Update: All Lanes reopened at southbound I-495 (Outer Loop) at Exit 41 (Clara Barton Parkway). Expect residual delays.
Alert Montgomery has sent out a ‘Severe Traffic Alert’ for a traffic incident that blocks the three left travel lanes of Outer Loop I-495 just before Exit 41 (Clara Barton Parkway). “This may persist through the morning commute. Expect significant delays. Seek alternate route.”
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has issued a Code ORANGE Air Quality Alert Tuesday for the ‘Maryland suburban DC region.’
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?”
The Maryland Department of Health has confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus in 2024 and is urging residents to take precautions against mosquito bites to reduce the risk of infection. (more…)
The Takoma Park Police Department has announced a special Tile Mate (Air Tag) Giveaway event on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on the corner of Maple Ave. and Sligo Creek Pkwy.
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.
A 15-year-old Silver Spring teen has been arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with a double homicide that occurred over Memorial Day weekend.
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) is encouraging drivers to “strategize on their travels while maintaining the one common goal that we all have, which is to safely reach our holiday destinations.” MDTA has provided the following tips for travel over Labor Day weekend:
A 15-year-old Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School student has been charged in connection with bomb threats made against the school on Thursday, May 16, 2024.
As the school year begins, MCPS is celebrating the completion of major construction projects. MCPS shared that “these investments create modern learning environments that will benefit students for years to […]
Metro will reopen four Red Line stations for customers on schedule Sunday, Sept. 1.
The 53-man roster cut deadline is on Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 4pm. By then, all 32 teams must trim their roster from 90 to 53 players and The Commanders have just finished their final preseason game of the year. As they prepare to travel to Tampa Bay for their week 1 matchup against the Buccaneers on September 8th, we take a look at the moves that could be made in the next day and a half: