Pedro "Pete" Salazar Jr.

    Pete was born in San Pedro on February 16^th, 1968 to Chabela and Pedro Salazar Sr. He and his younger brother Hector grew up learning about the facts of life at an early age. He attended San Pedro Roman Catholic School and San Pedro High School. He also pursued an aviation career, attending Western Hills Aviation Inc. in Wetherford, Texas, but was unable to obtain his commercial license right away due to his young age.

    Pete's father was a businessman and an active community leader and wanted his children to follow in his footsteps. His dad considered it a blessing when he was able to convince Pete Jr. to put aside his pilot aspirations and instead dedicate his efforts to the enhancement of the family business. With the development of tourism in San Pedro and the many hotels springing up, Pete's father saw a need for cable TV. Coral Cable Vision was founded in 1982 and Pete Jr. accepted employment as a linesman for the new cable company. He worked under the supervision of the only technician in the company. In just a short period, Pete learned everything he could under the tutorship of the Spanish technician before this man returned to his motherland. By then Pete was ready to take over the reigns at Coral Cable Vision and in only one year was put in charge of this aspect of the business. His responsibilities for the overall field work included installing lines and house-to-house connections. At that time subscribers were minimal, consisting of the town core residents only. In time, as San Pedro continued to grow so did the demand for this "precious commodity." With the help of an assistant that Pete personally trained, Coral Cable Vision expanded its services to include the southern tip of Ambergris Caye and only three months before Hurricane Keith, the north end of the island. 

    After working as the technician in charge for ten years, the amount of subscribers tripled and Pete's duties intensified. He was promoted to Operations Manager and most of the responsibilities of the company fell on his shoulders. Pete is now responsible for ordering materials, training staff and the every day administrative work of Coral Cable Vision. Being an avid businessman he has brought cable television in San Pedro from three channels to where it is today, with forty-two stations.

    Pete continues to learn more about this service by attending cable shows abroad. He has attended US shows in Miami and Las Vegas, and is scheduled to travel to Orlando in June. At these shows Pete is exposed to all aspects of the cable industry including the latest technology, modern equipment and customer care training used by worldwide cable companies.

    Today, Coral Cable Vision, a sister company of Caribeña Enterprises and Jaguar's Temple Club, employs 18 of the 46 full-time workers employed by the three enterprises. Although Pete is a senior partner in the company, he can still be found doing fieldwork when needed. Immediately after the destruction left by Hurricane Keith, Pete dedicated countless hours of his time restoring cable on the island. His company's hard work and dedication was evident as they brought this utility back to the residents of San Pedro in a timely fashion. Pete's enthusiasm for his business is obvious everyday as he works over twelve hours-a-day, six days-a-week and is also on-call during his time off.

    Although Pete is an extremely busy man, he says he always finds time for his family. He married Regina Brown in 1985 and together they produced two lovely children; Isabel, now 15 and Pedro Salazar III, now 12. A hobby that Pete has devoted his spare time to has been music. He was once a member of Wil and the Caribbean Shells as the lead keyboard player, a talent that he has passed on to his son.

    In speaking about the service Coral Cable Vision provides to the residents of San Pedro, Pete told the San Pedro Sun, "We are here to serve our customers. We cannot please everyone, but we strive to please as many as possible. Although we are the only cable service, we compete against ourselves to improve customer satisfaction. That way our clients do not have to look for other options. We recognize the importance of quality and that cheaper is not necessarily better. I always put myself in their place and try to provide them the same service I would expect to be given."

    Pete has become the driving force behind Coral Cable Vision whose ambition is to keep their subscribers contented. Through this service he has kept many entertained and educated by providing a "clear picture" of the world and "Our Community."