A WORLD-CLASS GLOBAL LIFE SCIENCES HUB IN WHITE OAK

Meet Jewru Bandeh, Regional Director for the Eastern Region of Montgomery County who shares the latest developments in White Oak – the groundbreaking, the vision and what the future holds.

Jewru, thank you for your time to give us an overview of developments in White Oak. Tell us about your role as the Regional Director for the Eastern Region of Montgomery County. 

The Regional Director of the ERMC serves as the official liaison and direct extension of County government in the region; creating a connect between residents, civic groups, faith communities and businesses and County government. The Director accesses, coordinates and facilitates the needs and delivery of public services in the region; provides recommendation and creates partnerships to resolve problems, and participates in the development of public policy processes affecting the region.

The groundbreaking for VIVA White Oak recently took place. Can you describe the vision for VIVA White Oak and its potential impact on East County?

The ground breaking ceremony for VWO was held October 22, 2018. The vision for the VIVA White Oak (VWO) is to redevelop the nearly 300 acres of land at Cherryhill in East County that used to be a large industrial area adjacent to the Consolidated FDA Campus into a biosciences-focused mixed-used development, creating a world-class bio/life science, education, research, commercial and residential community over the next 20-30 years.

The VWO project and other developments planned for two other nodes within the White Oak Gateway Master Plan (WOSG) area will bring jobs, public investments and greater economic development opportunities to this region, which is still affected by a long development moratorium. The project will also promote employment, community/neighborhood revitalization and economic growth with focused on the biomedical/technical and innovation economy. VWO, as the anchor project, will put Montgomery County on the world map, and bring the world to East County. VWO will transform the Eastern region as a great destination for scientists and entrepreneurs and a place to live, work and play for generations to come. 

It’s not often that so many politicians from across the aisle come together for a project.  The groundbreaking brought so many to the community. Describe why this unity of thought is important for the community.

The unity is a true reflection of good leadership at the Federal, State, County and Community levels, with foresight and commitment for future generations. All current and future developments in the Eastern region of the County has had strong support over the years. Unrelenting support, outreach and advocacy by local and State governments and community-based groups such as Labquest has resulted in many benefits for VWO and other WOSG development projects-consolidation and funding for the FDA campus in White Oak, approval of the WOSG Master Plan, public infrastructure investments, public policy changes advancing mixed-use development opportunities in the region. 

Tell us about the overall plans for the mixed-use development and medical/life sciences hub that’s coming together?

Development in the WOSG is not limited just to the VWO project. The WOSG Master Plan, approved in 2014, covers over 3,000 acres allowing mixed-uses in areas that used to be dominated by a single-use. With VWO’s adjacency to the Washington Adventist Hospital in Cherryhill currently under construction, the proposed Hillandale Gateway project in Hillandale and Consolidated U.S. Federal Drug Administration campus in White Oak, Federal, State and Local infrastructure investments (including new roads, intersection improvements and US 29-Bus Rapid Transit system), we envision creating needed synergy for the building of a first-class bio/life-science cluster and global innovation community/hub for research and development, entrepreneurial, health, life sciences and technological resources. It is important to also note that smaller infill projects (commercial, residential, office) have been taking place within the WOSG area since the moratorium ended in 2002.  

I understand this is a true public/private partnership. Tell us about the partnerships.

Through a competitive Request for Proposals process, Global Life-Sci Development Corporation (GDLC), an affiliate of Percontee, Inc., was selected by Montgomery County to develop the County’s 115-acre property adjacent to the 185-acre land owned by the Gudelsky’s in East County into one combined and coordinated 300-acre biosciences-focused mixed-used cluster development as envisioned by the WOSGMP approved by County Council in 2014.

How do you describe the draw for biotech businesses and scientists to have the opportunity to work side by side with the FDA and other bio leaders?

The planned VWO redevelopment project will create a world-class and innovative global hub, with a unique opportunity to capitalize and collaborate with federal regulatory and local higher education and medical facilities to create collaborative synergy of innovative activities. The adjacency will create growth potential for VWO. VWO will be strategically located near the Consolidated FDA 660-acre campus and Washington Adventist Hospital 50-acre home, which is still under construction. The three entities combined will constitute over 1000 acres of top medical and health assets, bio/life science education, research and service delivery resources.

 Is there a timeline you can share for VIVA White Oak Development?

• THE SKETCH PLAN FOR THE VWO PROJECT WAS APPROVED BY THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY PLANNING BOARD (MCPB) NOVEMBER 30, 2017.

• ON MARCH 1, 2018, PERCONTEE HELD A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THEIR PRELIMINARY PLAN APPLICATION. SUBMITTED TO THE MCPB.

• A GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR VWO WAS HELD OCTOBER 22, 2018. 

• MCPB TO REVIEW THE VWO PRELIMINARY PLAN APPLICATION NOVEMBER 29, 2018.

The groundbreaking for VIVA White Oak as part of the overall FDA consolidation plan represents the next big step forward in making our region a hub for innovation in bioscience that will help develop more cures and treatments for diseases that impact every American family.

Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Senator

Everyone Can Code: In Conversation with Montgomery College's Dr. Sanjay Rai

As an economic developer, I am always on the lookout for new ways to open the talent pipeline and find innovative opportunities to inspire students in the County. A coding partnership program developed by Apple helps to address both of these goals. VP of Academic Affairs, Dr. Sanjay Rai, and I recently had the opportunity to meet with Apple officials and others to talk about a program called Everyone Can Code which uses an easy-to-learn programming language called Swift. Already a success in cities including Chicago, the program is a model that Montgomery County and Montgomery College are interested in potentially bringing to its students.

This is a program that can bring literacy through coding to middle and high school students. Tell us about the potential for young minds in Montgomery County.

I think that the potential is great. We are one of the richest areas in the country, but we know that we also have areas within our county where more work is being needed.  Our wealth is not distributed equally, but we have zones where people need more help.

 We need to improve our opportunities for equality of education.

Yes, our County has a lot of opportunities, but those opportunities are not accessible to everyone.  As you know, IT and Coding are central to the skillset that is needed to access the knowledge economy opportunities. Now one reason why I’m excited about coding is this modern version of coding, for example SWIFT, these languages are engaging youths in a way that it was not possible before. If you had to learn how to program five years ago, it was a very tedious job. That’s why some of us who were called ‘nerds’ were the only ones who were attracted to it.

How would you describe the impact from an economic development standpoint?

From an economic development point-of-view, most jobs require coding. Suddenly, if your region has so many coders available, then any company that’s trying to expand…trying to come here -- whether it’s Amazon or Apple, or Microsoft – they’re going to look at talent. So, you know in the 21st century economic development is not different than talent development. You cannot do economic development without talent development.  You cannot bring social equity without doing talent development and you cannot do meaningful economic development without doing talent development to give each segment of your community access to programs that produce skills.  

What are some of the other benefits that result from a program such as coding from Apple?

Students learn more about teamwork, discipline, collaboration. I see kids playing basketball in some of our neighborhoods, so that they stay out of trouble. This one has the same kind of benefits. But there are additional benefits: you’re learning, you’re having fun. Just like playing basketball – you’re learning teamwork and you’re not getting into trouble, but at the same time, you’re acquiring skills that can get you a good salary. A good job. And put your life together. So that is from the social aspect of this coding program that we are envisioning here.

Who is the program geared to?

This partnership can include meeting the needs of middle and high school students, frequently held as summer camps to motivate students and open doors into promising future careers. The program, which encourages creativity and collaboration, provides a range of free resources from basic coding concepts to building functional apps.

What are the opportunities here at Montgomery College?

