The information in this investigative update is preliminary and will be supplemented or corrected during the course of the investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued an investigative update for its ongoing investigation of the March 26 contact of containership Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and subsequent bridge collapse. It can be seen below:
The weather has been hot and we’ve found six spots right here in MoCo with their own variation of orange crushes (along with other flavors) on the menu.
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 Public Libraries (MCPL) now offers an online application system for obtaining full-service digital library cards, eliminating the need for in-person visits to County library branches to apply for a card.
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division have arrested 30-year-old Samuel Robert Bajard, of an unknown address, with an attempted burglary and a carjacking that occurred on Sunday, June 9, 2024, in the 14100 block of Castle Boulevard in the Burtonsville area.
Per Montgomery County Police: “At approximately 4:24 a.m., 3rd District officers responded to the location for the report of an attempted burglary.
When I moved back to Northern Virginia after several years in New York, most of my old friends had moved away. I found myself rebuilding a social circle from scratch.
I had plenty of people I could connect with online, but that wasn’t translating into anyone to grab a beer with after work, play trivia with, or text when I wanted to get out of the house. Making new friends as an adult required far more deliberate effort than I remembered.
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.
Quincy Wilson’s parents relocated from Virginia to Gaithersburg to that he can attend the Bullis School in Potomac. Now, Wilson looks to qualify for the Olympics after breaking the under-18 […]
The Montgomery Village Foundation has shared news of the Lake Whetstone parking lot temporarily closing (anticipated two day closure, weather permitting) for the completion of asphalt repair.
Audacy has named Chris Kinard its Sports Format Vice President. Kinard is currently, and will continue to serve as, Vice President of Sports Programming and Cluster Director of Operations for Audacy Washington D.C., including 106.7 The Fan (WJFK-FM), The Team 980 (WTEM-AM) 94.7 The Drive (WIAD-FM) and Connecting Vets.
Chief Antonio DeVaul from the Takoma Park Police Department (TKPD) has announced the arrest of Wilson Mickens III, 33, of Silver Spring, Maryland, for stealing an automobile.
In April, fashion retailer Express announced its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and plans to close almost 100 of its locations, including the one at Wheaton Mall which has since closed. Now, Express and Express Men at Montgomery Mall has announced it will be closing soon.
Montgomery County recently broke ground on a new resiliency hub project and its second transit microgrid project. This one will be built at the Equipment Maintenance Transit Operations Center in the Derwood area, near Rockville.
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division have arrested and charged 22-year-old Trevon Hatcherson-Ross with the shooting death of 19-year-old Justice T’Ziyan Elliott that occurred on a Metro Bus on Friday, February 17, 2023, on Lockwood Drive in White Oak.