She is the vice president of the Independent Restaurant Coalition Board of Directors based in Lawrence, Kansas.

Hi, I'm Cody Bates, owner of Bates Co. in Lawrence, Kansas, and a board member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition.

Bates Co. started in 2009 as a single, fast, casual restaurant, and in the last almost 18 years, we've grown into five dynamic brands with a love of food, drink, and community.

For me, this conversation starts with people.

In restaurants, we work side by side every day with a host of different people.

The people on our teams are our trusted colleagues, our friends, our neighbors, and it should not matter where they were born.

Many immigrants in our industry have spent years building lives, families, and careers in the communities we all love.