Maryland and Montgomery County’s third Tatte Bakery & Café will open this Wednesday, January 29, at 12232 Rockville Pike. An employee provided us with photos from a recent friends and family event ahead of the cafe’s opening (available below).
The Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) announced its inaugural Super Bowl SoberRide® program, offering free Lyft rides (up to $15) to prevent drunk driving across the Washington-metropolitan area from 8:00 p.m. on February 9 to 4:00 a.m. on February 10, during Super Bowl LIX. (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 Parks is offering an inspiring lineup of special events that honor history, culture, and community this February for Black History Month.
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown released updated guidance for Maryland law enforcement on their role in federal immigration enforcement, reflecting changes in state law and emphasizing the importance of protecting constitutional rights and maintaining community trust. The guidance outlines limitations on immigration-related actions, including restrictions on questioning immigration status, extending detentions, and sharing personal information without a judicial warrant. (more…)
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.
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We ❤️ Teachers 5K celebrates educators through movement. On race day, runners and walkers across the country will participate in host city races, school celebrations, and virtual events — all in support of teachers and educator wellness. We'll be in beautiful Wheaton Regional Park, Join Us!
Walk it. Run it. Move for the teacher who moved you.
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Management from TGI Fridays in Frederick has confirmed to us that the Rockville location at 12147 Rockville Pike, in the Pike Center, has closed permanently. The only other Montgomery County location at 12281 Tech Rd. in the White Oak area remains open (as does the Frederick location that confirmed the permanent closure).
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The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division released body-worn camera footage from a December 24, 2024, police-involved in-custody death in Gaithersburg, where a man died after being restrained and receiving emergency medical treatment. (more…)
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Chiko, a Chinese-Korean fine-casual restaurant located at 7280 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, has announced it will permanently close on Sunday, February 2. h/t pike.and.rozay
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Alert Montgomery sent out a “Severe Traffic Alert” for I-270 at 6:55pm Monday evening. Per the alert, a “traffic incident closes 3 right lanes of southbound I-270 after I-370. Expect significant delays. Seek alternate route.”
7:29pm Update: All travel lanes open on southbound I-270 after I-370 from earlier traffic accident. Expect residual delays.
The Washington Capitals have shared that beloved public address announcer, Wes Johnson, is facing a significant medical emergency.
A Rockville woman was sentenced to six months in jail, three years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay $160,986.25 in restitution for stealing funds from Dawn Crafton Dance Connection, where she worked, after pleading guilty to a theft scheme exceeding $100,000. (more…)