National Governors Association convenes in Maine – event held at WEX 

WEX was honored to host a bipartisan group of more than 350 attendees at its corporate headquarters as part of the National Governors Association annual conference in Portland, Maine this week.

What is the National Governors Association?

The National Governors Association (NGA), founded in 1908, is the voice of the nation’s governors whose members are the current governors of the 55 states, territories, and commonwealths. Annually, the NGA holds a summer conference where members and invited guests from across the world and political spectrum discuss issues facing their communities and talk about solutions and areas for collaboration, often involving policy experts who are brought in to participate on a given topic. The summer 2022 conference was held in Maine for the first time since 1983, and WEX was pleased to host attendees on their first evening in Maine at WEX’s corporate headquarters in Portland, Maine.

Annual meeting of the NGA held in Portland, Maine

More than 350 attendees gathered at WEX on the evening of July 13 as part of the bipartisan event. Maine Governor Janet Mills kicked off the WEX event by sharing that one of her goals was to showcase as many Maine-based businesses as possible. “Gathering here at WEX is a great way to do that. As a global B2B leader, WEX supports so many critical functions of so many companies in health, transportation, and corporate sectors that spotlighting WEX lets us highlight many other businesses at the same time. There’s no better example of a local company with global reach – and as WEX Chair and CEO, Melissa Smith perfectly exemplifies that ideal. In addition to her stellar leadership as WEX CEO since 2014, Melissa actively serves our community with non-profit work. That spirit of service and philanthropy makes WEX a respected partner in our state.”

Speakers at the WEX event included NGA Executive Director Bill McBride, Governor of Maine, Janet Mills, and WEX CEO, Melissa Smith. “WEX’s business model is squarely focused on partnering with business leaders to strip away complexities in the ever-evolving health, transportation, and corporate payments spaces, which is why it was an honor to join together with Governor Mills, National Governors Association Chair Governor Hutchinson, leaders from the 55-member states and territories of the National Governors Association, and industry stakeholders to promote information-sharing and to support bipartisan solutions to the challenges facing local communities, industry, and public-private partnerships,” shared Smith.

The evening allowed guests to connect informally on issues most important to their constituencies overlooking the sparkling waters of Casco Bay after a busy day of policy discussions and fact-finding. Matters discussed included computer science, tech incubation, economic growth, Maine-based businesses competing internationally, the role of fintech, and other economy- and business-related topics.

The first day of the three-day long NGA event featured a trip to L.L.Bean’s Outdoor Discovery Center, and a visit to the famous Fort Williams Park and Portland Headlight, which culminated with a classic Maine Lobster Bake. These quintessential Maine excursions were fit in between hours of meetings and multiple plenary sessions.

WEX was grateful to have the opportunity to host the NGA and be a part of what was a momentous and gratifying week for governors from across the country. “As a Maine-based global company operating in 20+ currencies and more than 200 countries and territories, we know there is no better time to bring together leaders from both sides of the aisle, and it was a privilege to have provided a forum for such valuable and insightful dialogue among the 350 attendees,” concluded Melissa Smith, Chair and CEO.

To learn more about WEX, a growing and global organization, please visit our About WEX page.