The Montgomery County Police and Fire Departments in Germantown will host a free, family-friendly open house with vehicle displays, safety demonstrations, and activities on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 20000 Aircraft Dr. (more…)
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Khayla Kent, a missing 13-year-old. (more…)
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?”
After closing its doors in January 2020 following seven years in downtown Frederick, Ayse Meze Lounge is poised to return to the culinary scene—this time about 25 miles south as AYSE. Nezih Pistar, the driving force behind the Mediterranean restaurant named for his mother, has applied for a liquor license on behalf of AYSE for the new location at 700 King Farm Rd. in Rockville’s King Farm neighborhood.
Maryland State Police are seeking help to locate a suspect and vehicle involved in a road rage incident on I-270, where a shot was fired into a victim’s vehicle on […]
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!
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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.
With the first “early decision” college-application deadline looming on November 1, and tuition plus room and board at a four-year college costing $28,000 – $60,000 per year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its reports on 2025’s Best College & University Rankings, to help college-bound seniors make the most informed school choices.
After a panel participated in blind taste tests, the Washington Post created a list of the nine best bagels in (and around) D.C. with four of the options from Maryland and all available right here in Montgomery County.
This evening, the Rockville City Police Department and Metro Transit Police responded to two separate stabbings near the Twinbrook Metro station, with both victims suffering non-life-threatening injuries
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Koi Asian Cuisine, located at 12046 Cherry Hill Rd. in Silver Spring (Calverton), has rebranded to Sushi Freedom.
Ross at 12940 Middlebrook Rd. in the Germantown Commons shopping center is now open.
Last week, we reported that the Big Lots at 20926 Frederick Rd in the Milestone Shopping Center, Germantown, will be permanently closing. On Friday, the store began its closing sale, […]
