With the Lakeforest schematic development plan approved earlier this month, WRS, Inc. is ready to move forward with retail and restaurants and has tabbed Heritage Partners to handle the commercial side of things. While we don’t have any specific names yet, we can let you know a general version of what to expect based on the plans.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) provided an update stating that the statewide burning ban implemented by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Nov. 1 remains in effect.
Talent is one of the most important factors influencing where companies choose to invest, expand, and grow. As competition for skilled workers intensifies, employers are embracing a broader talent strategy: one that leverages partnerships. Last week, almost 120 business leaders, elected officials, and members of Montgomery County’s business community attended the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation’s (MCEDC) panel, “The Talent Advantage: A Growth Strategy for Companies in Montgomery County, Maryland,” to hear how local businesses are capitalizing on the County’s world-class academic institutions, innovation ecosystem, quality of life, and economic development resources to attract and retain top talent.
Moderated by Dr. Anne Khademian, Executive Director at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG), the panel included executives from businesses and institutions across industries, including Lockheed Martin, TrilliumBIO, Thales Defense & Security, Johns Hopkins, Montgomery College, and AstraZeneca, who discussed their companies’ strategies for developing their workforce.
Talent as a Business Strategy
For companies competing in highly specialized industries like the defense industry, access to talent directly influences where they choose to locate and grow. For Lockheed Martin, which employs nearly 1,000 people in Montgomery County, talent is one of the primary reasons the company chose to be headquartered here.
“Talent is in the top one or two reasons why we are in the County,” said Todd Cohen, Senior Lead of Strategic Workforce Development, Lockheed Martin.
According to Cohen, Lockheed Martin begins working with partners to develop their talent pipeline well before students enter the workforce, including partnering with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) on programs such as coding challenges. Lockheed Martin also maintains close relationships with local higher education institutions, including the Universities at Shady Grove (USG).
That local talent pipeline is also an important factor for AstraZeneca, which employs more than 5,000 employees and contractors in Montgomery County. According to Tiffany Lukis, Director of STEM and Community Engagement at AstraZeneca, the company often taps into its alumni base from Montgomery College (ranked #26 nationally among community colleges) and USG (which offers nine different public universities onto one campus), and other local institutions to fill highly technical roles.
Local Companies Are Developing Talent and Not Just Finding It
According to the panelists, investing in existing employees is just as important as recruiting new ones.
At Suburban Hospital, workforce development is closely tied to talent retention. The hospital partners with local educational institutions to provide employees with opportunities to gain new skills and advance their careers. Programs include a Certified Nursing Assistant program through Montgomery College and English as a Second Language classes.
“A huge part of our talent strategy is to prioritize holding on to our top tier talent,” said Corey Lewson, MSW, Program Manager, Workforce Development, John Hopkins Medicine.
For smaller companies, developing talent internally can be especially valuable. Lane Edwards, Vice President of Operations, TrilliumBIO, a biomarker discovery company with fewer than 20 employees based in Rockville, described the challenge of balancing the need for highly specialized expertise with the realities of building a team at an early-stage company.
“When it comes to hiring, we have to be very strategic,” Lane said. “Do we have someone who has the expertise or someone that we can build on?”
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the Fox Chapel shopping center in 19700blk of Frederick Rd in Germantown for the report of a gas leak on Friday, November 15.
Sarah Katherine Magid, a first-grade teacher from Burtonsville, has been charged with distributing fentanyl that led to a victim’s death. Evidence includes text messages between Magid and the victim and reports of drug sales during school hours, with potential sentencing ranging from 20 years to life if convicted.
We’ve Got the Ticket to Every Sunday Showdown! 🏈🔥
Catch every live out-of-market Sunday game with NFL Sunday Ticket this football season at Lucky Strike Rockville!
October 10 & 11, 2026
The MoCo Epic is a festival celebrating mountain biking, natural surface trails, and the community that makes this region a great place to ride! 2026 marks the 16th anniversary of the MoCo Epic.
Earlier this year, California Fish Grill– a chain with approximately 50 restaurants in California and Arizona– noted that it was eyeing expansion to East Coast markets like Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. in the coming years. Now, the chain has signed on for its first Maryland location in Rockville’s Towne Plaza.
Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection received a $1 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support the Low to Moderate Income Housing Electrification program, aiming to replace fossil fuel appliances with efficient electric alternatives, reduce energy costs, and improve indoor air quality in affordable housing units.
On Thursday, Governor Wes Moore announced $20 million in historic revitalization tax credits through the Maryland Historical Trust, funding 10 projects that will leverage over $108 million in investment to repurpose historic properties for affordable housing, makerspaces, and community facilities across Maryland.
On Thursday, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich announced the launch of the updated MOVE Grant Program, aimed at reducing office vacancies by offering funding to businesses signing their first lease or expanding in the County, with grants of $8 to $15 per square foot for new office space.
On Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that officers at Washington Dulles Airport had seized 28 pounds of cocaine worth $900,000, concealed inside hot chocolate packages in a Guatemalan courier shipment in October. The courier was detained but later released and deported after prosecutors could not establish a direct connection to the drugs.
Results of second round Maryland high school football playoff games (MCPS games) can be seen below. Scores will be updated as we receive them (an F will signify the score is final):
The Montgomery County Police Department has shared that the intersection of Linden Lane at Newcastle Road in Silver Spring is closed for a death investigation. No foul play is suspected. Drivers should expect delays and seek an alternate route.