Maryland State Poker Championships will take place from July 31-August 12 at Live! Casino & Hotel at 7002 Arundel Mills Cir #7777 in Hanover, MD. The tournament will feature 18 events over 13 days with $1M in prizes guaranteed through the series. (more…)
Swiss chocolatier Läderach is now open in Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The store is located on the mall’s upper level, in the space previously occupied by Chocolate Moonshine. Läderach is renowned for its FrischSchoggi (fresh chocolate) slabs, pralines, and truffles.
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 Recreation is celebrating National Park and Recreation Month by highlighting how its programs and facilities enhance the quality of life for people of all ages, cultures, and abilities.
Bethesda Bike & Ski, located at 6917 Arlington Road in Bethesda, is set to open on Thursday, August 1. The store will provide bike, ski, and snowboard sales, tune-ups, lessons, repairs, and rentals. (more…)
At The Head Spa by Bare, we believe that true beauty begins with a healthy scalp, its your unique wellness experience for the mind and body. Relax with aromatherapy and gentle massages while healing your scalp.
Head Spa Facial rituals are a unique and luxurious experience that focuses on relaxing and revitalizing the scalp and hair. These rituals combine traditional Japanese techniques with modern spa treatments to provide a holistic approach to wellness.
October 10 & 11, 2026
The MoCo Epic is a festival celebrating mountain biking, natural surface trails, and the community that makes this region a great place to ride! 2026 marks the 16th anniversary of the MoCo Epic.
Take a look below at an assortment of old school Montgomery County commercials we found on YouTube from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s!
Though billed as being a “customer support team lead from Burbank, California”, current seven-time defending Jeopardy! champion Isaac Hirsch was born and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Chief Antonio DeVaul from the Takoma Park Police Department announced the arrest of Nancy Slaughter, 40, of no fixed address, for allegedly stealing a car that was reported stolen in Prince George’s County and found in Montgomery County with Slaughter asleep inside.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an Excessive Heat Warning in effect from 11am until 8pm on Monday, July 15th.
There will be a free Peace Day Celebration at Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park (1800 Piccard Dr,) in Rockville on Sunday, September 22. It was originally scheduled for today, July 14, 2024, but has been postponed due to extreme heat. The event runs from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and feature, games, activities, labyrinth, and hope flame dedication. Full details below courtesy the City of Rockville: (more…)
Last week, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order to establish cell phone-free schools in Virginia’s K-12 public schools. The order aims to ban or severely restrict the use of cell phones during the school day citing “increasing evidence of the impact cell phone and social media usage has on education and youth mental health.” Since then, we’ve spoken with various MCPS teachers and parents who have chimed in to provide different perspectives on the topic.
Updated with additional information
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the 600 block of Westside Drive in Gaithersburg’s Brighton Village neighborhood at approximately 4:20am Sunday morning.