VALLEY INSIDER

 BEN – the Sherman Oaks-based entertainment AI company – has appointed Vanessa McCullers as vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion and strategy. McCullers will focus on building relationships with diverse talent both internally and externally. “We hope to create long-lasting change within our organization and across the broader industry,” BEN Chief Executive Ricky Ray Butler said in a statement … Dr. Stephen De Vita has been appointed to lead Southern California Permanente Medical Group at the Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center Area. De Vita will lead some 500 physicians serving nearly a quarter million members. “I am humbled to provide leadership and support to this incredible team of physicians and employees,” said De Vita, who follows Dr. James Lau in this position. For the past 19 years, De Vita – a Valley native and longtime Santa Clarita resident – worked as a family physician at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clarita Medical Offices. … Camarillo-based telecommunications company GeoLinks has named Peter Marber as an advisor to its board of directors. “Peter’s extensive expertise in the world of finance will be invaluable to us as we continue to execute on our growth plans,” said GeoLinks Chief Executive Skyler Ditchfield in a statement. Marber previously headed emerging market businesses for Loomis Sayles & Co. and HSBC Global Asset Management. … Sherman Oaks-based point-of-sale fintech company LendingUSA has hired Michael Brown as vice president of credit risk and pricing. With 12 years of industry experience, including eight years with Synchrony, Brown will report to Chief Risk Officer Jon Barhorst and will be responsible for the company’s pricing, portfolio optimization and strategic growth initiatives. … Sylmar-based construction company Tutor Perini Corp. has emerged as low bidder for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s LAX Airport Metro Connector Project. Work on the $478 million project should begin in the fall toward an early 2025 completion, said Jorge Casado, the firm’s vice president of investor relations and corporate communications. … Inc. Magazine has named CannaSafe of Van Nuys and Caulipower of Encino in the top 15 of its annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: California fastest-growing companies list. CannaSafe, with a growth of 4,303 percent, ranked No. 6 on the list, while Caulipower, with 1,534-percent growth, placed No. 13. “Our success can be attributed to our focus to service the industry and its patients with reliable and defensible data,” CannaSafe President Antonio Frazier said in a statement. “Our founders chose the San Fernando Valley years ago due to its great location and other cannabis businesses already operating in the area.”