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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 7 business approach of "starting with where you want to be and then working backward" to identify how to get there. Since becoming president and CEO, Smith says she's made a point of hiring people who "bring diversity of thought" to her leadership team. Roughly one- third are promoted from within, one third are from acquisitions and one- third are hired from outside the com- pany. In hiring people from outside of WEX, she typically looks for someone with global expertise or who's been involved in mergers and acquisitions. In the coming year, Smith expects WEX will be adding more than 100 jobs in Maine — in technology, fi nance, operations and sales. Success enhances the company's ability to give back — and that's a longstanding WEX tradition Smith is passionate about. e company gave more than $800,000 in corporate contributions last year, with donations going to what Smith calls "pillars": the arts, basic needs, economic develop- ment, education, wellness and a host of good causes its employees care about and are willing to give their time and money to support. " at's important to us," she says of the latter pillar. "We want to sup- port the causes our people feel pas- sionate about. It's important for us to be helping the communities where our employees live and work." Looking ahead, Smith is confi dent the company's three-pronged growth strategy is sustainable and likely to gen- erate continued double-digit growth. "We're pretty focused on optimizing what we have right now," she says. "It's a lot of work to integrate what we have in place. We are very focused in the shorter time on optimizing and really leveraging what we have and making sure the prod- ucts that we bring to the marketplace are typically the best in their class. "We are well positioned in the mar- kets we're in. I feel very good about the future of the company. " JameS McCarThy, Mainebiz digital editor, can be reached at JmccarThy @ mainebiz.biz Portland, ME dunham-group.com 207.773.7100 Local Knowledge. Regional Focus. Global Reach. Black Dinah Chocolatiers wanted to move their production and retail space from Isle au Haut to the mainland... So, they chose The Dunham Group to whip up a sweet deal. The Dunham Group is proud to stand behind clients like Kate & Steve Shaffer, crafting commercial real estate deals to help Mainers realize their vision and achieve business goals. Call or visit us online. We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support We want to support the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people the causes our people feel passionate about. It's important for us to be helping the communities where our employees live and work. — Melissa Smith WEX Inc.

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