The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will hold a virtual public hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 1 p.m. to discuss a petition for the abandonment of a 14,000-square-foot public right of way on Hyannis Drive in Silver Spring, with registration required by Jan. 21.
On Friday, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a multistate coalition to defend the EPA’s 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, which strengthen drinking water standards and require nationwide lead pipe replacement within 10 years to reduce lead exposure risks.
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?”
Marcell Jordan Hebron, 26, known in the music industry as Lil Xelly, and Leilani Marroquin, 27, both of Rockville, were identified as the victims in a double homicide that occurred on January 17, 2025 in Rockville. Suspect Kaloyan Dimov Stoev, 25, has been arrested and is now facing charges of first-degree murder and handgun-related offenses. A GoFundMe fundraiser has been started to assist both families with funeral expenses.
We’ve Got the Ticket to Every Sunday Showdown! 🏈🔥
Catch every live out-of-market Sunday game with NFL Sunday Ticket this football season at Lucky Strike Rockville!
The Triumph Trek at the Rio is the ultimate celebration of strength, recovery and hope — and everyone is invited.
On Sunday, September 20, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation and Adventist HealthCare Home Care Services will gather at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg for an untimed walk-or-wheel around the accessible lakeside path. This is not a race. Scooters, wheelchairs, walkers, strollers and every pace are welcome, and no one finishes last.
Both the Winter Storm Warning and Winter Weather Advisory are now in effect until 7pm tonight, with snow accumulations of 3-6 inches expected in the warning areas and 2-4 inches […]
The Washington Commanders defeated the Detroit Lions (1 seed in the NFC) to advance to the NFC Championship game, 45-31. Washington will play against the winner of the Los Angeles Rams/Philadelphia Eagles game next week. Below we have 10 fun facts that occurred during Washington’s big win:
The National Weather Service (NWS) previously expanded the Winter Storm Warning to include additional areas like portions of Montgomery, Howard, and Loudoun counties. A Winter Weather Advisory was also issued for the other half of Montgomery, Howard, and Loudoun counties as well as DC, Prince George’s County, and other surrounding areas. Now, they have increased forecasted totals in their latest maps (Saturday afternoon).
Last April we let you know that local restaurant group Moby Dick House of Kabob signed on to open a new restaurant in Potomac’s Cabin John Village. The new location will be adjacent to Colony Grill on the back side of the shopping center and an opening timeframe has been set, according to a report.
Chopt has announced that it will be giving customers an exclusive preview before the store officially opens at 18123 Town Center Dr. in Olney.
The Washington Commanders are playing the Detroit Lions tonight and Dulles Airport, United, and the Commanders teamed up to send the flight off with Washington Commanders gear this morning.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has expanded the Winter Storm Warning to include portions of Montgomery, Howard, and Loudoun counties. A Winter Weather Advisory was also issued for the other half of Montgomery, Howard, and Loudoun counties as well as DC, Prince George’s County, and other surrounding areas.