Maria Apisa, a five-year moving industry professional, came to Main Street Movers when a friend called her attention to an ad for a moving company coordinator. She says she was reluctant at first, wanting to make a change yet hesitant to take the plunge into the unknown. But she responded to her friend’s persistent nudge. Five days in, she felt she was home.
Since then, as a move coordinator, she’s been scheduling moves, completing all the attendant paperwork, and serving as part-time psychologist. “Moving stresses people out, and I get that,” Maria says. “You just must be calm and patient and talk them off the ledge.”
Maria says that at Main Street, she feels confident about making decisions, serving customers, and doing the work. “I love my job! Everybody is friendly and helpful, and Karen and Tom are great.”
Maria stayed home for several years to raise her kids, two boys now grown, and reentered the workforce fulltime, working in every department at a large Shoprite prior to switching to a job in the moving industry. Coincidental is how she describes kicking off her adult professional experience by initially ending up back at the company that employed her while a 15-year-old high schooler holding her first part-time job.
She graduated from Katherine Gibbs School, the once venerable institution that years ago set the standard for secretaries and in the late 20th century transformed its focus to executive assistant and technical skills programs. “These days, I don’t necessarily use the skills I learned there,” she says. But she adds that the school always focused on the all-important underlying ethic of professionalism and integrity about one’s work—a standard that has been the foundation of her performance throughout her career.
Values to Live By
Her parents are her mentors. “My mom and dad were immigrants who came to this country, started a family, and built a life,” Maria says. “My father has been through so much: back surgeries, a stroke, now COVID. He always hangs in and bounces back. He and my mom have spunk and have encouraged me to try new things.”
Maria says that her dad taught her the value of resilience. “He leads by example,” she says. “My mom taught me that pushing the envelope and taking intelligent risk more often than not lands you in a good place.”
And Outside the Office...
Out of the office, Maria loves to cook and adores taking care of the 4 dogs and a cat that she and her partner, Jerry, have welcomed to their family: Zylah, a Maltipoo; Marlee, a Chug; Annie, a rescue Pointer; and Chaos, a baby Rottweiler “who just stole my heart.” Their kitty, Remington, is 7 months old.
The brood keeps her busy. She says when time opens up, she’d like to get back to making jewelry, another pastime.
Her all-time favorite film is Steel Magnolias. “I just love that movie,” she says.
