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Permanent signage is up at Han Spot, the new dim sum restaurant that’s coming to the space that was previously home to Union Jack’s until June 2020 (9811 Washingtonian Blvd).
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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The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) has confirmed that the body of Fawzan Hassan, a 6-year-old boy who went missing on Saturday, July 27, has been recovered from a pond in Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg.
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Rising Senior Myla Leung (Churchill HS) has started The Climate Health Education Initiative (CHEI)– an international organization that aims to inspire and empower youth to achieve sustainability and understand the intersection between climate change and planetary health concepts through their environmental educational programs. Myla currently runs the organization with fellow rising seniors Michelle Zhao (Churchill HS) and Sophia Ge (Blair HS).
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!
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BETHESDA, YOUR SATURDAY MORNING PLANS JUST GOT MORE CREATIVE.
Join Craft Cart at Coffee Republic on Saturday, September 26, from 11:00 AM–1:00 PM for a beginner-friendly faux stained glass experience filled with creativity, coffee and connection.
Heeler Security Inc., a Bethesda-based startup in the application security space, announced the successful closing of an $8.5 million Seed Series funding round, led by Norwest Venture Partners with significant participation from Storm Ventures.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Councilmember Gabe Albornoz, Montgomery County Recreation Director Robin Riley and staff welcomed Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes to celebrate the unveiling of a statue in her honor at the Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center (SSRAC) on Tuesday
Located at the key intersection of Rockville Pike and what’s now Josiah Henson Parkway (then Montrose Parkway) Pike & Rose opened its first phase approximately ten years ago– in 2014.
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The Howard County Police Department (HCPD) has shared the following, “COLUMBIA MALL: One person is deceased after being shot during an altercation inside the mall. There are no indications of an active shooter at this time. Will update.”