According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, Neel Patel, 24, of Carol Stream, Illinois, pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County before Judge Sharon Burrell to one count of theft over $100,000 and one count of conspiracy to commit theft over $100,000. (more…)
On Thursday, Governor Wes Moore testified before the Maryland House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees in support of the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025, which aims to reform the tax code, balance the budget, and invest in key industries. (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?”
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a house at a two-story single-family home on Wasche Rd near W Hunter Rd in Dickerson/Poolesville.
According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, firefighters from multiple MCFRS units responded to the non-hydrant area. The occupants evacuated, but one adult suffered burns and was transported as a Priority 2 patient. The fire was extinguished, and one family was displaced. A tanker fill site was set up on Martinsburg Rd.
Metro has announce the release of the revised FY26 proposed budget. Metro says the revised budget reflects ”a positive trend in ridership and revenue that underscores the authority’s service reliability and recovery.”
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.
Bring your family and friends to our free , all-day outdoor Oktoberfest celebration. These will be an outdoor craft fair featuring local artisans and professional woodworkers, a chainsaw carving, woodworking and tool demonstrations by Festool, Montgomery Wood Turners and Carvers. There will also be lots of delicious food provided by El Parente Tacos, El Jeffe Wood-fired pizzas, Bruster's Ice cream and seasonal craft brews from Saints Row Brwsing Company.
Last year, the Parkland Middle School Boys Basketball Team finished their season with the best record in school history; this year, it was the girls’ turn to shine.
In response to a post from Elon Musk on X, Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) released the following statement:
Wine Enthusiast has ranked MoCo Lite– the collaboration between The MoCoShow and Lone Oak Brewing Company– brewed right here in Olney, Maryland, as the best light beer in the country. The rating, initially awarded in 2023, still holds today.
Montgomery County residents and businesses in hard-to-reach areas can now apply for the Maryland Home Stretch – Difficult to Serve Properties Program, which helps cover high-speed internet installation costs. (more…)
The Maryland Department of Health has expanded Medicaid coverage for school-based mental health services, allowing all Medicaid-enrolled students to access behavioral health support regardless of an IEP or IFSP. (more…)
The Board of Public Works, including Comptroller Brooke Lierman, Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, and Treasurer Dereck Davis, approved 71 initiatives totaling $646.8 million, including a $55 million agreement for renovations at M&T Bank Stadium. (more…)
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) is investigating an armed robbery that occurred on Thursday afternoon near the 19100 block of Montgomery Village Avenue. (more…)