{"id":137715,"date":"2026-07-06T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/new-rocky-mountain-chocolate-factory-interim-ceo-wants-to-make-chocolate-fun-again\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T05:16:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:16:59","slug":"new-rocky-mountain-chocolate-factory-interim-ceo-wants-to-make-chocolate-fun-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/new-rocky-mountain-chocolate-factory-interim-ceo-wants-to-make-chocolate-fun-again\/","title":{"rendered":"New Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Interim CEO wants to \u2018make chocolate fun again\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Al
Al Harper, owner of American Heritage Railways, was named interim CEO of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory this week following last week\u2019s resignation of previous interim CEO Jeff Geygan. (Durango Herald file)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Al Harper, owner of American Heritage Railways, wasn\u2019t looking for a job when former Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Interim CEO Jeffrey Geygan resigned last week \u2013 but he couldn\u2019t pass up a surprise offer from the Board of Directors to sign on as the confectionary\u2019s temporary new commander-in-chief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea I\u2019d ever be coming back here \u2013 it just wasn\u2019t on my schedule,\u201d said Harper, who served on the RMCF board for a year back in 2024. \u201c(The board) said that he (Geygan) had resigned, and would I consider coming and being the interim CEO of Rocky Mountain Chocolate, and I said, \u2018You\u2019re kidding me.\u2019 It was not a job I was looking for. I don\u2019t need a job \u2013 but I like the idea of a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geygan resigned June 26<\/a>, and the board called Harper the next day, he said. His first day of work was Wednesday.<\/p>\n

He was offered a hefty salary, but said he told the board he would rather keep the funds circulating in the struggling business and be paid the equivalent of $200,000 in stocks instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018Well, here\u2019s the deal: my stock is so low, you can pay me in stock. If I\u2019m successful, then I\u2019ll do really well. If I\u2019m not, I\u2019m stuck with a bunch of not very valuable stock,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThat way, we\u2019re not taking any cash from the company. The company needs the cash.\u201d<\/p>\n

A recent fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings report<\/a> reflected a $3.4 million loss and a 23.6% year-over-year revenue decline for the company. Meanwhile, RMCF\u2019s daily stock prices have plummeted over 85% in the last five years.<\/p>\n

Geygan once described the company as experiencing a financial \u201chemorrhage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The board offered Harper a 90-day tenure, but he insisted on serving for at least 180 days to adequately address the issues being experienced by the company, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018Geez, it\u2019s going to take maybe longer than 90 days, one: to figure out what\u2019s going on, two: to find the right person, if you want to replace me,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, let\u2019s make it for six months, and who knows? Maybe I\u2019ll apply to be permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harper said his main initiatives will be working to address RMCF\u2019s financial struggles, including the consistently low stock prices; focusing on relationships with franchisees and employees; and \u201cputting the fun back into chocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy theme is, \u2018Let\u2019s make chocolate fun again,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That intention means hearing his employees and franchisees\u2019 ideas and needs, exploring adding new items like chocolate slushies, possibly bringing factory tours back from the dead and making RMCF an enjoyable and collaborative place to work, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is going to be a team effort,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re in this together, we\u2019re all family, we\u2019re all on a team, and we\u2019re going to make it work together. It will be fun, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the \u201cmake chocolate fun again\u201d initiative involves some additional \u201csecret\u201d plans Harper said could not yet be disclosed.<\/p>\n

More than anything, Harper wants to refocus the company through a local lens after years of out-of-state CEO leadership and RMCF taking on an increasingly \u201ccorporate\u201d energy, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to get back to the old fashioned fun that Rocky Mountain was, and get away from this really corporate Wall Street kind of approach,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t work out \u2013 not in the chocolate business, not in Durango, Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harper wants the next CEO who succeeds him to live in Durango \u2013 which was not a requirement of most of the previous CEOs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think (the next CEO) needs to be local and needs to live here,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, you can\u2019t build a real corporate culture when you\u2019re only here two weeks out of the month \u2013 you need to live it. You need to have the passion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rocky
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Interim CEO Jeff Geygan talks about the company\u2019s future Jan. 22 at the factory in Bodo Industrial Park in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Harper said he doesn\u2019t know why Geygan resigned, but he has some guesses. Harper was on the board when Geygan was hired, and saw some of his early work up close.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he had a lot of plans, and was frustrated things weren\u2019t happening as fast as he would have liked,\u201d he said. \u201cCertainly, my style of business is much different than his. He\u2019s very much a corporate guy, and I\u2019m very much a family team guy. \u2026 I think maybe he was the right guy at that time when he came on, and maybe I\u2019m the right guy now to take it to a different level. I hope that\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geygan, who will remain on the RMCF board, according to a Form 8-K<\/a> filed last week, told the Herald<\/em> in a written statement Thursday that he welcomes Harper joining the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cAl will find the executive team has invested significant time developing a strategic plan that is generating exceptional results, as evidenced by multiple new store openings,\u201d he said. \u201cI welcome Al and believe he will act in the best interest of stockholders, many of whom are employees and residents of Durango.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rocky
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Interim CEO Jeff Geygan and Chief Financial Officer Carrie Cass talk with employees Mickey Snead, left, and Rodelda Bunnie as they package Pecan Bears at the factory on Jan. 22 in Bodo Industrial Park in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Harper has a modest \u201cmaybe, maybe not\u201d outlook on his ability to raise prices, despite his pay day being directly tied to his ability to improve numbers.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, now that I know that I\u2019m getting this huge (stock) compensation as CEO, I want to work hard,\u201d he said. \u201c(But) I\u2019m not telling anybody to run and buy stock. \u2026 I\u2019m just saying I\u2019m going to work really hard to make Rocky Mountain Chocolate do well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harper, who is a major investor in the company, recently sold about 190,000 shares over the course of three months after the release of the company\u2019s underwhelming fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He told The<\/em> Durango Herald<\/em> in a previous interview \u2013 and reiterated Wednesday \u2013 that the sales were made as a prudent business move, not as an attempt to distance himself from the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did I sell stock? It was really simple,\u201d he said. \u201cThe price went so that it was a 53% profit per share, and I didn\u2019t know if I\u2019d ever come back to Rocky Mountain, and I thought, \u2018Well, I\u2019ll sell a little bit at a time.\u2019 \u2026 Now it\u2019s way down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shares, which were bought by Harper for $1.75 per share in 2024, sold at about $2.60 per share this year during a temporary spring stock price increase.<\/p>\n

Stocks closed at $1.05 Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sold some shares at that, because it was a good profit \u2013 not because I was particularly trying to get away from Rocky Mountain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Harper said he\u2019s ready to put his best effort into leading the company for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy whole goal is that I\u2019ll be here every day,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I love chocolate, so that\u2019s not a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

epond@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Al Harper plans to move RMCF away from \u2018corporate\u2019 model, address financial woes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5736,5735],"tags":[431,1820,28,1355,6419],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-137715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-business-general","tag-dh-trueanthem","tag-headlines","tag-rocky-mountain-chocolate-factory","tag-tj-trueanthem"],"acf":[],"author_name":"Website Administrator","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137715"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137716,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137715\/revisions\/137716"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137715"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=137715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}