[标准VOA] 高油价增加工作机会(1)[080816]
A Texas businessman says one way to help the U.S. economy is to stop sending American jobs overseas. Farouk Shami operates a billion dollar haircare company that makes more than a thousand different products. His signature line is called Chi.
Most of Chi's haircare products are manufactured in Houston, Texas. But other items sold by his company -- such as flat irons and blow dryers -- are still made in China and South Korea.
Not for long. Shami plans to shut down his manufacturing operations overseas and bring those jobs back to Texas, "Just close it. you konw forget about it. you know charity starts at home and our people need the jobs more than the Chinese and the Koreans."
Shami says the move will create about 1,000 well-paid, full time jobs within a year. "We like our people to be insured. We like our people to be better paid, that's what brings loyalty to the company."
The same thing is happening, on a smaller scale, at a North Carolina furniture manufacturing plant. Because of soaring transportation costs, factory owner Casey Hearn says it's now cheaper to hire local craftsmen to build his furniture designs.
