by Garth Meyer
The annual Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce Awards for 2025 were led by “Man of the Year” Mark Hansen and “Woman of the Year” Dr. Nicole Wesley, superintendent of Redondo Unified School District, each honored at a Nov. 6 luncheon at Riviera Mexican Cantina.
Hansen is a longtime city volunteer, a founding member of the King Harbor Boaters Advisory Panel and Redondo Beach Kiwanis, and current member of the Mayor’s Harbor Activation Committee and Olympics Committee.
A retired airline pilot, Hansen also flew for the Air Force. Missions included Operation Desert Storm in Iraq, evacuating Panama Canal civilians and transporting the general who was overseeing the evacuation of exiled Phillippine president Ferdinand Marcos.
In addition, he is on the Chamber board of directors and a member of the Redondo Beach Roundtable.
Supt. Wesley has worked for the Redondo Unified School District since 2004, as superintendent for the past three years, and previously as principal at RUHS, as a middle school principal and high school assistant principal.
In other 2025 Chamber awards, “Volunteer of the Year” went to Anastasia Bonholtzer, a residential mortgage broker and community advocate, “Non-profit Business of the Year” to North Redondo Beach Business Association (NRBBA); and “City Employee of the Year” was shared by Gary Laolagi and Chris King. “Business of the Year” went to Mychal’s Learning Place; “Solopreneur of the Year” was Garfield Consultants, LLC/Robin Garfield; and “New Business of the Year” was Club Elementum. “Ambassador of the Year” went to portrait photographer Rose Pierce.
NRBBA was chosen for its gaining success with Springfest, expansion of “Dine Around Artesia” and its monthly “Rise & Shine Redondo” meetings to connect business owners, city leaders and residents.
Mychal’s Learning Place includes Mychal’s Print Shop and Mychal’s Cafe, two businesses on Artesia Boulevard which employ workers with developmental disabilities.
Robin Garfield of Garfield Consultants offers nonprofit strategy, marketing and event production, including those of the NRBBA.
Club Elementum is a boutique fitness studio on Aviation Boulevard.
Volunteer of the Year Bonholzer is in her second year on the Chamber board of directors, a Realtor associations volunteer and member of the Leadership Redondo Class of 2024.
City Employees of the Year Laolagi and King both work in Public Works.
Laolagi started with Redondo Beach in 1986 as a temporary-part-time employee and became a full-time maintenance worker. In 2016, he was named facility maintenance manager, overseeing 35 buildings and structures, including HVAC and backup generators.
Other projects Laolagi has worked on in recent years include roof replacements at Wilderness Park, Alta Vista Community Center, Veterans Park Senior Center, exterior work at Aviation Gym, fire and police station interior improvements and a Veterans Park historic library elevator replacement.
Chris “Crash” King started with the city as pier and harbor manager in 2022, running the day-to-day operations at the Redondo Pier, and worked on projects such as revitalizing International Boardwalk, harbor dredging, the skate park, a dock replacement at Fire Station Three, Pier “sail” decorations rehabilitation and Veterans Park library renovations.
King previously worked for the City of Long Beach as a heavy equipment operator, and at the Port of Los Angeles LAX terminal. ER
More trash journalism from Easy Reader. No indication of what special projects these 2 accomplished to earn them this status other than the jobs they normally do. The good days of quality, unbiased, thorough journalism of Easy Reader are long gone.