{"id":24659,"date":"2024-11-27T17:31:40","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T00:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/al-harper-named-to-rocky-mountain-chocolate-factory-board-of-directors\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:58:13","slug":"al-harper-named-to-rocky-mountain-chocolate-factory-board-of-directors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/al-harper-named-to-rocky-mountain-chocolate-factory-board-of-directors\/","title":{"rendered":"Al Harper named to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory board of directors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Al
Al Harper, right, owner of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and his son John Harper, general manager, stand in front steam engine No. 481 on Saturday. The locomotive\u2019s trip that morning marked its last before it is converted into an oil-burning engine. It is the last of the railroad\u2019s engines to burn coal instead of oil. The conversion makes for a pivotal point in the railroad\u2019s history. (Jerry McBride\/ Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. announced the appointment of Al Harper, CEO of American Heritage Railways, to its board of directors Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The move comes after American Heritage Railways acquired a significant stake in the confectioner earlier this year.<\/p>\n

In August, American Heritage Railways purchased about 13% of Rocky Mountain\u2019s shares, a $2.2 million investment for 1.25 million shares at $1.75 a piece. Harper\u2019s board appointment was part of the agreement, reflecting his desire for a governance role, according to Rocky Mountain\u2019s Interim CEO Jeff Geygan.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerican Heritage Railways is a great partner for us,\u201d Mr. Geygan said, describing Harper as a seasoned executive whose leadership and business acumen will bolster the board\u2019s capabilities.<\/p>\n

The Durango-based chocolate manufacturer and franchiser faced a rocky summer, with shares tumbling to $1.53 in August, their lowest level in five years. However, the company had a more favorable fall 2024, with its stock climbing to $3.22 on Oct. 28, ahead of Halloween where confectionery products tends to be in demand. As of Tuesday, shares were trading at $2.66.<\/p>\n

Harper\u2019s continued involvement reflects broader efforts by Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to solidify its roots in Durango while positioning itself for growth. Rocky Mountain has undergone a slew of personnel changes along with its struggling stock prices in recent years. But Harper isn\u2019t worried about the company\u2019s trajectory, saying he has faith in the leadership of Geygan.<\/p>\n

Geygan has underscored his dedication to revitalizing Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory by stepping down from his position on the board and taking on the role of interim CEO indefinitely.<\/p>\n

In the process, Geygan took a leave of absence from his position as board chairman for Global Value Investment Corp., an investment research and advisory firm he founded in 2007.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s bound and determined to bring that stock price back up,\u201d Harper said. \u201cWhen you have someone who\u2019s that committed, you want to partner with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

American Heritage\u2019s influence on the company brings decades of retail experience to the table. Harper hopes to instill more of his community-based philosophy on the board \u2013 something both Geygan and Harper agree upon.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to put love into the business,\u201d Harper said. \u201cSuccess is the result of doing what\u2019s good for your community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The partnership between American Heritage Railways and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory reflects a mutually beneficial alignment of interests. Both companies stand to gain from Durango\u2019s robust tourism market, where a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory retail store operates just a quarter-mile from American Heritage\u2019s train station, creating natural synergies between the two businesses.<\/p>\n

American Heritage Railways, a well-known Durango-based enterprise, reaches over 2 million customers annually through its railroads, historic attractions and licensed special events at more than 50 locations. The partnership presents a significant opportunity for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to expand its customer base.<\/p>\n

Under the company\u2019s current nonemployee director compensation policy, Harper will receive an annual cash retainer of $32,000 and an annual equity award valued at $40,000 in restricted stock units.<\/p>\n

The equity award will be calculated based on the 10-day volume-weighted average price of the company\u2019s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market. Both the cash retainer and equity award will be prorated for Harper\u2019s initial year of service on the board.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really want to have Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in our community,\u201d Harper said. \u201cThey\u2019re good for our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

American Heritage Railways purchased a significant portion of company in August<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[431,170,28,1355],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-24659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-business-general","tag-durango-and-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad-co","tag-headlines","tag-rocky-mountain-chocolate-factory"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24659"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78624,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24659\/revisions\/78624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24659"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=24659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}