Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) continue to look for 17-year-old Jennifer Orellana and are asking for the public’s help in finding her. (more…)
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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?”
Montgomery County Police apprehended a suspect in a stolen vehicle operation near Georgia Ave/Shorefield Rd in Wheaton early this morning, recovering two stolen vehicles, securing a discarded firearm, and preventing an additional theft attempt. (more…)
An Anne Arundel County couple won $1 million from a Millionaire’s Club scratch-off ticket, purchased as part of their unique tradition of celebrating special occasions with lottery tickets. Full story below courtesy MD Lottery: (more…)
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Bring your family and friends to our free , all-day outdoor Oktoberfest celebration. These will be an outdoor craft fair featuring local artisans and professional woodworkers, a chainsaw carving, woodworking and tool demonstrations by Festool, Montgomery Wood Turners and Carvers. There will also be lots of delicious food provided by El Parente Tacos, El Jeffe Wood-fired pizzas, Bruster's Ice cream and seasonal craft brews from Saints Row Brwsing Company.
Donaldson Impact Investments partnered with Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC), a leading regional non-profit affordable housing developer, to acquire Country Place Apartments in Burtonsville, MD for $63 million.
The Eater DC “38 Essential Restaurants Around DC” list offers a selection of defining culinary destinations that showcase DC and its suburbs. Four restaurants in Maryland are currently on the list (last updated on January 14th) with three of them in Montgomery County:
Medium Rare is inviting couples to make their engagement unforgettable by offering free meals for life on their anniversary to those who get engaged at any of the chain’s locations this Valentine’s Day. (more…)
Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) will open registration for its annual whiskey lotteries on January 19, offering residents and license holders the opportunity to purchase rare spirits like Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year and Michter’s 20 Year. The free lotteries, with separate categories for Maryland residents, Montgomery County residents, and licensees, will feature over 900 bottles, and winners must purchase their allocated bottles between February 17 and March 16. (more…)
The public comment period on Metro’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) has begun and the community is encouraged to take our survey and provide written comments at wmata.com/budget by 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, 2025.
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and a coalition of 13 attorneys general urged Walmart to reconsider its rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, emphasizing their legal, social, and economic importance. (more…)
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Smoking (cigarettes) costs more than $600 billion per year, and the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on The Real Cost of Smoking by State to help encourage the 46 million tobacco users in the U.S. to kick this dangerous and expensive habit.