One-On-One With: Dennis Yablonsky, Pennsylvania Secretary of Community and Economic Development
Firm Hosts Gov. Rendell
Rep. Andrews Visits Stradley
Government Affairs Expands in Delaware

One-On-One With: Dennis Yablonsky, Pennsylvania Secretary of Community and Economic Development
Government Affairs News (GAN): You’ve had a successful career in business, helping a number of private and public companies become profitable. What got you interested in public service?

Secretary Yablonsky (SY): I had been living in Cincinnati for a number of years and working in the software industry. I came back to Pittsburgh because, number one, I was able to secure a great job; and number two, it was my hometown. I grew up there when the steel industry was renowned, and I saw it fall apart. As the software industry was developing in Pittsburgh, I was interested in not only running my company, but also seeing what I could do to help the overall cluster and community grow. I was a member of the Pittsburgh Tech Council board, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra board, and I was president of the local school board. So I started to – on a volunteer basis – do what I would broadly call public service.

That’s how I really got started. I felt it was important to give back to my community – and it was a labor of love for my hometown.

GAN: How did you become known with other public officials in Pennsylvania?

SY: I sold the company I was running, the Carnegie Group, after 12 years, in late 1998. The company had interactions with Pittsburgh’s universities, and Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh were thinking about a new project that eventually became the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse. When I left the Carnegie Group, they called me and said, “Hey, we have this exciting new project, and we think it might be something that you may be interested in.” I responded and eventually became the founding CEO of Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse. State officials liked the model that we had developed to create the Life Science Greenhouses – an offshoot of Digital. I then became the founding CEO of the Life Sciences Greenhouse in Pittsburgh. Then, during the time Gov. Rendell was running for office and was campaigning in Pittsburgh, I was able to brief him about Life Sciences Greenhouse. That was my first contact with the Governor.

GAN: How do you think your business experience has and will help your efforts to spur the state’s economy and growth?

SY: A business background for this job is pretty essential. First of all, the primary constituents that we serve are businesses. I was a businessman; I understand their issues and concerns. So many businesses see me as “one of them,” so to speak, – their representative in Harrisburg – and I think that’s valuable. Second, if you’re in business, you have to learn how to focus, you have to learn how to plan, you have to do things with a sense of urgency, and you also have to learn how to compromise. These are all characteristics that I think are essential to be effective in Harrisburg as well.

GAN: How would you describe your relationship with the Governor?

SY: Excellent. The reason I took the job is because I really thought he had the right vision for economic development for the state; and he had the energy level and excitement to be a true leader, a trait he has shown time and time again. I have been fortunate to be involved in a central part of his agenda, so I interact with him regularly. We travel together and have worked on many projects for the state. He entrusts me to implement his economic stimulus programs. The Governor makes my job a bit easier. He is an excellent spokesperson. He gets directly involved in many of the projects we work on with companies, and he is very good at it.

GAN: Your Keystone Innovation Zone program (KIZ), where you’re combining the resources of higher education, businesses and related organizations in specific geographic areas, have created a buzz throughout the state. Why so?

SY: Part of the reason the Governor wanted someone like me for this job is that he realized that the new economy would be an important part of the solution to the state’s economic issues. The KIZ program is really the hallmark of the Governor’s policy to actively engage our colleges and universities in economic development. We have certified 15 KIZs; and I believe that they will become a fulcrum for regional revitalization and economic development.

GAN: What are the other goals for the state in the coming years?

SY: There are three or four. First of all, we are trying to make sure that we have enough ready-to-go sites in Pennsylvania, so that when a company says, “I’m ready to expand, show me the available sites,” we can provide sites that are prepped and ready to go. Another key objective is to work hard to rebuild our small and mid-sized communities. We were just in Williamsport this morning – a great old, third-class city, as well as being the core of the region. Redeveloping these downtown commercial and residential areas is important, and we are steadfastly focused on that. This is all tied into rolling out the economic stimulus. There are 19 individual programs with over $2 billion in money, and we’re going to be spending quite a bit of time in the next couple of years making sure that money goes to good projects. Another key goal is to properly measure, map and assure accountability. Another thing that business people do is count things. I am trying to apply that lesson here by putting together a scorecard so that every time we fund a project, there are measurable goals associated with the project – and that we follow-up to make sure the goals have been met.

