Successful second acts

Retired from the Navy in June 2005 as a master chief petty officer after serving 22 yearsWhen Marc Guertin, 46, retired from the Navy in 2005, he knew one thing for certain about his next career: he wanted to "break free" from the military infrastructure. That meant a big draw for military retirees - defense contractor jobs - was off the list. Guertin says he wasn't specifically looking for a job in logistics - his last assignment in the Navy put him in charge of facilities and staff at the Navy's submarine school - but he was looking for a solid second career. And the field of logistics came looking for him.

While searching for jobs online, Guertin was contacted by RecruitMilitary, a company that specializes in placing veterans with civilian employers. RecruitMilitary's work led Guertin to a job as operations group leader at Target Corp.'s 1.6-million square-foot distribution center in Stuarts Draft, Virginia, where he's worked since September 2005. "The thing about logistics that is a good fit for retiring military is that it's fast-paced and it's never the same. Companies appreciate someone who is used to thinking on their feet and making quick decisions," he says. Logistics, Guertin says, is all about deliverables. And, he says, so is the military. "You deal with everything - the weather, labor issues, things breaking."

Guertin, who was recently promoted to a facilities operations group leader, says he plans to stick with logistics for the rest of his civilian career. "I wanted to get into a growth industry, and clearly logistics in general is growing. And Target is a fantastic company that is growing."