Daniel Fachner on employee retention
From Behind ICEE®, SuperPretzel®, Dippin’ Dots®: A Lesson in Faith-Driven Leadership | Dan Fachner · · Faith Driven Investor
“Organizations that have a lot of happy employees have three times the revenue growth and they outperform the stock market by a factor of three, while Gallup estimates put the cost of turnover between 50% and 200% of an employee's salary.”
On , Daniel Fachner, President, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman at J & J SNACK FOODS CORP, spoke about employee retention during Behind ICEE®, SuperPretzel®, Dippin’ Dots®: A Lesson in Faith-Driven Leadership | Dan Fachner on Faith Driven Investor.
About Daniel Fachner
Dan Fachner, chairman, president, and CEO of J&J Snack Foods, discussed the company’s fiscal 2025 fourth quarter results in November 2025, noting that while the period presented challenges, the company built momentum heading into fiscal 2026. He reported adjusted EBITDA of $57.4 million on sales of $410.2 million, a 3.9% decline year-over-year, which he attributed in part to lapping strong volumes from the *Inside Out 2* movie release. Fachner announced a business transformation program called Project Apollo, which he said is expected to deliver at least $20 million in annualized operating income, and the closure of three facilities in North Carolina, Georgia, and California, with anticipated annualized savings of approximately $15 million. He also highlighted new product launches for fiscal 2026, including a protein-enriched pretzel, SuperPretzel pizza sticks, and Luigi’s Mini Pops, and noted that the rollout of Dippin’ Dots to nearly 1,600 theaters was substantially complete. In interviews and public appearances, Fachner has emphasized a leadership philosophy centered on caring for employees and customers. He stated that when the company moved its headquarters from California to Tennessee, 65% of employees relocated, which he attributed to a culture of servant leadership. Fachner has said that he integrates his Christian faith into his work, describing it as a source of guidance for treating people well and creating an attractive workplace culture. He has also commented on the impact of tariffs on ingredients like chocolate and cocoa, expressing cautious optimism that the government would provide relief on products that cannot be sourced domestically.