A Clarksburg man is currently being held without bond after being arrested last week for possession of drugs and a firearm. (more…)
According to MDLottery, two $100,000-winning tickets were recently sold at businesses just a few feet away from one another in Montgomery Village. The tickets were purchased at Giant located at 20044 Goshen Road and Goshen Plaza Beer & Wine at 9140 Rothbury Drive. (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?”
This Saturday is “Bring Your Own Cup Day” at 7-Eleven stores nationwide. Customers have the opportunity to “grab a vessel of their choosing” and fill it with Slurpee for $1.99. The only condition is that the container must fit within a 10-inch cutout provided in-store. 7-Eleven encourages customers to use their creativity, suggesting items like fishbowls and motorcycle helmets.
The Montgomery County Animal Services & Adoption Center (MCASAC) recently shared one of the newest animals looking for a forever home- Valley the pigeon. Valley is described as a “very […]
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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.
Officials representing the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors and the Metro Board of Directors today announced they would convene the two bodies to launch a new joint initiative to develop a unified vision for transit service in the region.
Northwest High School (NWHS) in Germantown has announced the hiring of Calvin (C.J.) Jenkins as its new Varsity Boys Basketball Coach. Coach Jenkins was part of the first 4-year class at NWHS, graduating from Northwest in 2002.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will host nearly 1,000 volunteers, lawmakers and county leaders from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday, 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 Pike Central Farm Market opens for the 2024 season on Saturday, April 27th. The Market hosts a wide variety of vendors and is conveniently located in the parking lot next to Bark Social at 935 Prose Street in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose.
“Mills in Montgomery,” an online presentation from Montgomery History, will be available to watch on-demand beginning Monday, April 15. (more…)
The Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan (ESSCP) team is scheduled to present the Existing Conditions Analysis and Scope of Work to the Montgomery County Planning Board this Spring, which will include a proposed Plan Boundary (see map above).