MerMagic Con, which describes itself as the world’s largest Mermaid convention, will take place Feb 28 – March 2nd, 2025 at the Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center in Silver Spring, MD. h/t @pike.and.rozay
According to its website, MerMagic Con gathers individuals from various aspects of the mermaid industry, offering activities and programs designed for different ages and skill levels.
Clopper Road is named for Clopper Mill, but the history of the mill dates back long before Frances C. Clopper owned it, and the mill is connected with the first government sponsored road in the county, an inheritance suit, and the Lincoln assassination.
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 Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the a house fire in 4000 Blk of Damascus Rd on Monday, January 6, initially battling heavy flames with exterior operations.
The following are unofficial observations taken during the past 12 hours by trained spotters for the National Weather Service. This article, written at 7:45am Monday morning, shows snow totals from different times throughout the morning, and not all areas have observations reported (more snow is expected throughout the day):
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BETHESDA, YOUR SATURDAY MORNING PLANS JUST GOT MORE CREATIVE.
Join Craft Cart at Coffee Republic on Saturday, September 26, from 11:00 AM–1:00 PM for a beginner-friendly faux stained glass experience filled with creativity, coffee and connection.
Montgomery County Government will be closed on Monday, Jan. 6, with facilities shut down, Ride On buses operating on a holiday schedule, and trash and recycling collections canceled, following a slide schedule through Saturday, Jan. 11.
Per Montgomery County: “A “Snow Emergency” is being declared for Montgomery County to take effect at midnight tonight. As a result, in accordance with the County Code, County residents are advised of the following requirements: (more…)
The Washington Commanders beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday to finish the regular season at 12-5. The Commanders will fly down to Tampa for the second time this season to […]
All of Maryland, West Virginia, and Delaware are under a Winter Storm Warning. Much of Virginia is under a warning too, but not the whole state. Locally, the warning begins […]
Approximately 85 Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) firefighters responded to a house fire in the 11600 block of Shenorock St in Gaithersburg on Sunday, January 5. (more…)
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has announced that all schools and offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, due to imminent snowfall, with all activities, programs, and childcare canceled; virtual learning will not be available, and decisions for Tuesday will be made later. (more…)