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Magic Johnson Lends Support At Michigan Job Fair

FARMINGTON HILLS (WWJ) - Most of these students at Oakland Community College weren't even born when Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Michigan State University were college basketball champions in the 1970's. But WWJ Newsradio 950's Ron Dewey reported the NBA legend received a hero's welcome when he opened Thursday's job fair on campus.

"It devastated me that we lost so many jobs," said Johnson. "It's also hard for people to understand that if the public sector and private sector don't come together and try to create job opportunities, there will be no job opportunities in the state of Michigan."

(WWJ Photo/Ron Dewey)

To help out in his home state, Johnson's recruiting company Magic Workforce Solutions is helping Johnson Controls fill 100 automotive tech jobs.

"From a distance, from Los Angeles, I'm seeing what's happening here in the state of Michigan," said Johnson. "My parents keep me up to speed, Coach [Mike] Izzo keeps me up to speed ... I said, man, I've got to find out what can I do, not just as an individual but as my company," he said.

Johnson is already providing seed money to up and coming business ventures around Detroit and the state.

Thursday's job fair is aimed specifically at automotive engineering professionals in design and plastics along with program managers and lab techs. The available jobs would be located in either Plymouth or Holland, Michigan.

The event continues until 3 p.m. at OCC's Orchard Ridge Campus.

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