By María Eugenia Guerra

The fall of 2002 will see the opening of three significant additions to the diverse business climate of North Laredo. Look to the corner suites of Cantera Court at 9802 North McPherson Road for the opening of Laredo MRI & Imaging Center, L.L.C., Laredo Wellness, L.L.C., and Phia Bella Day Spa. Cantera Court faces Doctors Hospital.
Marketing director Terri de Guzman, owner of Phia Bella Spa and part-owner of the Laredo Wellness center, has orchestrated the simultaneous development and the opening of all three businesses.
According to de Guzman, the 8,000 square foot Laredo MRI & Imaging Center will be staffed by board certified radiologists Dr. E. Dennis Harris of San Antonio and Dr. Lorenzo Farolan of McAllen. "Drs. Harris and Farolan have nearly 40 years experience between them," de Guzman said, adding that the facility will offer Laredoans a good choice for MRI diagnoses of sports injuries, neurological disorders, and brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as problem solving for certain diseases of the abdomen, kidneys, and the eyes.
"All without exposing the patient to radiation," she said.
Ultra sound services, de Guzman said, offer diagnoses of the gall bladder, female disorders, thyroid, and evaluation of pregnancies, while CAT scans evaluate diseases of the spine, chest, ears, and fractures of the face, abdomen, and pelvis.
"Our private office setting coupled with the skills and consultation services of Drs. Harris and Farolan will offer Laredoans a comforting, service-oriented clinic. Laredo MRI & Imaging will also offer transportation for those who cannot make it to our offices," de Guzman said.
De Guzman is simultaneously working to finish out the upstairs suite that will be the home of Laredo Wellness, a 3,000 square foot facility that will offer employment physicals, physical therapy, post surgical rehabilitation, work conditioning, and pain management.
"Our multi-disciplinary team of specialized, caring professionals including chiropractor Dr. Robert B. Fraser and manager Nelly Farolan, as well as occupational, massage, and exercise therapists, and trainers will offer Laredoans in a cost effective manner the best chances of recovery from work-related injuries, automobile accidents, or sports injuries," de Guzman said. The Laredo Wellness center is patterned after Dr. Fraser's McAllen Work Rehabilitation Center. De Guzman said Laredoans will find "individualized care in a compassionate manner."
She added that the Laredo Wellness center will treat neck, back, and shoulder pain, knee sprains, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, and post-surgical conditions. The center will be equipped to offer strength tests, range of motion tests, cardiovascular fitness, biofeedback, gait training, and hand therapy.
De Guzman will open Phia Bella Day Spa adjacent to the Wellness center. Named for de Guzman's two grandchildren, Phia Bella will include a sales area for cosmetics and jewelry.
Multiple irons in the fire is de Guzman's specialty. The energetic Laredoan, who was born in the Philippines, has a good track record for managing time and resources. She came to Laredo by way of JC Penney as the cosmetics department manager of the Riverdrive Mall Store. De Guzman was one of the opening team managers for the establishment of the firm's new Mall del Norte store, from which she managed the cosmetics and fine jewelry departments of both stores.
When the national chain downsized in 2000, de Guzman's management position was eliminated.
"I decided to open my own business," said the mother of three, "and I saw my niche here in this town that is a melting pot. I saw the pie, and I opened TGF enterprises, which includes a grocery store that stocks Filipino specialty food items as well as other ethnic foods. Laredo has a very diverse population that includes Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Arabs, Lebanese, and Indians." De Guzman is also an agent for Balik-Bayan Boxes, a shipping firm that specializes in shipments to the Philippines. "There are a large number of Filipinos in Laredo's medical and educational community who regularly send packages home," she said.
De Guzman said her upbringing in the Philippines was one of determination and perseverance in the face of adversity. "I inherited this drive from my grandfather, who was an attorney and the head of the bureau lands of the Philippines. My father, Pedrito de Guzman, was a general under Ferdinand Marcos. My mother was a singer that some compared to Lena Horne or Rosemary Clooney. My father was ambushed in 1984 and was left paralyzed. Politics dictated what happened to me, and I decided to leave the Philippines," de Guzman said.
Terri de Guzman is the mother of Gigi Fabry, Vicky Griesman, and Ryan Roxas.