(Cracking the Code with Greg Kozera - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Christmas was a special time when we were kids. This was the time of year we looked forward to the 1-inch thick catalogs from Sears and other companies that came to our house in the mail. There were pages of toys for us to wish for. Soon the pages were worn from me and my five brothers looking at them.

We got only one large gift from Santa. Dad worked for the VA as a carpenter. Mom stayed home to take care of us. Money was tight. Dad told us Santa sent him a bill. We had a price range.

On Christmas morning, we all woke up at 4 a.m. Our “vigil” lasted until 7 a.m. when our parents got up and we opened gifts.

By today’s standards we didn’t get much, but we were happy. Maybe it was because we all played together and shared our gifts. Three months of wishing and hoping were over in 15 minutes – EXCEPT for all the fun we had with each other and our friends. As kids, we always had food to eat and a warm house in winter. Our parents provided thanks to Dad’s job.

When we go to Walt Disney World, the attractions are awesome. Some of the high-speed thrill rides make me sick so I avoid them. My and Lynnda’s joy at Disney World doesn’t come from the attractions. It comes from the people we are with.

Lynnda says, “You are consumed by Shale Crescent.” As usual, she is right. Shale Crescent USA can help to bring high-wage jobs back to this region, creating opportunity and a positive difference in people’s lives, giving people hope. One way to help someone is to get them a good job. Better yet, a career they enjoy.

Whether Christmas gifts for children, a Walt Disney vacation, quality time with family and friends or food and energy security, having good jobs available is important for a high quality of life.

During the pandemic I did a radio interview with Perry Small on WVON in Chicago. WVON is in the Black community. Perry asked me, “Mr. Kozera, we have a lot of vacant buildings in this part of Chicago. What can we do to bring manufacturing back to this community? If we can create good jobs, we can give people hope and end the gun violence in this city.” I don’t know what happened in Chicago. In this region, we are seeing good jobs come back. More are coming. Reshoring is real and making a difference in the lives of people.

Manufacturing jobs are coming back to the USA! In September, Harry Moser, founder/president of The Reshoring Initiative and Kathy Nunnally, president of Regions Recruiting, released their 2025 Reshoring Survey. Reshoring is defined as the practice of transferring a business operation that was moved overseas back to the country from which it was relocated. Harry founded The Reshoring Initiative in 2010. Their 2024 Annual Report revealed 244,000 manufacturing job announcements in 2024. Since 2010, cumulative job announcements total over 2 million jobs created. This is in line with other manufacturing data we have seen at Shale Crescent USA.

We see evidence of this in our region with the return of medical glove and paper product manufacturing in Ohio and many others. Based on my discussions with organized labor, local companies are quietly expanding as European companies are forced to shut down unprofitable operations in Europe.

The 2025 USA Reshoring Survey accumulated results nationally from 500 U.S. manufacturers including contract manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers. The survey showed the top three reasons companies reshore are:

* Locate manufacturing near engineering.

* Faster delivery; reduced freight and duty costs.

* Avoiding geopolitical risk.

Other details of the survey show 95% of companies are fully or somewhat satisfied with results of reshoring. The biggest sources of reshoring are China and Southeast Asia. Reshoring mitigates the risks of the current trade and tariff situation. The biggest challenge to reshoring is a skilled labor shortage. More information on reshoring and full survey results are available at www.reshorenow.org

Energy isn’t on the top three reshoring list. Remember these are American companies. They already have cheap energy. Most may not be aware where it comes from or that the cheapest energy is in the Shale Crescent USA region. One of the roles of Shale Crescent USA is to create that awareness. If a U.S. company wants to reshore and they are an energy intensive manufacturer, they need to be aware of and consider the Shale Crescent USA region because of our abundant natural gas, which also creates dependable electricity.

The main reason foreign companies want to come to the USA is our market, the largest in the world. It is easier and cheaper to sell products in the USA if they are made in the USA. U.S. companies looking to reshore are already here and selling to the U.S. market, giving them an advantage.

Once U.S. companies decide to reshore or foreign companies come to the USA from overseas, the next thing they want to know is if we have an available skilled workforce. Developing this workforce is a work in progress by the states and many organizations. Creating high-wage jobs helps to raise the standard of living for people in the region. They give hope to their children. If there is hope in the future, people have a reason to avoid drugs. Hope is powerful. On-shoring and direct foreign investment is about giving people hope in the future. We have a company from Europe and one from Asia coming to our region this month looking for sites.

Manufacturing jobs can lift people out of poverty and lower stress from finances. People can feed their families and keep them warm in winter. Good jobs give people time to spend with their children rather than working two low-wage jobs to make ends meet. Sound energy policy creates job growth. This is a time of opportunity to create hope. Believe!

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Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and more than 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker and author of four books and many published articles.