Bouboulina, an American grill influenced by Mediterranean cuisine, will open this March at 915 Meeting St. in Pike & Rose (North Bethesda, MD).
On Friday, Governor Wes Moore appointed Kamal Essaheb as senior advisor and director of immigrant affairs to lead policy development, community engagement, and resource management for Maryland’s immigrant communities through […]
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?”
A Rockville defendant was taken into custody in Montgomery County Circuit Court after being indicted on additional charges of theft over $100,000, involving a total alleged theft of over $2 million from multiple victims, and was ordered held without bond. (more…)
Moby Dick has just opened its most recent location, joining FiveGuys, Chipotle, Java Nation, and more at the Kensington Shopping Center– 10506A Connecticut Ave. Kensington, MD.
When I moved back to Northern Virginia after several years in New York, most of my old friends had moved away. I found myself rebuilding a social circle from scratch.
I had plenty of people I could connect with online, but that wasn’t translating into anyone to grab a beer with after work, play trivia with, or text when I wanted to get out of the house. Making new friends as an adult required far more deliberate effort than I remembered.
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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.
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An 18-year-old was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary following a commercial burglary in Gaithersburg that led to a police pursuit, crash, and the escape of three other suspects. (more…)
Per MCPS: “This January has been a challenging month for our community, with freezing temperatures, snow and icy conditions affecting our daily routines. Students, staff and families have navigated these tough weeks with resilience, being cautious while traveling and layering up against the cold. We can now look forward to a welcome warm-up in the coming days; however, we must make a necessary adjustment to the school calendar due to the weather-related closures earlier this month.
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) shared that its Special Victims Investigations Division executed a residential search warrant in the 17500 block of Amity Drive in Gaithersburg this morning. Per police, “The investigation has no connection with immigration status or the enforcement of immigration laws.”
On Wednesday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced a $106 million multistate settlement with Vanguard to address allegations of inadequate disclosure of tax consequences to investors after changes to target date retirement fund investment minimums.
Taco Bar at 3 Russell Ave in Olde Towne Gaithersburg has reopened following its closure due to a fire caused by an arson spree in September 2023. Currently in a soft opening phase, the restaurant plans a grand reopening in mid-February. (more…)
Metro is celebrating the return of giant pandas to Washington D.C. through a special SmarTrip card collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
A 36-year-old Rockville man has been arrested and charged with stalking and sexual assault in Silver Spring, and the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPS) is urging any additional victims to come forward. (more…)