Montgomery County has announced that it was recently listed as one of healthiest counties in Maryland and in the United States, according to the annual County Health Rankings (CHR). Factors include low rates of premature death, higher life expectancy than average in Maryland, and higher vaccination rates.
Go to Montgomery County Listed Among Healthiest Counties in Maryland and the United States
Read 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?”
|
Updated April 6, 2024 Last month, we reported that the contents from Bamboo Buffet (2010 Veirs Mill Rd) were up for sale through a listing by Capital Online Auctions. Items […]
Add to Calendar
Music. Art. Food. Community. The Takoma Park Folk Festival brings it all together for one free, unforgettable day. Discover six stages of live music from around the world, shop an acclaimed juried craft show, enjoy international cuisine, connect with local community organizations, and let the kids explore crafts and activities in the Children's Nook. It's one of the region's most beloved traditions, and a celebration of the creativity, diversity, and welcoming spirit that has long defined Takoma Park.
New this year! Jam at the Crossroads is a place for musicians of all levels to come together and be part of the music.
USA Lacrosse Magazine released the week 1 version of its Top 25 National Rankings for girls lacrosse and they include two teams from right here in Montgomery County ranked in the top 12.
A ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at approximately 1:30am on Tuesday morning, causing the bridge to collapse. Maryland Governor Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency due to the collapse.
|
Updated to include a fundraiser for the families of those affected by the collapse.
911 calls came in at approximately 1:30am reporting that a ship collided with a column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the bridge to collapse. A GoFundMe has been started to support the families of those affected by the collapse.
|
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Sainabou Thompson, a missing 16-year-old.
Terrapin Station is now open at 4738 Cherry Hill Rd.-the space that was previously home to Hard Times Cafe. Its sister restaurant, Olney Station, took over the Sardi’s Taphouse space, next to Sardi’s, at 3418 Olney Laytonsville Rd. in late 2022.
After quite a bit of time without movement, the space at 227 E. Diamond Ave. has been sold to the owners of local establishments Taco Bar El Guero (Rio area), Ixtapalapa (Gaithersburg) and La Gula Mexicana (Germantown).
Shane Lee, a 6 foot, 240 lb linebacker who spent three years at Alabama and his senior year at USC, is working hard to ensure he is taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. Lee is a Montgomery County native from Burtonsville.