MCPS has sent out its ‘Things to Know’ message to the community for Thursday, August 22. It can be seen in full below:
Back in May we let you know that Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant was coming to 4862 Cordell Ave in Bethesda, the former site of Momo Chicken. The restaurant announced via social media that it’s now open for lunch and dinner.
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?”
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Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Leilani Moreno a missing 15-year-old from 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!
Below is a list of schedule changes for Montgomery County Government for Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 2, courtesy Montgomery County:
Montgomery Parks has announced Labor Day weekend operating hours and events, including extending its Open Parkways through Monday, September 2, 2024, for the holiday weekend and the close of summer season amenities. The full announcement can be seen below.
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) has announced that 26-year-old Adela Beatriz Orellana, of Hyattsville, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft for stealing the contents of UPS packages she accepted, while employed at UPS and selling the stolen contents at local pawn shops.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were dispatched to 7500blk of Planter Ln(Gaithersburg) for a vehicle fire with exposure to a building.
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Special Operations Division will be conducting Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS/Drone) training in the Gaithersburg area today between the hours of 12 and 5 p.m. Residents and community members may observe a drone, however there is no reason for alarm.
Go to MCPD to Conduct Drone Training in Gaithersburg This Afternoon; “No Reason For Alarm”
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District 4 Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Commander David Smith shared information regarding a traffic stop in Olney late Wednesday night that led to an arrest and recovery of a gun and fentanyl.
Last month we let you know that City of Gaithersburg officials confirmed that the long awaited, 9.54-acre Pleasant View Park at 10901 Darnestown Rd was not open yet, after several community members shared photos of the doors being open with community members inside the party. Gaithersburg has now shared an update stating that the park is in its final stages of completion (photos below by the City of Gaithersburg).