First, a book recommendation: Consider reading The Coming Jobs War by Jim Clifton. The author is the Chairman of Gallup, the international polling firm. His back contention is that the number one issue on the minds of the vast majority of people on the planet is having a good paying job. The rub is that there are 3 billion people wanting those jobs but only 1.2 billion full-time, formal jobs in the world.

Clifton says, Leaders of countries and cities must make creating good jobs their No. 1 mission and primary purpose because good jobs are becoming the new currency for all world leaders. Everything leaders do must include this new global state of mind or they’ll put their cities and countries at risk. When he says leaders he’s pretty inclusive citing lawmakers at all levels of government, public school superintendents, university presidents, military leaders and community leaders.

I give this as a backdrop to invite you to a chamber program coming up on August 9. It’s called The Future of Jobs in Fort Collins. You’ll hear from local experts about what the community is doing to create jobs and get some insights into key trends. To learn more about and to register for The Future of Jobs in Fort Collins’ go to www.FortCollinsChamber.com.