We’re thinking about offering credit for prior learning. So, the skills that you have before you come to college –whether through work or through programs like that, we’re trying to find a way of giving them badges and other credits. There are models that exist already, and we will adopt those models. The college has been very aggressive in that area through the new academic master plan that we developed a couple of years ago. This is one of our priority areas.

This could help disconnected youth.

Yes, disconnected youth are defined as teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working. This program could be helpful to students who have dropped out of high school, for example, along with other groups that could very much benefit. Some of our students who receive Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FARM) in the County could be potential recipients of this type of program.

How has the program worked in Chicago?

In Chicago, and in other areas where Apple has this partnership, it is highly successful. We are looking at the same model. Not communities coming to one place to learn coding, but take coding to communities where the people are, and use coding as a way to bring people together. The divide is now not in access to Wi-Fi or to a computer. In a digital economy, the divide is access to skills. So, how do you narrow that digital gap that exists? I think that one of the best ways is to give them a skillset. Coding is certainly one of the most wonderful skillset in any digital economy.

Let’s talk about next steps.

With Apple’s support and also maybe support from other companies, and serious interest from MCEDC and institutions of higher education and K through 12 system, we hope to offer coding camps in several parts of our County for youth. We also recognize that there is a capacity issue, also. How do you find more people who can teach, or who can run a coding camp? So, we are addressing that. Putting together a bootcamp for teachers – and teaching the teachers how to educate about coding.  And then using the curriculum developed by Apple. The teachers become more like facilitators.

Montgomery College is known to be both accessible and affordable.

Yes, ours is an open access institution…we work hard to make classes affordable and accessible. By doing all of these things, we become more relevant and more meaningful. Our president wants us to be a radically inclusive institution. It’s not just a word that we use. It’s in our DNA. But, inclusion also means not only within the boundaries of our campuses. It also applies to people who live in our community…how do they have access to these opportunities? Although we are open access and we are affordable, still there are people who can’t access us. So, we have to go to them in a meaningful way.

In closing, what are you most excited about when we leave the conversation this morning?

I am most excited about this…that we have changed the conversation. We have changed the meaning of ‘economic development’ for our region and what it means in the 21st century. It is not only about going after a company that can create 500 jobs. It’s about creating the environment so that every company is competing to get in here. The way to do that is through talent development. Also, the fundamentals of our economy are strong. Companies will come here and economically we will do very well. The area where I think we always needed improvement is making sure that everyone who lives here has an equal access to the opportunities here. I think it is time, and it is right and that MCEDC will help that through.

This has been a great conversation and it is certainly to be continued.  Thanks to Dr. Rai for your insight and participation.

David Petr is President and CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC).

THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Since being named president and CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) in August 2016, I’ve spent a great deal of time speaking with academic, government and industry leaders about the challenges and opportunities that exist for attracting top talent and businesses. And these conversations have not been limited to Montgomery County: If having three finalists for Amazon HQ2 has proven anything, it is that this region works best when Maryland, Virginia and DC work together.

I recently connected with Tom Sadowski, Vice Chancellor for Economic Development for the University System of Maryland and we thought the conversation would make for a compelling Q&A post that I’ve included below. Tom, a life-long Marylander, has spent more than 25 years at the state, local, and regional levels working on economic development. Among many accomplishments, he has shepherded more than $10 billion in projects which included over 50,000 new jobs.

MCEDC has been working closely with the University System of Maryland to help develop the regional talent base. More broadly, what role do you believe USM should play in economic development?

To me it’s about nurturing great minds and a talent base that is essential for growing the regional economy, forming collaborations with industry and emerging businesses to seed, develop, and commercialize the latest technologies.

What we’re really working hard at is identifying those things that we (our institutions, students and faculty) do well, evaluating the commercial potential if innovative ideas and then investing in them and/or partnering with industry so these ideas make their way out into the marketplace. For example, we recently announced a new $10 million Venture Capital fund (Momentum Fund) that has already made three new investments in the past several months. We are also creating new internship programs for our students to work with tech startups, launching a new apprenticeship program, and looking at new STEM funding from the State.

