Business leaders give nod to Yablonsky

Dennis Yablonsky has been a small business owner. He knows the technology sector. He likes golf. A colleague calls him effective but "blunt."

And if the state Senate confirms his appointment, which could occur as early as this week, the resident of western Pennsylvania will become the state's top economic development official.

Although well known in the Pittsburgh area, some of his peers in Central Pennsylvania don't know much about the 50-year-old who was the founding chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse and the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, where he served from 1999 to 2003.

Representatives of the York County Chamber of Commerce said they didn't know Yablonsky, who declined to be interviewed for this article. The York officials said they liked that he had been a smallbusiness owner. They would like to see Yablonsky focus oil "Brain Gain" initiatives to encourage college graduates to stay in the state, said Joe Rice, director of the chamber's pro-business group.

Members of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, based in Harrisburg, have worked with Yablonsky and were pleased with his appointment.

"He has an outstanding reputation among chamber people," said state Chamber Vice President Maura Donley.

As a former executive for a technology company, Yablonsky also understands the needs of technology startups, said Kevin Shivers, president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business.

"He understands the struggles and needs of entrepreneurs," Shivers said. "From that perspective, I think he would be a good spokesman for economic development in Pennsylvania."

Don Smith, acting head of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, said Yablonsky will be successful in his new role if he approaches it like he did his golf game. He was a casual golfer until about four years ago, Smith said. That's when he started taking lessons. Now he is a very good player, boasting a handicap of 10.

"He developed a plan. He worked the fundamentals, and he accomplished a great deal," said Smith, who also is director of economic development for Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. "I think that's the way he accomplishes everything."

Although his appointment needs Senate approval, a senate committee has recommended him for the job of secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development. At a hearing on Feb. 25, Yablonsky said he would balance technology interests with other industry sectors. He wants to focus investments in sectors that have had rapid growth, such as information technology, life sciences, financial services and health care.

Yablonsky said accountability would be "one of the hallmarks" of his new job. Before committing additional state funds, he would evaluate projects so that he could measure their improvement, he said.

Yablonsky, who is originally from Pittsburgh, spent 12 years working his way up through a startup software company called Cincom Systems, based in Cincinnati. He became president of Cincom, which grew to 1,500 employees.

He returned to Pittsburgh in 1987 as CEO of Carnegie Group, an early-stage artificial intelligence company spun off of Carnegie Mellon University. It grew to become a public company with more than 300 employees.

In 1999, he became the founding CEO of the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse. In 2001, he became the founding CEO of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. The greenhouses share offices but are run separately and have different funding sources.

Colleagues said that Yablonsky has a straightforward, almost blunt style. He is collaborative and can quickly generate support for an idea or a project.

"He sells it in a pleasantly aggressive way," said D. Lansing Taylor, a businessman and board member for the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. "He's very forceful, but in a logical noncombative way."

Yablonsky got the Digital Greenhouse running quickly and successfully something that attracted the Life Sciences Greenhouse board to him, said Maxwell King, a board member. His "no-nonsense, unpretentious style" also appealed to King.

"One of the nice things about Dennis is that he is marvelously direct," said King, president of The Heinz Endowments. "You don't have to waste a lot of time with Dennis."

As head of the greenhouses, Yablonsky kept his own staff small. He also would draw on the expertise of alreadyestablished organizations, Smith said.

Yablonsky proved to be a diligent fundraiser, Smith said. Yablonsky will remain on the board of the life sciences greenhouse in Pittsburgh. He also has accepted a position as a nonvoting member of the Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania, said Michele Washko, a spokeswoman for the greenhouse. Yablonsky's predecessor, Tim McNulty, also served on the board.

King said Yablonsky is a good choice for Gov. Ed Rendell because they are "fast-paced" and like to try new ideas. King said that Yablonsky would work well with other state Cabinet members, as long as they consider his straightforward approach. "There may be times when people find Dennis blunt," he said.