Nearly 100 local businesses, nonprofits, county agencies, and community organizations will come together on Sunday, March 1, as the Olney Chamber of Commerce hosts its 44th Annual Community Day, Montgomery County’s longest-running business and family expo.
The National Weather Service has released some snow totals from trained spotters across the DMV at various times Sunday evening and night. Not every community has an available measurement, and the timing of each report can lead to differences in what you’re seeing at home. Your backyard may look a bit different from the official totals, depending on when and where the snow was measured.
Montgomery County Public Schools will be closed on Monday, February 23, after conditions across much of the county worsened Sunday evening, prompting officials to shift from a delayed opening to a full systemwide closure.
Montgomery County, MD is commonly known as being a suburb of the nation’s capital, but what might surprise some is that it is also home to a thriving biotech ecosystem. With over 350 life sciences companies, including global brands like AstraZeneca, United Therapeutics, and Novavax, Montgomery County anchors the third largest biophama hub in the U.S., behind only Boston and San Francisco.
Running annually in Washington D.C. for over 25 years, World Vaccine Congress attracts an international audience from over 80 countries and convenes more than 3,000 people to learn about the latest trends, research, and technologies in the vaccine industry. This year, Montgomery County took center stage, with a featured session on the extensive Biologics Value Chain in the County, as well as a session during which County Executive Marc Elrich spoke about the extensive resources available to companies here, and an exhibit space showcasing these resources.
A Complete Biologics Value Chain in One Region
One of the defining strengths of Montgomery County is its ability to support the full lifecycle of biologics, all the way from early research to large-scale manufacturing. During the panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Stefanie Trop, Director of Life Sciences at the Maryland Department of Commerce, local leaders emphasized that the region’s strength lies in its network of partners who work collaboratively across discovery, development, testing, and production. Panelists from companies in all stages of the value chain spectrum included Dr. Andrew Lees, Founder of Fina Biosolutions, Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca, Dr. Helen Sabzevari President & CEO of Precigen, and Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer of Integrated BioTherapeutics.
This end-to-end capability in close geographical proximity gives companies a unique advantage and is rare to find in other markets, even established ones like San Francisco and Boston. In fact, only a handful of places worldwide offer the combination of infrastructure, expertise, and collaboration found in Montgomery County and if diversity, education and population density are taken into consideration – then Montgomery County standouts even more.
“Gaithersburg is one of the six places in the world where we can do what we’re doing,” explained Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca. “We have the right partners at every step of the value chain [in Montgomery County].”
A Strong Partnership Network
Biotech breakthroughs rarely happen in isolation. They depend on strong partnerships between private companies, local and state governments, academic institutions, and workforce training organizations. Montgomery County has intentionally cultivated these connections, making collaboration and coordination defining characteristics of its life sciences ecosystem.
Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer at IBT Bioservices, a full service CRO offering clinical & preclinical contract research services, says the company’s close partnerships between them and local stakeholders have been crucial to its success. “As a Rockville-based company, we’re grateful for the partnership and support from city, County, and state leaders,” explained Dr. Holtsberg. “These programs have helped fuel our growth, and we’re excited about the continued momentum of our community.” (more…)
Update: The State of Maryland corrected its previous press release to reflect that liberal leave is in effect for Maryland State Government after previously stating it was closed.
Governor Wes Moore declared a State of Emergency Sunday afternoon as a powerful winter storm was forecast to impact Maryland from Sunday evening through Monday, February 23.
Program Overview
This 6 week Saturday tennis clinic is designed for middle school players who want to learn and improve their tennis skills in a fun and supportive environment. Players will build confidence on the court while developing strong fundamentals and enjoying the game with other students.
Update: CODE RED — SCHOOL SYSTEM CLOSED Monday, Feb. 23. More information can be found here. Previous 2- hour delay announcement before the change to a closure can be seen below:
MCPS announced a two-hour delayed opening for Monday and said the decision will be re-evaluated early Monday morning, as snow began falling across parts of Montgomery County Sunday evening. The district cited slick roads, uneven impacts across the county, and concerns about staff travel.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service responded around 12:00 pm Sunday to the 11400 block of Lockwood Drive, off New Hampshire Avenue in White Oak, for a reported fire at the Lockwood Apartments. (more…)
Pretty cool story, at least to us. Last week, our very own “Mr. MoCo,” Alex Tsironis, shared a piece of local history that connects Montgomery County’s first McDonald’s to the […]
Whether it’s in the middle of winter, or on a hot summer day, there’s something extra satisfying about a great scoop of Ice Cream. But this ice cream, you can only get your hands on once every couple weeks. And as soon as it drops, it’s usually gone within 30 minutes. Good Karma Creamery is delivering craft ice cream with exclusive drops because one you’ve tried it, you’re for sure coming back for another pint.
Based on the latest snowfall maps, most of Montgomery County falls into the 3 to 6 inch range. Lower totals are expected in areas such as Bethesda and Silver Spring, while higher amounts are more likely farther north and west, including places like Damascus.
Law enforcement agencies working with the Maryland Car Rally Task Force disrupted multiple illegal car rallies overnight, including activity in Silver Spring and Chevy Chase, as part of a coordinated enforcement effort across the National Capital Region.
Montgomery County has launched an ongoing solicitation for organizations to operate Business Cohort Training Programs designed to support local entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits.