John was very fortunate to be born in the beautiful village of Placencia where he grew up with three brothers and six sisters. As a young boy he enjoyed fishing along the abundant Peninsula and quickly mastered the art. It was during one of his trips to Belize City, to sell his catch, that he met Mr. Francisco "Fashico" Arceo and Mr. Luis "Chato" Nuñez (deceased) of San Pedro. They started talking "fish talk," and Johnny, as he is called, made such a good impression speaking of his techniques that the two San Pedranos persuaded him to come to the island and join them on their fishing expeditions. Johnny proved to be an able fishermen especially when fishing for groupers. The fact that he instantly fell in love with La Isla Bonita also influenced Johnny to work diligently.

    Another important reason for John to make the island his permanent home was a young lady that he met and fell in love with. After a short courting period he married Annie Nuñez who was a well-known seamstress. John kept fishing and saving and soon had enough money to buy his own fishing boat which he named Anita E. He used this boat to fish for lobster, a growing industry in San Pedro. Shortly after, he sold his boat and bought a slightly bigger one from Sarteneja and used it to travel to Honduras and Guatemala to sell salted/dried fish. John soon became a popular person in San Pedro and adding to his popularity were the many friends he had in the city.

    As San Pedro developed he saw the need for another cargo boat to bring materials, provisions and other supplies to the island. He was encouraged by many locals and businessmen from the city to start his own freight service. His wife gave him her full support and shortly after they purchased San Pedro's second cargo boat called Caribbean Queen, which he bought in Belize City. John started out being the captain, cargo handler, mechanic and performing other duties the business required. He was only assisted by three other helpers. Soon the Caribbean Queen also became a passenger boat for many who traveled to and from San Pedro. Business was booming for the Eileys. With the close working relationship of his wife and children, Letty, Lincoln, Ellis, Dennis, Alex and Anita they ventured into another stream that would soon prove to be very successful.

    In 1990 a large piece of property was offered for sale in the San Pablo Area and the Eileys thought it fit for a proposed business expansion. San Pedro was desperately in need of readily available construction material because of the amount of construction happening on the developing island. Their plan was to open a depot where all this could be sold rapidly at an affordable price. The purchase of the lot came with a barge and some used machinery including a forklift, loader and dump truck, thus Caribbean Depot was born. Each family member was directly involved in the business and this became the secret to their success. Today Caribbean Depot and Shipping Service consists of the Caribbean Queen, two barges, four tugboats, numerous vehicles used for the loading and delivering of merchandise and employs twenty-four full-time people. They are fully equipped to cater to all construction needs including gravel, cement, sand, blocks, steel, lumber and a full service freight service. In addition they also have a pay loader for hire. This family bond has been the key to Caribbean Depot's success. They continue to expand and pride themselves on providing quality service to their customers.

    John and Annie Eiley told the San Pedro Sun, "Our family is proud of being in business for 20 years, providing freight service from different parts of the country to the island of San Pedro. We would like to thank all our clients that have patronized us during these years and hope they continue their patronage to our business. We strive to provide the best services and to contribute to the growing development of San Pedro, into the new millennium."

    John and Annie have worked together and nurtured their business since its birth. Today they reap the fruits they planted many years ago. Their contribution to the development of San Pedro has been facilitated by their business. Today, the Eileys are looked upon as a great family and business in Our Community.