The Washington Post’s Tom Sietsema has been the newspaper’s food critic for nearly 25 years. He recently released his list of “8 Best Indian Restaurants in and Around D.C.” and it included just one Maryland restaurant located right here in Montgomery County.
According @TerpsRecruiting, John Brown, the founder and longtime owner of the popular College Park establishment RJ Bentley’s, has passed away.
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 a two vehicle collision in Gaithersburg on Sunday, November 10. (more…)
Signage is up for Isaac’s Poultry Market at its upcoming Burtonsville location. The restaurant will be located in the recently redeveloped Burtonsville Crossing shopping center, along side the upcoming Moby Dick, Eggspectation and the recently announced Haraz Coffee House. (more…)
When I moved back to Northern Virginia after several years in New York, most of my old friends had moved away. I found myself rebuilding a social circle from scratch.
I had plenty of people I could connect with online, but that wasn’t translating into anyone to grab a beer with after work, play trivia with, or text when I wanted to get out of the house. Making new friends as an adult required far more deliberate effort than I remembered.
Come enjoy the day at our annual Washington Grove Arts and Craft Festival in a beautiful outdoor setting. This festival highlights local artisans including wood creations, pottery, visual art, household products and so much more. We also have food trucks from El Parente Tacos, El Jeffe Wood-fired pizzas, Bruster’s Ice Cream and beverages from Saints Row Brewery. Bring the whole family because we have a kids activity area too. Pets on a leash are welcome too!
Falafel Inc is now open at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.
The Maryland Department of Transportation will hold a public workshop on Nov. 14 at the Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center in Silver Spring to discuss planned pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements along University Boulevard as part of the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan.
Per the news release: “The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration will host a public informational workshop from 5:30–7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, regarding planned pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements along University Boulevard (MD 193) in Silver Spring.
The Montgomery County Council will hold committee meetings on Tuesday, November 12. Full agenda below courtesy Montgomery County: (more…)
In August we let you know that Fuddruckers will be returning to Chinatown in Washington DC and Silver Spring in Maryland with new locations originally scheduled to open in the fall.
Alert Montgomery sent out a ‘Severe Traffic Alert’ at 8:28am Sunday morning regarding a traffic incident that closes outer loop I-495 from Georgia Ave to Connecticut
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a three-car collision on Saturday, April 9, at Goshen Rd and Centerway Rd in Montgomery Village. (more…)
District 3 Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Commander Jason Cokinos Shared information surrounding a recent incident in Silver Spring that highlights the use of drones in policing, showcasing how they can serve as a game-changer in the fight against retail theft.