MCDOT

The funded study will evaluate travel behaviors and conditions, market opportunities and service delivery options to improve ridership and expand Flex service or the future. The study will involve public outreach, data collection and will review and coordinate with recommendations from MCDOT’s county-wide Ride on Reimagined study.

The study will build upon a FY 2019 TLC-funded study that evaluated the first six months of Flex service and identified new areas for possible expansion.


Bethesda

Pollo Campero is coming to the dining terrace at Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda). It will be taking over the space recently occupied by Greek Aroma Grill. Menu items include fried and grilled chicken, empanadas, yuca, plantains, and flan.  No opening date has been announced.

Pollo Campero has additional Montgomery County locations in Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, and Wheaton. The fried chicken chain, which originated in Guatemala, opened its first location in 1971 and has grown to over 400 locations worldwide, including over 70 in the United States.


Sponsored

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…)


Gaithersburg

If you’ve ever wanted to own a piece of Lakeforest Mall, now is your chance. Capital Auctions has just listed over 1000 items from inside of the mall, including fixtures from stores, decorative pieces, a Chevy Silverado and more. According to Capital Auctions, interested parties will be able to preview the items on Wednesday, July 5th 2023 10am-4:30pm with the auction closing on Thursday, July 6.

Lakeforest Mall closed permanently to the public on March 31st, after almost 45 years. The mall first opened on September 12, 1978. At that time, the mall’s anchor stores were JCPenney, Sears, Woodward & Lothrop, and Hecht’s. The mall was one of the first in the United States to feature an indoor ice skating rink on the lower level, in the “H section”, along with being the biggest indoor shopping mall in the county at the time of grand opening. The ice skating rink was replaced by a NTI Theaters movie theater in 1984, later renamed Cineplex Odeon Lakeforest 5, then by a food court, which now occupies the space. The mall was built on top of Lake Walker, a park on the property prior. The mall opened with approximately 30-50 stores, with some of the first stores being relocated from the then nearby indoor Village Mall (now an outdoor strip mall called Montgomery Village Center since 1991) and absorbed onto the property.


Celebrities

The Brian Mitchell “Intentional Celebrity Golf Tournament” took place at Lakewood Country Club ( 13901 Glen Mill Rd) in Rockville on Monday, June 5th and the event, along with the “rare night” gala following the tournament, raised $153,00 to hire the organization’s first nurse navigator to support families with children who have rare diseases. The event featured an appearance by Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera, as well as current and former Commanders players. 

The Miracle of Hudson announced BMitch’s “Intentional Celebrity Charity Golf Tournament”, which took place on Monday, June 5th, at the prestigious Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, MD. The event featured special guest Ron Rivera, Head Coach of the Washington Commanders, as well as current and legendary players. In addition, the tournament hosted a star-studded lineup of celebrities, and esteemed guests such as Dr. Kurt Newman, M.D., President of Children’s National, and Dr. Debra Regier, M.D., Interim Division Chief of Genetics and Metabolism and Program Director of the Medical Genetics Residency Program at Children’s National. The tournament was able to raise $153,00” to hire the organization’s first nurse navigator to support families with children who have rare diseases.Attendees had a fun-filled day of golf, exciting activities, and exceptional prizes. The Miracle of Hudson is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing nurse navigation support, resources, and hope to families affected by rare diseases. The nurse navigator’s role will be to guide families through the complex healthcare system, providing essential support and care coordination to ensure children receive the best possible treatment and outcome.For more information about BMitch’s “Intentional Celebrity Charity Golf Tournament,” sponsorship opportunities for the future, or to donate, please visit https://theintentional.org or theintentional.org/rarenight contact the Event Organizer/Director, Marquis Evans, at 301-357-5608 or via email at [email protected].


Bethesda

Back in September 2021 we let you know the popular DC restaurant The Salt Line would be making its way over to Bethesda Row, taking over the location at 4900 Hampden Lane that was previously home to Greek restaurant Kapnos until 2018. While an opening date has not yet been set, the restaurant is currently hiring and we anticipate a summer opening. Construction has been ongoing at the restaurant for over a year.

