STEVENSVILLE — The League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties will host a public forum on how to stimulate new businesses and jobs in the area at noon March 21 in the Lawrence Room of the Lincoln Township Library, 2099 W. John Beers Road, Stevensville. 

The forum is open to the public. Citizens will have the opportunity to ask questions. Attendees will pay $10 at the door to cover the cost of the luncheon provisions being provided by the League.

For 16 years, John Austin served on the Michigan State Board of Education — the last six as its president.  Anticipating the types of jobs that would be available when students entered the workforce was important to his work then. It remains his focus now in his position as director of the Michigan Economic Center and his work with the Brookings Institution and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and as a lecturer on the economy at the University of Michigan. 

At the public forum on Austin will offer ideas on how to stimulate new businesses and jobs in the southwest Michigan area.

Last century, American businesses developed ideas, products, and processes that led to its economic dominance and, along with it, good jobs.

Today, though, entrepreneurs  face a tough new question: where are the new jobs to replace the hundreds of thousands lost to automation and global competitors?

Austin will offer insights and suggestions to answer that question on March 21.

Reservations should be made no later than noon on Monday, March 18 by providing the names of attendees by email to jraymond42@frontier.com or by calling or texting (269) 208-4043. The charge for lunch, $10 per person, will be payable at the door.