Maria Gonzalez (top), Abrakadoodle of Miami and Dade Counties, Florida

Maria Gonzalez, owner of Abrakadoodle Art Education of Miami, FL, celebrated her three-year anniversary as a Franchise Owner this summer. Formerly an Abrakadoodle teacher, Maria purchased the Miami franchise in July of 2012. Since then she’s established a strong presence in the area by partnering with several area Charter Schools.  This includes a recent partnership with the Smart Starts Day School chain, where she offers art during the school day to their students. In addition, Maria is a consistent presence at many of Miami’s outdoor festivals, most notably the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, at which she’s been featured for 3 consecutive years. For her excellence in the classroom, Maria receives high praise from the parents of her students. This earned her a WOW award at Abrakadoodle’s 2014 Annual Conference.  Maria has also earned the Abrakadoodle Splat Award, which is given to the franchise owner who has demonstrated the most creative promotion of the Abrakadoodle brand. Maria and her team of gifted teachers certainly deserve such commendations! When Maria is not wearing her Abrakadoodle apron, she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her four wonderful children!