Alert Montgomery sent out a ‘Severe Traffic Alert’ at 8:12am on Friday Morning for an incident closes two of three lanes of both directions of Columbia Pike (US 29) near the Burnt Mills Shopping Center/Hillwood Drive. 8:31am update: All lanes of Columbia Pike (US 29) near the Burnt Mills Shopping Center/Hillwood Drive are open from earlier traffic incident. Expect residual delays.
A Frederick man recently won $50,000 on a Maryland Lottery Pick 5 ticket purchased at Royal Farms. Full story below courtesy MDLottery:
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’s Department of Environmental Protection is reminding residents to properly dispose of all types of batteries to prevent fires in trash cans, trucks, and waste facilities.
Beef was one of Netflix’s top shows in 2023 and was a breakout role for Montgomery County, MD native Young Mazino (born Christopher Young Kim). Since then, he has signed on to join the cast of hit HBO series The Last of Us, playing Jesse– “an important member of his community whose selflessness sometimes comes at a cost.”
At The Head Spa by Bare, we believe that true beauty begins with a healthy scalp, its your unique wellness experience for the mind and body. Relax with aromatherapy and gentle massages while healing your scalp.
Head Spa Facial rituals are a unique and luxurious experience that focuses on relaxing and revitalizing the scalp and hair. These rituals combine traditional Japanese techniques with modern spa treatments to provide a holistic approach to wellness.
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.
Earlier this month the Washington Spirit signed rookie Makenna Morris to a new one-year contract through the 2025 season. Morris, who was born and raised in Germantown, MD and grew up playing for Bethesda Soccer Club, joined the Spirit on a one-year deal earlier this year after being selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft.
Below you’ll see the most recent updates or final scores of the 2024 week 3 MCPS football games. The scores will be updated as we receive them. If a score isn’t listed, it’s because we haven’t yet received a report from the game that we can confirm. An ‘F’ signifies the score is confirmed as being final:
Thursday, 9/19:
FITRow’s ‘Day of Fitness’ Takes Place on Saturday, September 28th at Congressional Plaza in Rockville. The event will allow the public to experience outdoor classes from premier fitness studios and local influencers. “Break a sweat during one (or all) of the 5 outdoors classes from FITRow’s three feature studios – CorePower Yoga, Pure Barre, Orangetheory Fitness, Georgetown Hill and HIIT Hard Boxing – and participating fitness influencers and business. Afterwards, cool down with drinks and bites from Matchbox, Smoothie King and CHOPT.”
Today, Montgomery Parks presented the Long Branch Parks Initiative Report to the Montgomery Planning Board, highlighting the scope of the project and the recommended outcomes for the 10 parks in […]
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police- 2nd District Investigative Section are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying three suspects wanted in connection to a robbery.
Torchy’s Tacos, known for their “Damn Good Tacos,” will hold its grand opening on Wednesday, October 2nd at 10am. According to a representative at the location, the first 100 people […]
Permanent signage is now up at D1 Seafood Buffet & Bar (19961 Century Boulevard) in Germantown. The restaurant will occupy the space previously home to Sushi Legend Cajun Seafood and Bar, and before that, The Greene Turtle. (more…)