The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) issued a traffic advisory at 9:16am Monday morning for an oil spill that closed a portion of Goshen Rd in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village.
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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?”
Cubano’s, a popular restaurant serving Cuban fare for over two decades, has closed its first location at 1201 Fidler Lane in Silver Spring permanently, according to a report by Source of the Spring.
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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.
The Montgomery County Board of Education has sent the following back-to-school message to MCPS families:
Purple Line MD has shared via social media that track installation at the Piney Branch Rd. And University Blvd intersection in Silver Spring has been completed ahead of schedule.
The Baltimore Ravens have released a statement on the passing of offensive line coach, Joe D’Alessandris. D’Alessandris passed away this morning after he was hospitalized earlier this month “for an acute illness, which will require ongoing treatment.” The statement can be seen below:
“Our hearts ache with grief and sadness upon learning of Coach Joe D’Alessandris’ passing early this morning.
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Last year we let you know that Lone Oak Farm Brewing Company (5000 Olney Laytonsville Rd in Olney) would be launching Fallen Oak Distilling. Scheduled to open this fall, Fallen Oak will deliver an “exquisite range of spirits, meticulously crafted for the discerning palate” that will also come with a “hidden cocktail experience.”
On Sunday, August 25th, at approximately 7:00 AM, Frederick County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a residence in the 7000 Block of Mandalong Ct. in New Market. The call was reported as a shooting. Upon arrival, deputies located two adults deceased in the home and four children who were unharmed.