{{Short description|American furniture store owner}} '''Hilton Koch''' is the owner of Hilton Furniture, a retail store in Houston. Koch was the owner of the Houston Comets of the WNBA before they folded.
==Houston Comets ownership== Koch bought the Comets from Rockets owner Les Alexander in January 2007. Shortly after the purchase, team control was handed over to the WNBA. Hilton Koch sustained annual losses of over $4 million and was unable to keep the team competitive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackathlete.com/artman2/publish/Women_s_Basketball_37/Let_The_Truth_Be_Told_In_Houston.shtml |title=Let The Truth Be Told In Houston-WNBA's Comets Are For Sale |website=blackathlete.com}}</ref> The league shut the Comets team down entirely in December 2008.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sandomir |first1=Richard |title=W.N.B.A. Folds Its Houston Team Over Finances |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/sports/basketball/03wnba.html |access-date=April 11, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=December 3, 2008}}</ref>
==Late night television ads== In 2000, Conan O'Brien staged a competition on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' between two of the show's advertisers, Jim McIngvale of Gallery Furniture and Koch. Hilton Furniture won the Late Night battle of the ads contest, and O'Brien brought Hilton to New York to appear on ''Late Night'' as well as for "an advertiser makeover" from Foote, Cone & Belding. During this remote, O'Brien met his future wife Liza Powel, who was a copywriter with FCB.<ref>{{cite news |title=Conan O'Brien show finally gets early time slot here |url=http://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Conan-O-Brien-show-finally-gets-early-time-slot-1569035.php |work=Houston Chronicle |date=June 8, 2005 |access-date=April 18, 2013}}</ref>
==Personal== Koch hails from the small town of Braithwaite, Louisiana near New Orleans. He attended Nicholls State University where he was president of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Distinguished Alumni |url=https://www.tke.org/about/distinguished-alumni |publisher=Tau Kappa Epsilon |access-date=December 7, 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Hilton}} Category:Houston Comets owners Category:Living people Category:People from Houston Category:WNBA executives Category:Year of birth missing (living people)