KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and SportsRochester's Randy Johnson en route to White House for jobs forum

Rochester's Randy Johnson en route to White House for jobs forum

ROCHESTER (KTTC-DT) -- The executive director of Rochester-based Workforce Development, Inc. is on his way to Washington, D.C., for a White House jobs forum on Thursday.

Randy Johnson will be among 130 experts in various fields who will share ideas on the economic recovery and what needs to be done next to improve the U.S. economy.

"My main message will be that there are a lot of moving parts in this recovery process," said Johnson.  "Some of them have not jelled yet--we need to connect with the existing things we already have in place and position the economy for success."

Johnson shared details of his White House trip with KTTC NewsCenter before boarding his plane for Washington.  He credited Congressman Tim Walz for the invitation to participate in the "Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth."

In a statement to reporters, the White House is calling the forum "an opportunity for the President and the economic team to hear from some of the leading CEOs, small business owners, labor leaders, nonprofit heads and thinkers about ideas for continuing to grow the economy and put Americans back to work."

Johnson will be one of the panels following initial remarks by experts, and by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.  The panels feature people who can offer suggestions on spurring economic growth by encouraging the creation of "green jobs"... by rebuilding the nation's infrastructure... by increasing American exports... and by helping small businesses to find capital to expand.