We’ve been highlighting Maryland’s investment in STEM education and strong student interest in STEM fields. Is the region producing enough STEM graduates, and if not, how do we address that?

We graduate 10,000 new STEM professionals annually, and with the new funding provided by Governor Hogan and the state legislature we can generate another three-to-four thousand per year. We’re also working to expand regional education centers like Shady Grove, Hagerstown, Southern Maryland and Towson University’s campus in Harford County.

More broadly, we are working with the secondary schools, K-12, as well as the community colleges to make sure that what they are offering students align with the programming we have to offer. For example, the Shady Grove Aces Program provides academic coaches to targeted high school programs in Montgomery County to pursue cybersecurity and STEM-related degrees. We are also facilitating dual enrollment programs in high schools to start earning college credits before graduation. 

MCEDC’s own shift to more of a public-private model and viewing businesses as true partners has been driven by how we see economic development evolving. What changes or improvements have you seen in economic development since you began your career?

What I’ve really seen evolve is how we now treat companies more as customers and partners. That’s what innovation requires, and without this approach, we just wouldn’t be as successful. We’ve embraced the collaborative spirit, and recognize the important role of business and industry, both for our current standard of living but also for the future. There is also greater focus on diversity and inclusiveness, making sure that everyone has access to opportunities. There are new metrics as well. We are now competing in a global marketplace, where companies are searching for culturally rich locations that offer highly value and a quality education. 

We have such a great story in MoCo, and it’s one I’ve been focused on sharing as much as possible. But there is always an opportunity to do more; from the perspective of the University System, what do you see as key ways for the region to improve its economic development efforts?

First and foremost, we need to do a better job of telling our story. We do groundbreaking work here, but don’t celebrate success enough. We benefit from great cultural and economic diversity, and I think the fact that the region has three locations under consideration for Amazon HQ2, no matter the final outcome, is a testament to a great story here that needs to be told.

Second, we need to be more welcoming of industry and return back to the roots of building things from the ground up. That means software development, robotics, medical devices and healthcare service delivery, to name just a few. We must embrace collaborative partnerships with both government and industry to foster innovation while we are nurturing the best and brightest minds looking to build their own startups.

The trick is letting both companies and entrepreneurs know that they can grow here and find the right mentorship and support. We know that NIST, FDA, NIH, and the Federal labs are tremendous assets; they need to be supported and leveraged in the right way and not taken for granted or relied on too heavily to drive our economy alone. We don’t want to be developing great talent, companies and ideas only to lose them to Silicon Valley or elsewhere.

We are trying to do our part. Across the University System for Maryland we have more than 170,000 students enrolled, and up to 80% stay upon graduation. That’s a very good return on investment. We set a goal to create 325 new companies a decade ago, and we have nearly doubled that – with more than 600 new companies facilitated. But we need to retain and grow these new firms, and their employees, here in Maryland as we go forward.

David Petr is President and CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC).

MEET CRYPTONITENXT CEO MIKE SIMON

CryptoniteNXT, an innovative Rockville-based cybersecurity company, has a unique defense system that contains attackers and makes their targets invisible. An attacker can’t discover what they can’t see, and therefore can’t attack without a target. CryptoniteNXT eliminates an adversary’s network visibility and reduces their attack surface, without sacrificing performance or transparency to users.

WHAT MAKES CRYPONITE SOFTWARE DIFFERENT AND POTENTIALLY A BETTER OPTION TO DEFEND AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS?

The current industry paradigm is to chase an attacker, alert the security staff when suspicious activity surfaces and then rid computers and the network of the malicious activity.

CryptoniteNXT presents a truly automated defense capability. CryptoniteNXT is always ON and automatically defending your network of computers, printers, IoT devices and legacy applications. CryptoniteNXT stops the fundamental building blocks of a cyberattack, not enabling hackers to gain any traction in a network. They quickly get frustrated and move on to easier prey.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW THE PRODUCT WORKS?

