An incident involving a contractor bucket making contact with power lines has closed a portion of Ashton Road on Tuesday, July 9.
Montgomery County Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man found Tuesday morning in a Silver Spring apartment building. (more…)
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 Washington Commanders have announced the return of the gold pants for this upcoming football season (specific games where they’ll be worn to be determined).
Montgomery County has issued a Heat Emergency Alert beginning at 12 pm Tuesday, 07/09 through 8:00 pm Wednesday, 07/10.
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.
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We ❤️ Teachers 5K celebrates educators through movement. On race day, runners and walkers across the country will participate in host city races, school celebrations, and virtual events — all in support of teachers and educator wellness. We'll be in beautiful Wheaton Regional Park, Join Us!
Walk it. Run it. Move for the teacher who moved you.
The Office of Governor Wes Moore issued the following news release on Tuesday, July 9: (more…)
Beloved longtime Maryland news anchor Vic Carter has announced to that he will be departing WJZ this month for a new adventure.WJZ-TV Channel 13 is owned by the CBS Broadcasting, […]
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El Jefe Wood-Fired Pizza, a locally owned food truck that serves across Montgomery County, has opened a stall inside the Solaire Social Food Hall (8200 Dixon Ave) in Silver Spring. Pizza options include the Jeferoni (pepperoni), Don Queso (cheese), Margherita, and Speedy Gonzalez (white pizza).
As the county began to expand further north, Ichiban restaurant was ahead of the game– opening at what would later become a busy stretch of rt. 355 (637 N Frederick Ave) in Gaithersburg back in 1985. The restaurant survived for more than 35 years before closing in September 2021, but some of its most popular dishes can still be found nearby.
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Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to the scene of a collision involving a Ride-On bus crashing into a traffic pole on Piney Branch Road and Dale Drive in Silver Spring on Monday evening.
The annual TGIF Summer Concert Series returns to the Marian Fryer Town Plaza (2424 Reddie Dr) in Wheaton on Friday, July 12. The event features a beer and wine garden, a DJ set at 6:00 PM, and live music by I&I Riddim at 7:00 PM.Full schedule below courtesy wheatonmd.org:
