CONN QUEST at JW Marriott L.A. Live: Why Readiness Is the New Networking

Readiness Is the New Networking

Most business owners don't miss opportunities because they lack talent.

They miss them because they weren't ready when the right conversation finally happened.

That idea sits at the center of CONN QUEST, an evening gathering hosted tonight at JW Marriott L.A. Live by Kyra Renel and Kimberly Evans of Renel Evans. The theme on the invitation is simple and sharp: "Connecting our Ecosystems. We build Readiness into every transaction."

I'm Damien L Halliburton, and I'll be in the room tonight for Ventry Group. Here's what CONN QUEST is, who is behind it, and why a readiness-first approach matters for anyone doing business in the Los Angeles business ecosystem.

CONN QUEST: Tonight's Details

Here are the basics for tonight's gathering:

• Event: CONN QUEST
• Theme: Connecting our Ecosystems. We build Readiness into every transaction.
• Date: Monday, October 26, 2026
• Time: 8:30 PM
• Venue: JW Marriott L.A. Live, downtown Los Angeles
• Hosted by: Kyra Renel and Kimberly Evans
• Presented by: Renel Evans
• Access: By text RSVP through the hosts (see the official invitation)

CONN QUEST Lands During NMSDC Week

CONN QUEST lands during a busy week for business in downtown LA. The 2026 NMSDC Annual Conference & Exchange is running October 25–28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, just steps from L.A. Live.

That means owners, suppliers, advisors, and corporate partners from across the country are in the same few blocks this week. An evening built around connecting ecosystems fits that moment well.

Who Is Renel Evans?

Renel Evans Ltd Co is a strategic advisory firm with offices listed at 5850 San Felipe Street in Houston, Texas. Its public tagline is "We Build Readiness Into Every Strategy," and its core message is direct:

• > "Exit readiness isn't an event. It's an operating standard."

Three Connected Areas of Work

The firm's website lays out three connected areas of work:

• 1. Valuation & Advisory. Helping owners understand what their business is worth, where value is being lost, and what needs to change to close the gap. As the site puts it, "Highest achievable EBITDA is built, not discovered."
• 2. Deal Team Sourcing & Support. Bringing legal, transaction, diligence, and integration professionals together around one coordinated strategy, so the deal team isn't assembled too late.
• 3. Executive Leadership Coaching. Reducing founder dependency and preparing leaders and successors for what comes next. In their words, "Buyers don't buy founders. They buy systems that survive founders."

A Nine-Phase Path

Renel Evans organizes this work into a nine-phase path: Prepare & Position, Engage & Confirm, and Transition & Evolve. It offers tiered engagement levels for owners planning a transition anywhere from 6 months to 3 years out.

Kimberly Evans describes the firm on LinkedIn as a platform focused on closing "the capital and capacity gaps for diverse and emerging suppliers," Fortune 500 supplier development, and exit strategies for small and mid-sized businesses.

A Note on History

Renel Evans is a young firm. Public profiles show Kimberly Evans serving as Co-CEO since roughly 2025. We could not find a published founding date, past CONN QUEST editions, or event history, so we are not listing any. What is well documented is the experience of the two founders behind it.

Meet the Hosts: Kyra Renel and Kimberly Evans

Here's who is behind tonight's gathering.

Kyra Rénel Hardwick

Kyra Renel (Kyra Rénel Hardwick, MBA) is the founder and CEO of The Kyra Company, LLC, an operations, business development, and supplier success consulting firm she founded in 2015. Her published bio describes more than two decades of experience in strategic planning, operational management, and organizational development, built on a "people, process, and profitability" model.

A few highlights from her public record:

• Smart CEOs. She leads TKC Smart CEOs, an ecosystem of accelerators, roundtables, trainings, summits, and podcasts, including the Smart CEO™ Roundtable and Smart Talk Podcast.
• Smart CEO Summit. In September 2025, she curated the inaugural Smart CEO Summit in Houston under the theme "Collaboration is Capital."
• Community. In 2008 she founded Imagine Excellence, Inc., a youth leadership nonprofit focused on leadership, character development, and STEAM programs.
• Media. She is a co-founder of Black Women Are Media (BWA).

Proximity and Partnership

Her line from the 2025 summit announcement captures the spirit of tonight: "We believe that proximity and partnership are your secret weapons for rapid growth."

Kimberly Nicole Evans

Kimberly Nicole Evans is Co-CEO of Renel Evans and founder of Seismic Transformations and BeckEvans & Associates. Before launching her own firms, her career included roles in corporate and commercial banking at J.P. Morgan and middle market banking at PNC, plus a CFO role at a supply and services company.

In April 2025, she announced her move from corporate life into entrepreneurship with Seismic Transformations, which helps mid-career professionals become founders. Through BeckEvans & Associates, she advises companies on alternative capital, growth strategy, and financial risk.

Working Together

Kyra and Kimberly have built on each other's work in public. In January 2026, Kimberly released an interview with Kyra on navigating business through economic cycles.

On September 30, 2026, both were featured speakers for WBENC LIFT Entrepreneur Financial Readiness, a session titled "Design Your Future: Your Business as a Strategic Asset." That session covered acquisition readiness and transaction pathways, which is the same ground CONN QUEST covers tonight.

Why "Readiness in Every Transaction" Matters

Every owner says they want growth. Fewer are ready for what growth asks of them.

Readiness shows up in many forms:

• Supplier readiness. Can you deliver at the volume and compliance level a large buyer needs?
• Capital readiness. Are your financials clean enough for a lender, investor, or buyer to say yes quickly?
• Leadership readiness. Can the business run without the founder in every decision?
• Exit readiness. If the right buyer called tomorrow, would your business hold up in diligence?

Built Over Time, Not in One Meeting

None of these happen in one meeting. They are built over time. That's why a readiness-focused room is different from a typical mixer. People come to make connections that lead to real transactions, not just to trade business cards.

Why the Los Angeles Business Ecosystem Needs This

Los Angeles is a city of ecosystems. Entertainment, healthcare, logistics, construction, tech, professional services, and public sector buyers all work side by side. They don't always talk to each other.

L.A. Live sits in the middle of it. With the NMSDC conference nearby this week, downtown is full of suppliers, corporate buyers, and advisors. A gathering focused on connecting those groups, and on helping them be ready to transact, is useful for the whole region.

For local owners, that means:

• Meeting advisors before you need them. Valuation, legal, capital, and leadership help work best when they're lined up early.
• Meeting peers who've done it. Owners who have scaled, sold, or landed corporate contracts can shorten your learning curve.
• Meeting partners across industries. The best opportunities often come from outside your usual circle.

Where Ventry Group Fits

Ventry Group helps businesses Build Better Teams and Automate Better Businesses. We work across Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire, and nationwide in three areas:

• Agentic AI and automation. AI voice agents, CRM automation, missed-call recovery, appointment booking, and follow-up systems that keep revenue from slipping through the cracks.
• Staffing and executive recruiting. Finding the leaders and team members who reduce founder dependency and help companies scale.
• Fractional consulting. Senior-level strategy and operations support without a full-time hire.

These Connect Directly to Readiness

These connect directly to readiness.

Systems that survive founders. Renel Evans says buyers purchase systems, not founders. Automated intake, follow-up, scheduling, and reporting are exactly the kind of systems that make a business less dependent on any one person.

Leadership depth. Reducing key-person risk often starts with the right hire. Executive search and fractional leaders help owners step back from daily operations without losing momentum.

Clean data and fast response. Suppliers chasing corporate contracts need to respond quickly and track every conversation. A well-built CRM and AI follow-up make that possible at scale.

Tonight, I'm going to CONN QUEST to learn, connect, and support. I want to hear what owners, advisors, and partners in the room need to be ready for their next transaction, and share practical ways AI and the right people can help them get there.

How to Make the Most of a Readiness-Focused Event

If you're attending CONN QUEST or something like it this week, here's a simple game plan:

• Know your next transaction. Is it a contract, a capital raise, a key hire, or an exit? Lead with that.
• Bring one clear ask. Make it easy for people to help you.
• Listen for gaps. Every "we're not there yet" is a chance to connect someone with the right resource.
• Follow up within 48 hours. A short, specific message beats a long pitch.
• Log it the same day. Put names, notes, and next steps in your CRM before the details fade.

Let's Connect

If you're at JW Marriott L.A. Live tonight, come say hello. If you're not, the conversation doesn't stop at the event.

Whether you're getting ready for a corporate contract, building a leadership bench, or putting AI to work so your business can run without you in every seat, Ventry Group can help.

• Get a quote: [ventrygroup.com/get-quote](https://www.ventrygroup.com/get-quote)
• Learn more about Ventry Group: [ventrygroup.com](https://www.ventrygroup.com)
• Book Damien to speak: [ventrygroup.com/speaking](https://www.ventrygroup.com/speaking)

Connect the Ecosystem. Build the Readiness.

Connect the ecosystem. Build the readiness. Then make the transaction count.

Sources: Renel Evans Ltd Co website (renelevans.com); Kyra Renel official bio (kyrarenel.com); citybiz Q&A with Kyra Rénel Hardwick (March 2026); PR Newswire Smart CEO Summit announcement (September 2025); TKC Smart CEOs About page; WBENC event listing (September 30, 2026); public LinkedIn profiles and posts of Kimberly Nicole Evans and Renel Evans Ltd Co; NMSDC Conference event details. Event details are from the official CONN QUEST invitation. Ventry Group is attending CONN QUEST; this post does not claim a sponsorship or formal partnership.