CryptoniteNXT is implemented in either software that runs as a virtual machine or a hardware appliance. CryptoniteNXT manages the distribution of IP addresses to endpoints (computers, mobile devices, printers, etc.) and keeps the network topology secret from malicious attackers. This technology is called Moving Target Defense (MTD) and it shuts down a cyberattackers ability to perform reconnaissance on a network. CryptoniteNXT overlays moving target defense (MTD) with a fine-grained micro-segmentation that puts a stop to a hacker’s ability to laterally move through a network. Ransomware uses lateral movement to quickly spread in a network. CryptoniteNXT also provides end-to-end cryptologic verification of every packet to insure the authenticity of the communication.

WHAT TYPES OF COMPANIES ARE IN YOUR SWEET SPOT AS A TARGET MARKET?

Our target customer is either a Federal or a commercial customer that has digital intellectual property that is extremely valuable. They operate a number of legacy systems which can’t be easily replaced and modern day cyber security solutions do not support these operating environments. They have a desire to have their mobile environments access their intellectual property but are nervous about substantially increasing the attack surface for cyberattackers. They are also seeing a growth in the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in their networks which represent an easy target for a hacker.

The typical size of one of our customers ranges from 100 people to over 2000. Markets include Federal Contractors, Government Agencies, Financial, Critical Infrastructure, and Healthcare.

Cryptonite is always ON and automatically defending your network.

WHAT SUPPORT HAVE YOU RECEIVED FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY?

We have received matching funds on investments from the State of Maryland and Montgomery County. We actively participate with Montgomery County with industry and local events. Earlier this year, we joined the coalition from the State of Maryland at InfoSec Europe. 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MONTGOMERY COUNTY FOR YOUR HEADQUARTERS?

We are a spin off from a defense contractor that resides in Rockville. Montgomery County has exceptional schools, an excellent talent pool in cyber security, reasonably priced real estate, beautiful parks and recreation, and an ever increasing number of restaurants. It is also conveniently located to DC and 3 airports.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR COLLABORATIONS WITH THE NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (NCCOE).

We’re proud that Cryptonite is part of 3 collaborations with NCCoE.

• SECURING PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR

• RECOVERING FROM RANSOMWARE AND OTHER DESTRUCTIVE EVENTS

• IDENTIFYING AND PROTECTING ASSETS AGAINST RANSOMWARE AND OTHER DESTRUCTIVE EVENTS

In all three cases we are providing network level defense. Our product has no software agent that runs on computers. We are assuming in each of these collaboration’s computers, phones, tablets and IoT devices will be infected with malicious software from either a phishing attack, drive by download or other means. We are preventing the propagation of these attacks beyond its initial intrusion point. This isolation of an attack keeps the network safe and unharmed from a breach.

CRYPTONITENXT ALIGNS WITH THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST) CYBER SECURITY FRAMEWORK. HOW DOES THAT HELP A CUSTOMER?

NIST provides an excellent framework for a commercial or Federal entity to follow to decrease the probability of their organization making the news as the next victim of a cyberattack.

Cryptonite has published a document which shows how the CryptoniteNXT platform aligns with the NIST Cyber Security Framework. 

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS IT RELATES TO DEFENDING AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS?

Data analysis, artificial intelligence, and machine learning all play an important role in understanding what is likely to happen in a cyberattack. This combined with automated network defense platforms such as CryptoniteNXT, help strengthen the cyber security resilience of an enterprise.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR CRYPTONITE?

Cryptonite is focused on making our product transparent to customers such that they aren’t even aware that we exist in a network. We are constantly working on integrations with companies like Palo Alto, HPE, Splunk and others to strengthen our role in a zero-trust network. We are also focused on improving the functionality and performance of our software-only version of CryptoniteNXT.