Meet The Team | Maria Wakefield

After a month hiatus, our Meet the Team feature is back for the first time in 2024. This February, we are shining the spotlight on Maria Wakefield, who serves as one of our Lafayette Team Coordinators. 

Maria was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina. The city of High Point is also known as the “Furniture Capital of the World.” For the past 17 years, she has lived in Lafayette. She did temporarily move to Jackson, Mississippi in 2021 to help start our branch there with Brandi Rowland. 

She obtained her Business Administration degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Prior to joining the GRS team, she worked for 5 years as a Health Information Coordinator for a hospice company. 

When she is not working, Maria enjoys watching and listening to crime shows and podcasts. She also really loves thrift shopping and told me that Goodwill is her mecca! When she is not learning about crimes or shopping, she spends most of her time hanging out with her children, Kira (21), Adrian (17) and Luca (14) .  

While I was writing this blog, I asked her what she likes about working for Guarantee Restoration Services. She said, “I like working at GRS, because my co-workers and bosses are the best. We have a lot of fun in the office. I know I can count on my people if I need something. They’ve become family, albeit a dysfunctional family, we are still a family.” 

One other question I always ask is if the Meet the Team individual has learned anything new recently. Maria responded, “Recently, no matter how cliché it is, I have learned that happiness really is found in the mundane. Appreciate even the trivial things in life. That’s where the magic happens!” What a simple truth that is so easy to forget. 

Finally, she told me what she wanted to be when she was younger. She said, “when I was a kid, I wanted to make funny t-shirts and open a home for teens and young adults with drug and alcohol problems.” It may not have worked out that way, but we have been grateful to have her on our team for 2.5 years.  

Join Our Team! 

We have three Louisiana locations in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans. Our two locations in Mississippi are in Jackson and Gulfport. We opened a sixth location in Mobile, Alabama earlier in 2023. If you or someone you know is looking for a new position, or wants to make a career change, visit our website to see a full list of current available jobs.