The Hispanic Alliance for Education held its annual Distinguished Hispanic Scholars Awards ceremony on May 9. Twenty-eight students were honored for outstanding academic achievement, community engagement and leadership.
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 4th District Investigative Section are investigating an armed robbery that occurred on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in the 900 block of Loxford Terrace in Wheaton. Detectives have released video and photos of the suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him. The video is available below. (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?”
On May 2nd, the Montgomery County Animal Services & Adoption Center (MCASAC) announced it was closed to the public due to an outbreak of Canine Influenza (CIV). On Friday, they shared a few updates in a post on social media:
Nearly 300 MCPS seniors were recognized for their accomplishment in completing the Dual Enrollment program with Montgomery College at the Dual Enrollment ceremony on Wednesday, May 15.
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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.
The Maryland Attorney General’s Office issued the following consumer alert on Friday, May 18: (more…)
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Updated with information that reflects the address of the current pop-up space and information regarding the most recent tenant.
Stretch Lab is coming to 113 Market St in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. The current pop-up space at 371 Main St. will be moving in to the location that was previously home to Occasions Unique Gifts and most recently home to the Artist in Market pop-up. An opening date for the permanent location is not yet available.
In celebration of “Older Americans Month,” Montgomery County will host a free community event for residents 55+ on Friday, May 24 in Silver Spring.
In his weekly update to the community, County Executive Marc Elrich honored retiring Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) Director Anita Vassallo. She joined Chief Administrative Officer Rich Madaleno on the weekly media briefing Wednesday, which you can watch here.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration began resurfacing MD 650 (New Hampshire Avenue) between Milestone Drive and Shaw Avenue in Silver Spring on Sunday, May 12. The project should be completed by late June, weather permitting. (more…)
The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) State Highway Administration (SHA) has released its major lane closures for this weekend. They can be seen below, by county:
The 15th annual Gaithersburg Book Festival is on today from 10am until 6pm. The festival is a rain or shine event with almost all programming outdoors, but under large tents. Here’s pretty much everything you need to know – all in one place, courtesy of the Gaithersburg Book Festival: