stay in Durango,” he said in June. “It’s an important part of our economy here, and we just love the company.”
In the same interview, Harper said product diversification should be a focus of RMCF.
“I like always having something new and different in front of the market. ... And I just think Rocky Mountain (Chocolate Factory) needs to do the same, and I think they're working on it,” he said. “I still wish I owned it.”
American Heritage Railways owns and operates the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Harper will serve as interim CEO for 180 days. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.
jbowman@durangoherald.com; epond@durangoherald.com
