SKventure: WhenDreams Coming True in LA's Hospitality Sector

Shyon Keoppel

Shyon Keoppel, President of SKventure, the Oklahoma business group that embraces construction, real estate management, and hospitality, lives by the mantra "build bridges not burn them." Though not exactly in the bridge-building business, let alone that of burning them, SKventure prides itself on over a hundred successful construction projects completed over its lifetime, mainly in the Midwest. Pushing its frontier westwards, in December 2019, SKventure opened its first sports bar and lounge 3rd Base in LA, an upscale version of its namesake Shyon's used to own in his hometown. The project was applauded by the fastidious Hollywood public.

Having started as an entrepreneur at the young age of 19 by making prudent investments in real estate, Keoppel has since relied on in-house construction to develop all of SKventure's real estate and hospitality projects. "Real estate and construction go hand in hand," rightfully points out Keoppel. "We use our construction company for all of the ventures—from concept to design, everything is done in-house, and we use all of our companies when possible from start to finish of a new project," says Keoppel. SKventure now owns, partly or in full, several thriving real estate businesses in Keoppel's hometown that form a sound foundation for the Group's organic growth. Parallel with expanding his real estate and construction businesses, Keoppel established Millennial Capital Group, a lending and finance arm, to help expand his main operations, and fund third-party ventures. "People were coming to me with different investable ideas, so I started helping those who wanted to start their own companies either with capital, or helped them out with advice, or space to lease. Then I started doing some angel investing and a lot more tech stuff," elaborates Keoppel.

Driven by Keoppel's ambition, SKventure soon branched out into the hospitality and restaurant business, conceptualizing and building restaurants and hospitality spaces from scratch, using in-house construction teams. The Group now owns and manages several bars and lounges in and near Oklahoma. Yet, since early childhood when he spent family holidays in Santa Barbara—his father's hometown—Keoppel fell for LA, and his fascination with the city only grew stronger over the years and with more visits. "Everything good comes from LA, all the big brands are born in big cities like NYC, Miami, and LA," reveals Keoppel . "In my main city, I just felt there was no challenge anymore. I wanted to create a big brand, and in Oklahoma, if you create a new nice brand, nobody really cares," speaks Keoppel of his business ambitions.

Having permanently moved to LA a few years ago and determined to get a foothold for his brand SKventure there, Keoppel together with partners conceptualized, built and opened to the public in December 2019 3rd Base, a plush sports bar and lounge. Nestled in Hollywood, 3rd Base offers an unmatched dining experience and a unique sports viewing atmosphere. Two more hospitality projects are in the making, a large restaurant on Melrose, and a lounge on Sunset. Though the last two have experienced COVID-induced delays, both are slated for opening in 1Q 2021.

The unrelenting push towards diversity and excellence led Keoppel to test himself in an uncharted area. Thus The Label was born—a music record company. Founded in August 2019 together with songwriter and manager Michael Grammy Gebrehiwot, and artist Ebon Lurks, The Label signed an Oklahoma artist for starters. "We are not pursuing more artists at this time - we are just with this one guy and going through these learning curves," confesses Keoppel. Given Shyon's talent in creating thriving businesses, he may well soon excel in this area, too.

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