MCPS High School Sports Scores for Oct 08, 2024:
The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Homicide Unit identified and charged two suspects in connection with a fatal shooting in Silver Spring. The suspects are 24-year-old Jimmy Hernandez-Morales and 27-year-old […]
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?”
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are investigating a commercial robbery that occurred on Sunday, September 8, 2024, at the Tobacco King in the 16100 block of Shady Grove Rd. (more…)
At the beginning of this year we let you know that Peterson Companies, which owns Rio Lakefront, submitted an application that proposed to add a floating dining pier for Guapo’s restaurant. The Gaithersburg Planning Commission approved the plan in February, but Guapo’s tells us that “the project will not be happening as of right now” and will keep us updated if anything changes.
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Catch every live out-of-market Sunday game with NFL Sunday Ticket this football season at Lucky Strike Rockville!
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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!
417 Development LLC has submitted a zoning map amendment and schematic development plan application that proposes the redevelopment of 481 N Frederick Ave and 101 Lakeforest Blvd with a new 8-story multi-family residential building with up to 410 units and a ground floor commercial use.
Pacifica Café, located at 621 Center Point Way in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood, will close permanently on November 28th, according to a sign posted on the restaurant’s door.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is transforming into an enchanting winter wonderland with ZooLights returning for its 16th year next month.
The 2024 Leonard Sports Management Celebrity Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, October 21, 2024, at Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, MD.
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 3rd District Investigative Section are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Mahesh Varma Datla. (more…)
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Local satire website, the Montgonion, has struck again. With pictures of “Montgomery Donuts Coming Back Soon” signs floating across area Facebook groups, we can confirm that Montgomery Donuts is not making a return.
Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division are investigating an attempted armed robbery that occurred on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, in the 11200 block of New Hampshire Ave in Silver Spring.