Rappaport has made its debut in Germantown with the acquisition of Germantown Commons, according to BLDUP. Per the report, the 200,726 SF shopping center anchored by Giant sold for $69.7 million.
|
Arby’s closed its last Montgomery County location at 11710 Rockville Pike in North Bethesda back in May of 2021. McDonald’s will be its replacement and now a permit valued at $1.15 million has been issued to get things started, according to Maryland Newsletters.
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?”
Smile 2, the upcoming psychological supernatural horror film written and directed by Parker Finn, will be in theaters on October 18th. The film, which is a sequel to 2022’s Smile, stars Naomi Scott as a pop singer who begins to experience a series of increasingly disturbing events as she is about to go on tour. Montgomery Count my native Ivan Carlo has told us he has landed a supporting role in the film (movie trailer below).
Here’s a list of restaurants and businesses that have recently opened or are coming soon to Gaithersburg’s Rio. (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.
Add to Calendar
Bring your family and friends to our free , all-day outdoor Oktoberfest celebration. These will be an outdoor craft fair featuring local artisans and professional woodworkers, a chainsaw carving, woodworking and tool demonstrations by Festool, Montgomery Wood Turners and Carvers. There will also be lots of delicious food provided by El Parente Tacos, El Jeffe Wood-fired pizzas, Bruster's Ice cream and seasonal craft brews from Saints Row Brwsing Company.
|
Walter Johnson (3-2) at Blair (4-1): Two Teams at a Crossroads: If downcounty football is your preference this week, Walter Johnson’s trip to Blair is the game to watch. Blair is looking to bounce back after a tough outing against Quince Orchard—a loss that was somewhat expected, but one that still left some positives for the Blazers to build on. Junior Rodriguez has been quietly effective in their ground game, a key factor for Blair’s chances of keeping pace in the region.
Walter Johnson, meanwhile, remains a bit of an enigma. They narrowly escaped Wootton last week, but the close call doesn’t inspire much confidence. Both teams have tough remaining schedules, with Blair in particular facing a brutal slate. A win here could be a turning point for either side, especially as they vie for playoff positioning. While WJ is capable of pulling off an upset, the Blazers’ rushing attack and defensive discipline give them the edge if they’ve mentally recovered from their visit to the Cougar Dome. Blair 31, WJ 21
|
At its October 3 meeting, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted to consider removing the unbuilt northern and southern extensions of Midcounty Highway Extended (M-83), including the adjacent unbuilt bikeway, […]
Starbucks is now open in the Aspen Hill shopping center. The new store has taken over the former home of shuttered women’s clothing store Dress Barn (13677 Connecticut Ave.).
On Sunday, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command rescued four stranded kayakers from the Potomac River using an aerial hoist, with assistance from Montgomery County swift water rescue personnel, after rough waters made boat rescues impossible. (more…)
|
The City of Gaithersburg presents its 31st annual celebration of Oktoberfest on Sunday, October 13, 2024, from noon to 5 p.m. The festival takes place in and around the Arts Barn, Kentlands Mansion, Kentlands Village Green and along Main Street and Inspiration Lane. Admission and parking are free. Road closures are listed below.
On Sunday, the 4-1 Washington Commanders will face off against the 3-2 Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. Despite the Commanders’ strong start to the season, the Ravens are favored to win by 6.5 points as of Monday morning. With both teams performing well, we took the opportunity to revisit an intriguing and often debated question: Are the Baltimore Ravens considered a home team for all of Maryland?