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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 O C T O B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 7 From the Editor Get Maine's business news daily at mainebiz.biz and on Twitter (@Mainebiz). Below is some of the best from our online-only offerings: Featured @ Mainebiz.biz Groundbreaking statement about Maine For a daily digest of Maine's business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews A recent Mainebiz forum asked the question, "Is Maine open for business?" We were fortunate to have four executives on the panel for whom the answer is 'Yes.' Not an unqualified yes — for there is room for improvement in Maine — but they've made it work. e panel was made up of Melissa Smith, presi- dent and CEO of WEX Inc.; David Rycyna, CEO of Cirrus Systems Inc.; James Detert, director of U.S. manufacturing for Mölnlycke Health Care; and Kent Peterson, president and CEO of Fluid Imaging Technologies. e moderator was Peter DelGreco, president and CEO of Maine & Co. One of Maine's most pressing issues is the tight labor market, and the panel said finding skilled workers is an ongoing challenge. Taxes and regula- tions are hot-button issues, but have to be weighed against other states. Nonetheless, just a week after the conference, Smith and her team at WEX made a powerful statement about the viability of Maine as a place in which to do business, breaking ground on a new headquarters, to be situated near the water- front in Portland. e site, which will open in 2019, will bring 450 WEX work- ers to the city Of course, WEX is now based in South Portland, but any city or state would want the headquarters of a public company with more than $1 billion in annual revenue, with sites in some 45 countries. Regions are going bananas trying to recruit Amazon, but with homegrown companies like WEX we already have a base to build on. WEX made a statement. Maine's vibrant, has a great quality of life and, with the right mindset, can accommodate more business growth. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Due to an editing error, four photos in the Best Places To Work supplement were matched with the incorrect company. The correct photos are below. Correction ReEnergy seeks co-location proposals ReEnergy Holdings LLC is part- nering with Biobased Maine to request proposals from compa- nies to co-locate at one or more of ReEnergy's four biomass-to-electricity facilities in Maine. The RFP cites lower-than-market-rate energy costs as a benefit to prospective companies. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/reenergyrfp Millinocket housing initiative The Northern Forest Center has purchased three down- town Millinocket houses and has another one under contract in an initiative aimed at closing the gap between the town's evolving revitalization and those who would like to live there. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/millinockethousing Be selective. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need a partner who knows the law —and your industry. Hancock Lumber: Over 350 Hancock employees and their family members joined together for a Sea Dogs game to celebrate hitting record- breaking milestones over the past year. TruChoice Federal Credit Union: Not all heroes wear capes, sometimes we wear blue shirts! The TruCrew brought in everyday items to the McAuley Residence in Portland to help them with their stock. Systems Engineering: Bowl for Kids Sake 2017 — Systems Engineering's Team (includes family members and employees). T-Mobile: Celebration for the agents when we won J.D. Powers Award.

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