GAN: What would you say the biggest difference is between the business world and public service?

SY: I would say the level of complexity. In public service you have your boss, which in my case is the Governor, and the administration that you’re working with. You also have the General Assembly – both the House and the Senate – people who have a say in what goes on. This is taxpayer money and, of course, they have a right to weigh in on issues. Then we work with a myriad of organizations in the economic and community development front, which are part of how we deliver services. To make sure we get projects and programs right, we deal with more layers of people who we need to communicate with, convince and persuade. Sometimes it takes a little longer to get that done – but it does work. There are a lot of checks and balances, so you have to be a little patient at times to get things done. The pace isn’t quite as fast as it would be in the private sector, so persistence is vital. That’s probably the biggest difference I’ve seen.

GAN: Anything else you would like to include or would like to let our readers know?

SY: The last thing I’ll say is that while we’re putting up a lot of money – over $2 billion – it is not going to work effectively if we don’t engage the private sector. Our target is to secure another $5 billion of investment from the private sector as match along side us, because our goal is to stimulate and fill gaps. But once get things moving, the goal is to let the private sector take over. It’s a true public/private partnership that will spearhead Pennsylvania into the 21st century.


Firm Hosts Gov. Rendell
Government Affairs Co-Chair John Saler and Senior Consultant Herb Vederman recently hosted a reception in Stradley Ronon’s Philadelphia office honoring Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell. The Governor greeted more than 100 guests and attorneys of the firm.


From left: Stradley Ronon Government Affairs Co-Chair John Saler, Senior Consultant Herb Vederman, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell and Stradley Ronon Chairman William R. Sasso.


Rep. Andrews Visits Stradley
Congressman Robert E. Andrews of the 1st District of New Jersey visited Stradley Ronon’s Cherry Hill, N.J., office recently where he addressed members of the firm and invited guests.

Rep. Andrews spoke on pressing national and state issues, including:

• The Federal Budget: Rep. Andrews compared the U.S. economy to a battleship that’s heading for an iceberg. The U.S. economy is heading for a “fiscal train wreck” if we don’t make major financial changes, he said. “You can’t increase spending by 27% while only increasing revenue by 13%.”

• Social Security: By the middle of the next decade, more money will be going out than coming in for Social Security, according to Rep. Andrews. If the federal government doesn’t start spending less to reduce the deficit by 40%, it will have to borrow immense amounts of money to make up for the Social Security shortfall.

• On New Jersey: The state “has to stop making people happy by telling them their taxes will go down,” he said. In addition, he favors a round of base military closures in the state, as well as eliminating agricultural subsidies, export subsidies and redundant job-training programs to cut costs.

Government Affairs Expands in Delaware
Stradley Ronon has added an attorney to its Wilmington, Del., office, and has relocated in Wilmington to accommodate the office’s growth. Maryanne T. Donaghy will serve as of counsel, giving the firm five attorneys in its Wilmington location. The office also houses SR Services – a unique affiliate of Stradley Ronon that acts as a registered agent and provides specialized business services to Delaware companies.

As a member of Stradley Ronon’s government and public affairs and litigation departments, Donaghy represents corporations and individuals in complex litigation including white-collar prosecution, health care fraud and abuse, corporate internal investigations, and labor employment matters. She was an assistant U.S. attorney in both Philadelphia and Delaware. Most recently, she served as legal counsel for the Nemours Foundation – an organization dedicated to health services for children, including Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children.

“The addition of Maryanne expands the platform of services we can offer not only our Delaware clients, but clients throughout the United States and internationally who do business in the state,” said Stradley Ronon Chairman William R. Sasso.

To accommodate the addition of Donaghy as well as to meet the needs of the firm’s growing client base, Stradley Ronon has moved its Wilmington office to a larger suite – adding 3,000 square feet of space.

“Increasing the firm’s Delaware presence and client services was one of our goals when I started,” said Delaware Office Director Claire M. DeMatteis. “In just six months, it’s rewarding to have added attorneys, and at the same time, moved into a more expansive office.”