generation on his father’s. His mother came from Hong Kong, and his father lived in Chinatown in San Francisco, and he has a first-hand perspective on how each generation changes. “The second generation becomes more American and more educated. Third generation Americans are so integrated that they’re almost invisible,” he says. He observes that when immigrants first arrive from other countries, they face significant challenges and often have to deal with a language barrier and discrimination. However, they work hard, make sacrifices and raise families, aspiring to give their children better lives. The average American wouldn’t receive enough pay to take certain jobs, but immigrants are willing to fill those positions. Meanwhile, education becomes an opportunity for the next generation and gives their children more career choices. They tend to enter fields that are white-collar or science and technology. “Or they might get into small business like I did. We bring a different skill set to a family business,” he says, and each generation does better and expands the scope and the business model. His story begins with his father. “My dad came out of the navy after World War II, and his first business was a wash-and-fold laundry in the Mission district,” he says. He did well enough to eventually buy apartments and wanted a business that would include the whole family. His first motel was in Santa Rosa on Mendocino Avenue. “He bought it from a couple in the 1970s, and that’s how we started the business,” Lok says, adding that the city eventually purchased it and converted it into a homeless shelter. He decided to join the family business after graduating from the University of California, Davis, and his family bought a motel in Stockton for him to manage. Today, he owns the Fairfield Inn in Sebastopol and the Quality Inn in Petaluma, as well as being CEO of the Lok Group of Companies, which has been owning, managing and developing hotels since 1985. As a business owner, Lok is also an employer. “The majority of my employees are immigrants,” he says, explaining that the language barrier often prevents them from pursuing other opportunities. He treats his employees well and has low turnover. “They’re great employees,” he says. One who was a nurse in Mexico has been in his employ for 25 years, and another was an attorney. He finds that immigrants are often supporting families in their native countries as well as themselves on the wages they earn. “That happened with my parents, too,” he says, explaining that it’s a common thread. Immigrants still have close ties to their country of origin, and some of the wealth they create often goes to help relatives there. “The important thing is that they’re part of economic vitality. They’ll take on jobs that the average American won’t,” he says, giving roofing as an example. “Without them, construction would come to a standstill.” Others work in kitchens, and many restaurants would have insufficient staff and be forced to close without them. “In my industry, especially in California, we would not be able to stay open without an immigrant labor force,” he says. “Immigrants come from all over the world,” he adds, reporting that he has friends who own hotels in areas with national parks, and they must hire immigrants from places such as Europe and the Caribbean for the season on H-2A visas. “Without them, places wouldn’t be able to open,” he says. “This country was built on the backs of immigrants. They’re one of the reasons why we’re innovative and competitive.”
Exchanging ideas through J-1 visas
Harvest internships bring visitors from other countries to work at vineyards and wineries. People from Australia come to work here on J-1 nonimmigrant visas, for instance, and their counterparts from California’s Wine Country go to work the harvest down under in programs that the U.S. Department of State approves to encourage cultural exchanges. Participants share ideas and learn from each other, and topics they explore might be disease pressure and the climate’s impact. “I think that’s incredibly valuable,” says Karissa Kruse of Sonoma County Winegrowers.— Judith Wilson
BUNDT BLISS for the Holidays
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December 2025
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