Locally Crafted will reopen at its new location (9 Grand Corner Ave.) in Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront on Wednesday, May 1st. The store closed its previous storefront on December 24th, 2023. The new location has taken over the space that was recently home to Francesca’s.
Montgomery County Police has release surveillance images of a suspect wanted in connection to an assault and robbery that occurred last month in Wheaton. (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 Maryland Attorney General’s Office issued the following news release on Friday, April 26: (more…)
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.
Montgomery County Police has released surveillance footage of suspect wanted in connection to a vehicle that was stolen earlier this month in Rockville. (more…)
Stephanie Gomer, teacher at Poolesville High School, has been named Maryland History Day High School Teacher of the Year. She will be honored at the Maryland History Day statewide awards ceremony on May 4.
Money, an American brand and a personal finance website that was formerly a monthly magazine first published by Time Inc. (1972-2018), has released its list of “50 Best Places to […]
Ssong’s Hotdog has closed its location at Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd) in Bethesda. (more…)
The Village Corner Deli is now open at 11419 Grandview Ave in Wheaton, next to El Sabor Latino Bakery.
MCPS hosted nearly 1,000 volunteers, lawmakers and county leaders on April 22 for the Resilience, Education, Action, Climate, Habitat (REACH) Hub groundbreaking ceremony and Earth Day volunteer event at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School.
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has announced a free family-friendly event, “Community Safety Day,” led by local students. It’s set to take place from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday, May 11, at the Carver Educational Services Center (CESC) in Rockville.