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Hans Koch
Webcor Development Advisors

Mr. Koch is currently directing Webcor Development Advisors, a firm affiliated with Webcor Builders in San Mateo, California. WDA is a consultant to major developers, property owners, lenders, and equity investors on projects throughout the country. Mr. Koch co-founded and is an advisor to K2K Development, a real estate development and consulting company based in San Francisco. Among the firm’s signature projects is an award-winning residential/retail rehabilitation of an historic building in the shadows of the Transamerica building and featured in the movie “Vertigo.”

Mr. Koch has been involved in media as co-founder of Hark! Films and founder of FredMedia. Hark! is a boutique firm offering strategic direction for successful independent filmmakers with projects ranging from small budget, historical documentaries to full-length, big budget, feature films. FredMedia is a boutique firm handling music production.

Mr. Koch has been consulted by small to midsize companies and organizations across several industries looking to achieve growth in new product development, strategic alliances, and branding. Leading investors such as AOL/Time Warner Investments, Oak Hill Venture Partners, and Discover Financial Services have backed Koch’s ventures. Mr. Koch has bridged the traditional and new economy arenas in a variety of industries throughout his career.

As Chairman and CEO of Owners.com from 1995-2000, Mr. Koch directed the corporate strategy, marketing, recruiting, and public relations for the venture-backed company, elevating the Owners.com brand as an industry leader. Koch directed and negotiated the sale of the company, effective January 2001. With its Schwab-like model, media and industry analysts recognized Owners as one of the most innovative and progressive real estate companies on or off the Internet. Its awards include Owners.com being cited as the “Best Home-Selling Hub” by Yahoo! Internet Life, one of the “Top 50 Financial Sites” by Money Magazine, and among the “Best of the Web” by U.S. News and World Report.

JMB Retail Properties Co. (now Urban Retail Properties Co.) brought Mr. Koch to California in 1991. His management and development responsibilities in JMB’s California portfolio included oversight of retail, office, and commercial properties.

Mr. Koch has spoken as a featured lecturer at the Haas School of Business, InternetWorld, Seybold/SF, and various symposia. Mr. Koch has also been highlighted on various broadcast services including MSNBC and NPR's “Morning Edition,” as well as over 250 print publications including the Detroit Free Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, Business 2.0, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal. Koch both advises and volunteers for ComfortZoneCamp, a national bereavement camp for children who have lost a parent or sibling, including a dedicated program for kids directly affected by the events of September 11.


Michigan Business School