Cooler temperatures and plenty of rain are in the forecast for Montgomery County and surrounding areas in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia this week, as summer officially comes to an end.
Passion Bakery Cafe has closed its Rockville location at 9613 Medical Center Drive, with Sweet and Sour Cafe set to take over the space. (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?”
The Olney community is mourning the loss of longtime resident George J. Mantzouranis, who passed away on September 9 at the age of 60.
Taste of Rio Restaurant Week is underway in Gaithersburg, leading up to the annual Taste of Rio festival on Sunday, September 27.
We’ve Got the Ticket to Every Sunday Showdown! 🏈🔥
Catch every live out-of-market Sunday game with NFL Sunday Ticket this football season at Lucky Strike Rockville!
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BETHESDA, YOUR SATURDAY MORNING PLANS JUST GOT MORE CREATIVE.
Join Craft Cart at Coffee Republic on Saturday, September 26, from 11:00 AM–1:00 PM for a beginner-friendly faux stained glass experience filled with creativity, coffee and connection.
Potomac-based Squeals on Wheels, a traveling petting zoo that has served the region for more than two decades, is transitioning to a second generation of family ownership.
A 27-year-old man has died after being struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run collision early Sunday morning. According to police, at approximately 1:51am, officers responded to the area of Fisher Avenue and Milford Mill Road for a report of a pedestrian who had been struck.
Hallie Wells Middle School in Clarksburg is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2026-2027 school year, marking a decade since the school first opened its doors in August 2016.
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Updated to include a summary of events by MCPD confirming the 27-year-old man succumbed to his injuries.
Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD) First District officers and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the 19600 block of Fisher Avenue in Poolesville around 2am Sunday for a reported hit-and-run collision involving a pedestrian. (more…)
Caroll H. Spriggs II has been appointed Maryland State Fire Marshal, becoming the first African American to hold the position in the Maryland Department of State Police’s 132-year history.
Allegany County, Maryland, has been named the No. 2 Best Place to Visit for Fall in USA Today’s 2026 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, placing the Western Maryland destination behind only Mackinac Island, Michigan.The No. 2 placement reflects the results of USA Today’s reader voting among expert-selected nominees.
Orange Pocket, a Japanese and Korean-inspired pop culture and lifestyle retailer, is now open at Rio in Gaithersburg, drawing a line of customers down the block for the grand opening of its first store in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia) on Saturday.