Conde Naste it's not, this tiny Coraopolis storefront filled with prim but old furniture much like you might see at your grandmother's house. But the environs suit these two ex-Navy veterans turned magazine publishers just fine.

	John Beale, Post-Gazette Internet Entrepreneurs Rich McCormack, left, and Chris Hale launched the new magazine Veterans Business Journal from their office in Coraopolis. Click photo for larger image.

Chris Hale and Rich McCormack and their three-year-old company, Victory Media, churn out glossy magazines geared toward an often-ignored market: retired military personnel. G.I. Jobs, a colorful monthly guide and jobs-listing for the 225,000 to 350,000 military personnel moving into the civilian job market yearly, was launched nearly three years ago and now boasts a monthly circulation of 60,000.

The pair are hoping for even more success for their latest effort, Veterans Business Journal. Launched in April, the bimonthly publication aimed at small business owners who, like Hale and McCormack, were once in the military, has reached the 25,000-circulation mark, the pair say.

"There are 17 million small business owners in the United States and 4.2 million of them are military veterans," said Hale, the magazine's publisher. "A full 25 percent of small businesses are owned by veterans."

Hale and Editor-in-Chief McCormack got the idea while attending a conference a couple of years ago on contracting with the federal government. Both noticed that there were few resources for government contractors to reach the growing number of veteran business owners.

Magazines with minority targets such as Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business tend to do well, they observed, so they thought, why not try something similar for the growing number of vets starting small ventures. "We looked at each other and said, 'Wow, this is an interesting niche for a magazine,' " Hale said.

Indeed, both agreed that small businesses and veterans are a natural fit. "Veterans are incredibly overrepresented as small business owners, which isn't surprising, considering that indicators of small business success: leadership, discipline and persistence are ingrained into military training," Hale observed.

With military themes, Veterans Business Journal is hoping to win loyalists among vets with businesses and those who hope to do business with them. It includes such regular features as "Boot Camp," an advice column on becoming an entrepreneur; "The Hook-Up," a how-to column on becoming a subcontractor at the federal, state and local levels; and "VETFRAN," a column about starting and operating a franchise.

Both Veterans Business Journal and G.I. Jobs sell for $2.95 a copy at news stands and military bases, but subscribers receive substantial discounts. They also are available online, at www.gijobs.net and www.vetbizjournal.com.

Entirely self-funded with the pair's credit cards and savings, Victory Media represents the duo's second go-round at publishing.

Along with other former Navy officers, the pair in the 2000 started Stars and Stripes Omnimedia Inc., which produced the domestic edition of Stars and Stripes, not to be confused with the better known international newspaper published by the Department of Defense for military personnel. The Defense Department ended up purchasing the domestic Stars and Stripes in bankruptcy court in late 2001 when the two-year-old domestic venture never caught on enough to make money.

Advertising revenue has made Victory Media profitable since the magazines' inception, Hale and McCormack contend. But, perhaps recalling the stumbles in trying to get Stars and Stripes off the ground, the two plan to keep their operation small.

Shunning shiny Downtown corporate towers for their decidedly un-posh suburban digs, they have one full-time art director and handle almost every aspect of the business, from advertising to distribution, to hiring freelance journalists.

Victory will remain entrenched in the military/veterans market, Hale said. He and McCormack also say they are undaunted by the notoriously "kill or be killed" world of magazine publishing.

"There's something gratifying about working and at the end of the month ... you have something" tangible to show for it, McCormack said. Besides, he added, "Conde Naste isn't involved in the military market." At least, not yet.