A body was recovered from the Potomac River this morning near Sandy Landing at Great Falls Park. It is believed to be that of a swimmer who went missing on Friday, May 24, 2024.
The parents of Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Abigail Bieber, a Montgomery County native who graduated from Walter Johnson High School in 2009, are still looking for answers in the murder-suicide that claimed their daughter’s life. Deputy Bieber was killed when she was fatally shot on January 29, 2022 by Detective Daniel Leyden- a member of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigations division who killed Bieber and then took his own life.
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?”
The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair returns Friday, August 9th and will run through Saturday, August 17th at the fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. This will be the 75th annual fair and its fourth year back after having to cancel for the first time in its 70+ year history in 2020 due to Covid restrictions. Below you’ll see a list of the free entertainment available within the fair (Note: there is an entrance fee to get into the fair):
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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.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a collision and fire on Clara Barton Parkway at approximately 9:30pm on Sunday night.
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10:55pm Update: This incident is being investigated as a homicide. According to police, “At approximately 6:57 p.m. Montgomery County Department of Police – 3rd District and Maryland – National Capital Park Police officers responded to the 500 block of Thayer Ave. for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located two 20-year-old males dead at the scene. There are no suspects in custody at this time. This is an active and ongoing investigation.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.
Has Rockville/MoCo found a new venue for outdoor concerts? The City of Rockville’s Hometown Holidays Music Fest is in its second day today at RedGate Park (14500 Avery Road) in Rockville and fans are pouring in to catch a performance by alternative rock band Everclear, whose career spans four decades and many memorable hits.
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More than 12,000 Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students are expected to receive their high school diplomas during commencement ceremonies scheduled between Wednesday, May 29, and Wednesday, June 12. Graduation […]
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Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar at 203 Crown Park Ave in Gaithersburg closed permanently at 3pm on Sunday, May 26. The reason we were provided by management was “lease disagreement and rent increase.”
On Thursday, we reported that Dawson’s Market at 225 N. Washington St. in Rockville Town Square will be permanently close at the end of June after twelve years in business. (more…)