Ken Kocher, president, Hat World Inc.
Born: Crosby, N.D.
Education: Bachelor’s of business degree in accounting, University of North Dakota
What was your first job?
I was a paperboy for the Devils Lake Journal. I did that for a couple years. That teaches you the importance of money at a young age. At that time, we had to collect money from all the customers.
I was a multisport athlete growing up, so I had to do it around practice and games. It taught me time management. I played football, baseball, basketball and track. In football, I was a linebacker and tight end. It was a small school and you had to play them all. Otherwise they wouldn’t have enough kids.
Favorite sports to play and to watch: My favorite sport to play growing up was football. My favorite sport now to play is golf. Baseball is my favorite sport to watch now.
Favorite hat: Any hat that has a Cubs emblem on it.
Dress code at Hat World: We don’t allow ties in this building. If our buyers are meeting with a vendor, they’ll wear khakis and a colored shirt that day. But no ties allowed. People pretty much know, if someone walks in with a tie, we’ll go, ‘Who is that?’
Is everyone at Hat World a Colts fan?
We have a fair amount of Colts fans, but it’s all over the board. It’s fun to do that because you’ll see [who employees root for] in their offices, and it’s really a conversation piece. Why do you have Oakland A’s or New York Mets? How did you become a Vikings fan? That’s our culture. I’d say there are probably more other teams in here than the Colts.
