Dolan Media Co. sells Vancouver Business Journal

Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Oct 22, 2004 by Dolan Media Corporate Staff

Brown Warrior Publishing LLC, a Vancouver, Wash.-based investment group has purchased the Vancouver Business Journal from Dolan Media Co.

Under its new leadership, the twice-monthly newspaper and its special publications will continue to focus on providing local business news, said John McDonagh, who, with his brother Steve, heads the investment group.

We want to make sure readers find local business community news in our pages, said McDonagh, who will continue as the newspaper's publisher, a position he assumed last February.

McDonagh began his newspaper career at The Columbian in 1975, eventually serving as vice president of marketing and advertising. He was hired by the Portland Tribune in 2001 as director of sales and was later promoted to general manager.

His brother and now-business partner, Steve, left a 16-year-old private law practice in San Francisco to join John in the newspaper business. He will oversee company operations as the newspaper's business manager.

In addition to the McDonaghs, Brown Warrior Publishing is composed of three unnamed Vancouver investors.

Dolan Media, which publishes the Portland-based Daily Journal of Commerce and previously was the sole owner of the Vancouver Business Journal, also is a member of Brown Warrior Publishing. A Minneapolis- based company, Dolan Media publishes specialized daily and weekly business newspapers in several states.

Dolan Media Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Dolan said the Vancouver paper would benefit from local ownership.

We felt that Clark County and Vancouver would respond well to local ownership, and that in fact owners who live and work in the community every day would be better positioned to do what's best for the paper and its business community, Dolan said.

While the VBJ is Brown Warrior Publishing's primary focus for now, the McDonaghs said the group hopes to acquire additional publications in the future.