ICING, which is the sister-brand to Claire’s, has permanently closed at at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.
MCPS recently highlighted 2024 graduate, Edna Reyes’ successful journey to this year’s graduation. She has navigated and completed three programs simultaneously and earned a recognition for students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages in high school.
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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We recently received a few updates renderings (subject to change) for the proposed redevelopment of the existing Lakeforest Mall property in Gaithersburg. They can be seen below.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a crash at approximately 2pm on I-270 S on Thursday afternoon.
At The Head Spa by Bare, we believe that true beauty begins with a healthy scalp, its your unique wellness experience for the mind and body. Relax with aromatherapy and gentle massages while healing your scalp.
Head Spa Facial rituals are a unique and luxurious experience that focuses on relaxing and revitalizing the scalp and hair. These rituals combine traditional Japanese techniques with modern spa treatments to provide a holistic approach to wellness.
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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!
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 2nd District Investigative Section are investigating a second-degree assault that occurred on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in the 11800 block of Rockville Pike in Bethesda. (more…)
The John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents, or RICA, was a winner of Montgomery County’s 25th annual Recycling Achievement Awards.
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A tornado warning is in effect for parts of Fredrick and Montgomery counties until 2:15pm, according to the National Weather Service.
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Ledo Pizza Corner Shoppe has opened another Montgomery County location at Giant Food on 12051 Rockville Pike, and serviced by Ledo Pizza Rockville at 1319 Rockville Pike.
Dr. Earl Stoddard, Montgomery County’s Assistant Chief Administrative Officer provided an explanation for the emergency alerting systems used in Montgomery County via social media on Thursday afternoon. It can be seen below:
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UPDATE: Gabriella Maruridi has been located safe and unharmed.
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Gabriella Mauridi, a missing 15-year-old from Silver Spring. (more…)