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During halftime of the 4/8/22 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Julio Aceves of Torrance, CA won an all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra by scoring 51 points in the Toyota Skills Challenge Finals.

Aceves competed against three other contestants tonight, after qualifying based on their scores from previous Toyota Skills Challenge Contests throughout the season.

The all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra was awarded courtesy of the Southern California Toyota Dealers. Toyota and the Lakers have been suiting up together for over 45 years.

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Julio Aceves Wins 2022 Toyota Skills Challenge Finals

The Comerica Bank Woman of Business is Karen Thorland. Karen is one of the preeminent female entertainment attorneys in the Los Angeles area. She currently leads the Motion Picture Association’s (MPA) global content protection legal team, which in 2020 obtained numerous successes in enforcing the copyrights of Hollywood’s biggest content producers through litigation, support, outreach, and coordination with law enforcement. She currently gives back to the community by serving in leadership roles on multiple boards.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Promise is Brandi Day, founder of id.a.y.dream, a youth-based nonprofit. Id.a.y dream is an organization that provides internships and learning opportunities for youth to develop skills for the future. Brandi has created numerous opportunities to provide youth with tools and resources they need to succeed personally and professionally.  She has served youth in the greater Seattle area and currently provides programming for a local Ontario high school.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Philanthropy is Melissa Perez. Melissa is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has provided English and Spanish therapy services to underserved and at-risk communities for 10 years. Melissa is now a family preservation and domestic violence services clinical supervisor, providing and supervising support programs for victims and survivors of domestic violence. In addition, she mentors, teaches and trains new clinicians all while continuing to provide direct support and therapy to families.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Entrepreneurship is Lisa Fridman, co-founder of Quadrata. After a successful career in institutional asset management, Lisa became fascinated with blockchain technology. She helped build Quadrata with the goal to enable broader institutional participation in opportunities powered by blockchain technology. She has been nominated for multiple awards including named to the financial news 100 influential women list. Lisa was previously a member of the London Board of 100 Women in Finance and of the Aima's investor steering committee.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Diversity is Nicole Kaufmann, a client services leader at Slalom. Nicole recently launched a campaign to advocate for expanded fertility benefits that drive equity for single prospective parents and the lgbtq+ community. She researched third party providers coverage options and pitched the idea to c-level executives at Slalom with the hopes of sparking change. In Jaunary, 2022 Slalom approved Nicole’s proposal, enhancing family support benefits to include elective fertility preservation. Nicole’s advocacy for inclusive employee health benefits created an outcome that will benefit the lives of 10,000+ Slalom employees and families!

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Comerica Bank Women's Business Awards February 2022 Honorees

The Comerica Bank Woman of Entrepreneurship is Eryn Young, founder of Just Muv, an organization that positively impacts surrounding communities through health promotion, fitness and kids programming, and event planning. Through her work, she also created Flip, a program that leverages sports to combat childhood obesity. Eryn currently oversees her own podcast featuring various experts to educate people on health &amp; wellness while coping with the pandemic.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Philanthropy is Mel Culpepper, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Hollywood. Mel goes above and beyond her duties as CEO by overseeing the daily operations of the organization. During her 15-year tenure at Boys and Girls Club, Mel has built and maintained a diverse and inclusive board of directors and senior leadership team; built the foundation for long-term financial sustainability; secured funding and fostered programs that reflect the changing demographics of the community.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Business is Monica Bullock, Senior Labor and Employment Attorney with the national law firm, Jackson Lewis. Monica began her career with Littler Mendelson before putting her professional life on hold to focus on her family. For more than a decade, Monica dedicated herself to raising her eight children while also serving many years as a foster parent. Now, back as an attorney, Monica spends her free time counseling individuals as part of the “soul care” ministry at her church.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Promise is Dr. Vanessa Marroquin Williams, Principal of Orange Grove Elementary. As a first-generation American, the hurdles began at a young age for Dr. Williams. Through grit, ambition, and passion, she navigated the educational system and continued to amaze her family. Dr. Williams went on to be the recipient of a Bachelors, two Masters, and ultimately her Doctorate in Education. Currently, her biggest focus has been her students and education, and she is only going to continue her commitment in making a greater impact in the district.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Diversity is Evelyn Santos, founder of Gentefy, as she’s determined to create community-driven economic empowerment within marginalized Hispanic communities. Evelyn and her husband, Barney, created an artisan food hall and restaurant incubator program called Blvd Mrkt in the city of Montebello. They paired existing successful local businesses with entrepreneurs just starting in the restaurant industry. Today, Blvd Mrkt is home to numerous incubator restaurants, all focused on quality ethnic and urban cuisine.

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Comerica Bank Women's Business Awards January 2022 Honorees

The Comerica Bank Woman of Business is Tina Wolfson. Tina co-founded Ahdoot &amp; Wolfson, a nationally recognized law firm that represents individuals and businesseses in a wide variety of class actions. She currently serves as a member of the New York, California, and District of Columbia bar. Tina also serves on the board of public justice, a non-profit legal advocacy organization.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Promise is Qiana Patterson, managing partner in a venture capital studio focused on sustainable business models with the focus of developing long-term economic wealth for marginalized commutes of color. One of Qiana’s numerous accomplishments has been helping lead nearly 200 minority investors to endow $16 million to early-stage tech companies in approximately 100 days.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Philanthropy is Courtney Carter, founder of Ally2action and board member of Friends of the Children LA. During the pandemic, Courtney decided to add to her role of leading a talent management business by starting Ally2action, a 501 (c)3 which consists of a diverse group of people creating spaces for learning, sharing and uplifting the people, voices and organizations who advocate for social and racial justice.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Entrepreneurship is Luciana Brafman, CEO of Time to Act Entertainment, a content company committed to raising awareness, galvanize social responsibility and inspire activism. She is currently working on a mobile game for children ages 8-13 that is aimed to educate the youth on pressing issues pervading our society and how children can get involved.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Diversity is Jennifer Jaybee Beasley, an emcee and arts activisit in the city of Compton. The stylish public speaker has a curriculum called survivor studies where she teaches elementary to high school students about on-stage and in-life confidence as well as her fight with Hodgkins lymphoma blood cancer at just 23 years old. Jaybee recently received a patent and trademark from the United States Patent Office for her brand “Compton Celebrity”, a lifestyle brand that provides opulence to the underrepresented through clothing, styling and beauty products.

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Comerica Bank Women's Business Awards December 2021 Honorees

The Comerica Bank Woman of Business is Mary Craig Calkins.
Mary is a distinguished attorney and a champion of women’s advancement. Mary oversees multi-faceted insurance activities for major film, television, and broadcasting companies, including highly publicized claims that spawned the #metoo movement. Mary currently serves as the second female national revenue officer of the American Bar Association section of litigation in its almost 50-year history. Julie Holt, accepted the award on Mary's behalf.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Promise is LA County deputy probation officer, Serrina Hart. Serrina has served many years as a devoted volunteer for the LA Mission Homeless Shelter and uses one unit of her own investment properties to house homeless women in the city of Los Angeles. Serrina's uncle, Robert Bruce Hart, accepted the award on her behalf.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Philanthropy is Candace Newman, CEO and founder of Live Out L!ve, an LA-based non-profit that is forging the path to bring better representation to the music industry. Her mission is to continue to serve as an inspirational voice while carving out a own path in the live music industry and beyond.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Entrepreneurship is Caron Ng, CEO of Nu‐Set inc, the only certified woman‐owned lock manufacturer, distributor, and security solution company in the us. Recognized for blending her industry expertise with visionary thinking, she has successfully established Nu‐Set among one of the leading global lock brands in a traditional male‐dominated and conglomerate world.

The Comerica Bank Woman of Diversity is Sonia Kang, fashion designer and founder of Mixed Up Clothing. Mixed Up Clothing is a mission-driven childrenswear brand that draws from Sonia’s rich multicultural heritage as an afrolatina and utilizes fashion as a lens to diverse and inclusive stories. During the pandemic, she was one of the first designers in LA to make the shift to PPE’s by making 20k fabric facemasks and donating them to communities that needed our support.

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Comerica Bank Women's Business Awards November 2021 Honorees

Taylor Geas

There is a sit-down interview that Kobe Bryant had done with the New York Times where he talked about this concept he called “the infinite groove.” The article’s writer, Philip Galanes, asked Kobe if “being great in the clutch means knowing there’s a moment after the clutch?” To which Kobe replied, “there’s an infinite groove. Whether you make the shot or miss it is inconsequential.

The mindset conveys that the result isn’t promised, no matter what. There’s no insurance that you will make the shot or achieve your dreams. There’s also no promise that you won’t — and that’s why you should do it. Because all that is promised is the infinite groove.

The infinite groove looks a little something like this:

At the intersection of South Inglewood Ave and West 133rd Street in Hawthorne, California, about a mile and a half from Leuzinger High School, stands A Baseball Clubhouse and Comic Books shop. Los Angeles Muralist, Gustavo Zermeño Jr. approached the shop owners Philip and Phyllis Knoll and asked if he could paint a mural of Hawthorne Native, Leuzinger alum, and Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook.

The store owners happily agreed, Gustavo got going.

The mural details the dichotomy of Russel Westbrook’s past flowing into his future. The Leuzinger Olympians Gymnasium sets the scene on the left and STAPLES Center on the right. The colors white, blue, and red bleed into purple and gold.

“I'm gonna’ make sure I just do my part in going out and playing for him and through him as I compete in this uniform," Westbrook said of his return to LA, his new team, and his admiration for Kobe.

Gustavo has been galvanizing his city with pieces like these for seven years.

It was his high school art teacher that introduced him to the different styles of painting. “I fell in love with going bigger,” he said, “the canvases just kept getting bigger and bigger.”

It was never going to be anything other than murals for the Venice native. He explained that he would work different jobs to give back to his city and community, but the dream was always a full-time muralist. Now, he’s been called upon by many major LA sports team to depict their team and inspire his city.

The honor is not lost on him. In fact, every mural features elements of depth, sometimes elements only true LA fans could pick up on. His latest mural on the corner of West 133rd street is no different.

This piece celebrates Westbrook’s return to his home city and imparts to kids around his neighborhood that their dreams are much closer than they may think.

When asked about Gustavo’s Westbrook mural, commissioned by the Lakers and their Global Marketing Partner, bibigo, Phil looked so pleased with his role in the promise of inspiring the younger generation around the neighborhood. He said, “I’ve seen four generations come in here together.”

Phil explained that in his past life he worked in aerospace, but then one day it dawned on him — his corporate job wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life. He wasn’t fulfilled and he wasn’t going to do it anymore.

He had always been enamored with sports and the legends the sports world produced. His wife Phyllis Knoll explained, “Oh, Phil could talk to you about anyone, what they’ve done, and what year. Ask him, ask him,” she urged.

“He remembers everything,” she ensured.

And his saving of memorabilia was second nature even before opening the store. He pointed to a 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers ticket tacked onto the wall and smiled, “I had just gotten home from the service, and my grandfather took me to a game. I passed as a young boy so he bought me a kid’s ticket,” the shop owner said with a smirk.

In 1993, the Clubhouse was robbed and vandalized. The act resulted in a fire that left Phil and Phyllis with over $100,000 in damages and only $25 in Phil’s pocket.

Phyllis shook her head remembering the hardship. Phil looked stoic, “that’s life sometimes, we made it through,” he said.

Gustavo finished his Westbrook piece on Saturday, October 16, 2021 in his No. 8 Black Mamba jersey. He gave Phil the honors of painting the numbers on the shot clock; 02:08 and 24 seconds. The numbers pay tribute to Kobe and his daughter.

The mural of Westbrook stands there, a mile and a half from his high school, with his hands raised in the air, shouting, what one can only assume is, “why not?”

“Why not,” the mindset that propelled the NBA’s leader in triple-doubles to greatness. The mantra that is the pillar of his Why Not? Foundation which uplifts and empowers underserved youth. “Why not?” the question one asks themself right before entering the infinite groove.&gt;