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B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K 2 0 1 6 12 SMALL COMPANIES [ 15 - 49 employees ] MPX is driven by the art of customer service. "That feels like it's long-gone in the world," said CEO Ryan Jackson. "But we just try to encourage employees to do what they have to do to take care of customers, and they have the accommodation they need to do that. Which is unique." MPX is a custom business solutions and print services company that's highly focused on customer objectives. The company fosters an entrepreneurial spirit in its employees. Nothing is off the table as far as coming up with solutions that enable customers to save money or run their company more effi ciently. Employees share a passion to continually seek better solutions, with a bias for innovation and adaptation. For employees, that provides a constant opportunity to learn, both through professional development opportunities and on-the-job training. "We take time trading work so we can be more effi cient and more trained on cross-coverage between employees," said Jackson. After long work days, there's plenty of fun. Social events include two offsite entertainment events each year, plus offsite events for team- building; this year's event was held at a marina restaurant in the summer. The company's holiday party included guests and was held at a local restaurant. Other fun employee events include appreciation lunches/barbecues with a custom- made corn toss game, Mardi Gras, Cinco de Mayo, National Whoopie Pie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, Length of Service Celebrations, birthdays, graduations and other special occasions. MPX honors employees achieving milestone anniversaries. At 10 years, employees receive an engraved watch; every 5 years thereafter, they receive a length-of-service bonus. Employees also receive MPX logo wear throughout the year in recognition of their contributions. Health and wellness are important. MPX provides an annual gym reimbursement of up to $250 in addition to the company's insurance contribution of $150. A Lunch & Learn Wellness Program provides employees with a healthy lunch while learning about various health topics. There are areas inside and outside where employees can relax or walk along a walking/jogging path. A beautiful patio with comfortable chairs is perfect for listening to music or reading. A sports- friendly environment, employees often have toss games during breaks. Employees can even listen to music while they work. "We just take care of people as best we can," said Jackson. MPX Fostering entrepreneurial spirit in employees MPX 2301 Congress St., Portland 04102 Top local executive: Ryan Jackson, CEO Year established: 1958 Maine employees: 28 Website: www.mpxonline.com Human resources contact: Pat Gould 207-619-6982 pgould@mpxonline.com # 8 Team MPX supports Maine veterans with 22 push-ups for 22 days. Milestone Foundation Employees sustained by shared mission Collaboration, communication and transparency are the themes of the work culture at the Milestone Foundation, where the job of providing an emergency shelter, detoxification center, and outreach services to people with substance use disorders is challenging, to say the least. "It's deeply emotional, life-and-death work," said Executive Director Bob Fowler. "It touches people and challenges people." The work culture is characterized by a sense of shared mission that's combined with a leadership that makes i t s e l f c o n t i n u o u s l y accessible to the line staff. "The leadership is mindful and aware of the importance of the work the line staff does," said Fowler. "There's an openness, accessibility and mutual respect that lends to a positive work culture." That kind of mutual support is key. Employees fully understand the gravity of the situation, especially when they must turn away patients due to a shortage of beds, such as in the detox program. "The nursing staff on that particular unit is very collegial and provide each other with a lot of mutual support," Fo w l e r s a i d . "And we look at what we can do structurally to address the issue around i n c r e a s i n g c a p a c i t y o r getting funding t o i n c r e a s e staffi ng." Toward that end, Milestone has undertaken a process to assess where it is in relation to peers, in terms of benefi ts provided. That included a survey of the staff to learn about their satisfaction regarding benefi ts, and the workplace and the supervision they receive. The feedback was taken to a focus group that included leadership staff, a board member who is an HR professional, and line staff from each service area and each shift from the 24/7 program. "It's a tricky culture when you have multiple physical locations, multiple programs, and 24-hour staff," said Fowler. "We wanted to have all those voices at the table." With that group, Milestone undertook a process to revise its earned-time policy, holiday leave policy and benefi ts package. Currently, Milestone offers targeted performance-based bonuses and, this year, tied merit increases to performance evaluations in order to incentivize the strongest performers. Other programs include meals provided daily for little cost, summer and holiday parties, generous time-off, and schedule fl exibility. "We want the workplace to be sustaining people and not depleting them, fulfi lling them so they're available to do the work they do with clients," said Fowler. Milestone Foundation 65 India St., Portland 04101 Top local executive: Bob Fowler, executive director Year established: 1967 Maine employees: 49 Website: www.milestonefoundation.org Human resources contact: Marianne Sensale-Guerin 207-347-6835 msensale@milestonefoundation.org when they must turn away patients due to a shortage of beds, such as in the detox program. unit is very collegial and provide each Milestone Foundation # 9 An afternoon of fun and games at the Milestone Foundation.