The Salt Line DC location is a waterfront venture that opened near Navy Yard in June of 2017 with a 100-seat patio bar overlooking the Anacostia River. It has been a hit and pre/post Nats game destination due to its proximity to Nats stadium, sizable bar, and blend of popular food and drink with views of the river. While the Bethesda location won’t be overlooking the water, Bethesda Row offers a highly walkable, bustling downtown experience in Montgomery County.


Maryland

Per the Maryland Department of Commerce: Maryland Commerce has announced that applications are now being accepted for the first round of funding available through the Cannabis Business Assistance Fund. The funds will help small businesses and entrepreneurs participate in Maryland’s upcoming adult-use cannabis program.

“The Cannabis Business Assistance Fund will help ensure more equitable footing as our medical cannabis license holders transition to recreational marijuana use in Maryland,” said Governor Wes Moore. “The fund promotes equitable economic growth and will empower our small, minority, and women-owned businesses to have a greater stake in this growing industry.”


Beyond MoCo

H&H Bagels is entering a new era of expansion in 2023, with agreements in place for 25 new restaurants, including 10 units in the D.C. area. H&H Bagels, which has been featured on shows like “Seinfeld,” “Sex and the City,” “Entourage,” “The Office,” and more, is now expanding outside of the tri-state area for the first time, opening new company-owned and franchised locations in Florida, California, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Illinois, and Connecticut. A company-owned location will also open at the newly remodeled Penn Station in New York City later this year. “We’re excited to bring our New York City bagels to cities across the country as part of our expansion plan,” said Jay Rushin, Chief Executive Officer of H&H Bagels. “With each new company-owned and franchise location, we are looking forward to welcoming new customers to the H&H family.” H&H Bagels Locations Under Development:

No locations are currently scheduled for Maryland, and the expanded D.C. region will include Norfolk and Virginia Beach, according to the company’s press release. The closest restaurants will be in D.C. and Northern Virginia, but exact locations have not been named yet. The first H&H Bagel franchise location will be in Boca Raton, Florida which is expected to open in the third quarter of 2023. In addition, the first company-owned locations outside of New York City will be in West Palm Beach, Florida at NORA, the redevelopment of West Palm Beach’s warehouse district and in Chicago, Illinois in Fulton Market. H&H Bagels’ sixth New York City location is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2023 in the newly renovated Penn Station.


Business

Mandarin Express, located at 15209 Frederick Rd #5, is available to purchase for an asking price of $150K. According to the listing, “the owner is retiring and selling a 25+ year standing, renowned, hole-in-the-wall, Chinese restaurant.””The restaurant is fully operational, comes with equipment, infrastructure, resources, an extensive, loyal customer base and perfected original recipes.”

The owner, who is retiring, is willing to teach any prospective buyer “how the restaurant has been run from top to bottom, most importantly, unique recipes and process that has set us apart from competition and allowed us to stay in business for so long.” Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


Kensington

The married dad, who has a baby on the way, called his wife immediately to come check the instant ticket to confirm his win. He next shared the great news with his father. Both doubted the winner’s luck so they went to a Lottery retailer and got the top-prize win confirmed by the ticket scanner and the store cashier.

The lucky player, accompanied by his dad, claimed his prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore last week. He told Lottery officials that he plans to use the winnings for his growing family and will celebrate with a big family dinner. Also celebrating this huge win is the Lottery retailer that sold the winning instant ticket. Safeway #2753 located at 10541 Connecticut Avenue will receive a $300 bonus from the Lottery for selling the $30,000 top-prize winner. The Red Hot Cash instant ticket went on sale at the end of May with eight $30,000 top prizes. Seven top prizes remain. There are also 16 $1,000 prizes left along with over 806,000 prizes ranging from $3 to $500. The instant ticket joins a Hot family of games that went on sale May 22: a $1 Hot 7s, $2 Hot 7s Doubler$5 Hot 7s Tripler and $10 Hot 7s Multiplier scratch-off. A $20 Hot 777 ticket went on sale in April. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps.