Volunteer Spotlight: A Positive Response to a Personal Struggle

Each year, more than 30,000 children and adults—approximately eighty people per day—are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the United States. That diagnosis for Dan Hayward ’00 came on May 4, 2007. “It was the scariest day of my life,” he said.

Before his diagnosis, Dan lost nearly twenty pounds and suffered from a constant, dull headache. Finally, a simple blood test revealed the cause. “It was tough news. It was a punch in the gut that I didn’t expect,” Dan said. “I had no idea what type 1 diabetes was. My family had no history. I was twenty-nine.”

Type 1 diabetes often is diagnosed in children and young adults but can strike at any age. The autoimmune disease causes a person’s pancreas to stop producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from the food they eat. To compensate for this bodily malfunction, those with type 1 diabetes must carefully balance doses of insulin with strict meals and activities each day.

“It’s life changing, but manageable,” Dan admitted. “Many years ago, the diagnosis meant a death sentence. Today, if you manage it, eat right, and exercise, you can live a very long, healthy life.”

Within a month of discovering he had type 1 diabetes, Dan contacted the Central Pennsylvania Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). “I attended several meetings and got a better sense of how I could help.”

One year into his diagnosis, Dan wanted to be involved with the Central Pennsylvania JDRF in every way he could. He joined the Walk to Cure Diabetes in 2008 and became the Ride to Cure chair, a major gift chairman, and joined the JDRF board in 2009, where today he is board president.

“JDRF is the largest supporter of type 1 diabetes research. The goal of our foundation is to accelerate progress on the cure, treatment, and prevention of the disease.

As board president, Dan is the voice of the organization. He educates children and young adults about ways to manage the disease and helps to identify major contributors, explaining to them where the money is used. “JDRF gave $150 million last year toward research in partnership with National Institutes of Health. They are using money in smart ways. They are working to develop an artificial pancreas and different cell designs that help the body produce its own insulin, instead of relying on injections.”

Dan also worked on this year’s Gala and Walk to Cure Diabetes, of which there are six in the region. The gala at The Hershey Lodge raised $400,000. The donations from all of these events fund the Central Pennsylvania chapter, which is on track to raise $1.25 million this year, he said.

“We are one of the top dollar-for-dollar organizations in the country. What we raise and what goes to research is among the best. We run a tight ship at our office and it’s powerful to see how passionate the folks are who are part of it,” Dan said. “We want to end this disease.”

Although it may seem that Dan pours enough energy into JDRF for it to be a fulltime position, his real job is as a partner at Novak Strategic Advisors in Harrisburg. He’s been a senior associate there since 2005. Prior to that, he was executive director of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania.

Dan graduated magna cum laude as a dual political science and history major from Shippensburg in 2000. It was during his time at Ship that he learned the value of volunteering.

“I volunteered for political campaigns while I was at Shippensburg. The volunteering wasn’t for nonprofit, but that’s where it all got started. As I got older and became more worldly, I realized how important it is to give back to a nonprofit. In this case, diabetes is among the most costly diseases to our health-care system, so ending this would be a great feat for our country.”

The causes of type 1 diabetes aren’t yet understood, but scientists believe both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved. There is nothing a person can do to prevent it, and currently, nothing they can do to stop it.

The Central Pennsylvania JDRF hopes to change that, and Dan will be right there with them. This July, Dan will take his bicycle to Burlington, Vermont, for the Ride to Cure Diabetes. He’ll travel to Nashville, Tennessee, in September for another ride, adding to the hundreds of miles he’s already racked up in the fight against the disease. In 2011, Dan participated in the 111-mile JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes in Tucson, Arizona.

Dan also is involved in Hope on 2 Wheels, an organization of thirty cyclists who ride for awareness of the disease. “We went from New York City to National Institutes for Health in Bethesda, Maryland. We also visited a camp that helps kids dealing with type 1 diabetes in Massachusetts and biked to another camp in New Jersey,” he said. “To give hope to the kids that are there is amazing.

“I think giving back to the community any way you can is important. Everyone has limits with time and money, but giving back is very important. The time I’ve given to JDRF gives me a mission in life to help. Giving back and seeing the results—it feels good.”

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York Dispatch

By Christina Kauffman

Updated:   04/15/2013

Local legislators are among those pushing a series of bills to increase consumption of the state’s abundant supply of natural gas, with York representatives authoring components of the Marcellus Works package.

The bills passed out of their committees last week, furthering the House Republican initiative to increase conversion to natural gas as the fuel is being drilled from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale formation.

The package creates incentives for mass transit systems and businesses to convert their fleets to compressed natural gas, which proponents laud as a cleaner-burning, less expensive alternative to diesel fuel.

Among the local efforts that could benefit is Rabbit Transit’s proposal to convert its fleet and open the county’s first compressed natural gas fueling station.

Getting started: State Rep. Ron Miller, R-Jacobus, chairs the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee; five pieces of the package passed out of the committee last week.

He compared the dearth of CNG fueling stations to the advent of diesel as an automotive fuel decades ago.

“You’ve got to get it started somewhere,” he said. “It’s like with diesel cars in the  ’60s; there were no fueling stations. But now they’re everywhere.”

Miller said drilling in the shale has been a “major game changer” for the future energy needs of the state, and there could be a day when CNG is as popular as diesel.

The bills that passed committee last week would:

—Establish a grant program to help small mass transit bus fleets convert to compressed natural gas.

—Create a loan program to help large mass transit bus fleets make the switch.

—Promote grants for taxi companies, school districts and individuals to purchase natural gas vehicles.

—Exempt vehicles capable of running on gasoline or natural gas from the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program by requiring one emissions test per vehicle instead of the two required under current law.

—Create tax credits for private fleet vehicles to lessen the cost of switching to natural gas vehicles.

—Create a natural gas corridor tax credit to encourage the construction of natural gas fueling stations along travel corridors such as I-76, I-78, I-79, I-80, I-81 and I-83.

—Establish a three-year tax credit program to provide incentives for Pennsylvania businesses to purchase heavy-duty natural gas vehicles.

Majority Whip Rep. Stan Saylor, R-Windsor Township, and Rep. Seth Grove, R-Dover Township, authored some of the legislation.

“It’s critical that we create demand here in Pennsylvania for Pennsylvania natural gas,” Grove said. “It’s cleaner, less expensive and better for the environment.”

Grove said some companies have already made the conversion, such as York Waste owner Republic Services, which last year announced plans to replace 65 of its 100 diesel-powered garbage trucks in York with natural gas vehicles.

But more businesses will step in line if the incentives in the package become law, Grove said.

The bills are awaiting votes before the full House and must be approved by the Senate and the governor before becoming law. Grove said the bills could come up for vote as early as this week.

Local pumps: Rabbit Transit executive director Richard Farr said the financial provisions in the Works package could help with the funding to convert some of Rabbit’s 87-bus fleet, but the bigger problem is finding funding for construction of natural-gas friendly facilities outside the corridors listed in the package.

Rabbit is waiting for funding to move from its current facility on Roosevelt Avenue to a new building on Zarfoss Road in West Manchester Township, Farr said, and the conversion can’t be made until after the move.

But constructing facilities for gas-operated vehicles is more expensive. Maintenance garages must be spark-free to avoid an explosion.

The fueling station, also more expensive than its diesel counterpart, would be built at the new building, hopefully through a public-private partnership with a business, he said.

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Governor lauds Waste Management for new natural gas facility

Posted: Sunday, April 21, 2013 5:00 am | Updated: 8:17 am, Sun Apr 21, 2013.

By Chris English Staff Writer – PhillyBurbs.com

Compressed natural gas is all the rage at Waste Management these days, and the state’s top government official was among many who stopped by Bristol Township Friday to laud the company for its increasing commitment to the alternative energy source.

“Waste Management recognizes the great asset we have here in Pennsylvania,” Gov. Tom Corbett said at a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for the company’s new compressed natural gas fueling station on Hayes Boulevard.

“The Marcellus Shale is now the most productive gas field in the world,” he continued. “In converting its truck fleet to CNG, Waste Management is investing in the future, saving on fuel costs, contributing to our energy independence and helping the environment.”

Waste Management has replaced 32 diesel trash hauling trucks at the Bristol Township facility, which serves Bucks County and other areas around Philadelphia, with ones powered by CNG, said company spokesman John Hambrose.

He said 10 more CNG trucks are planned by the end of the year, and the goal is to have all 70 Waste Management trucks operating from the Bristol Township facility powered by compressed natural gas by the end of 2014, he added.

Across the country, 2,000 of Waste Management’s 23,000 trucks are powered by CNG, and the goal is to keep increasing that ratio as much as possible, Hambrose said.

The benefits of that conversion are many, said Tara Hemmer, president of Waste Management’s Greater Mid-Atlantic region.

“Every time we replace one of our diesel trucks with a natural gas truck, we save 8,000 gallons of diesel a year and reduce the production of a significant amount of air pollutants,” she said.

Compressed natural gas at the Bristol Township fueling station is $1.99 a gallon. Diesel fuel costs more than $4 a gallon at most stations across the country, WM officials said.

In addition to fueling the Waste Management CNG trucks, the Bristol Township station is also open 24/7 to any member of the general public who has a CNG vehicle, WM officials said.

The combustion of natural gas produces almost no particulate, according to fact sheets handed out by WM officials at Friday’s event. By replacing a diesel truck with a CNG truck, WM eliminates the annual production of more than 24 tons of greenhouse gases, company officials added.

“The savings should help Waste Management employ more people and invest in its infrastructure both in Pennsylvania and across the country,” said Corbett.

While it’s too early in the conversion process to make specific projections, the savings should also help the company hold down costs for its customers, Hambrose said.

The CNG trucks cost more — about $340,000 apiece compared to $300,000 for a diesel truck — but the company should relatively soon recover those increased initial costs with savings on fuel, he added.

“Waste Management is very important to all of us,” said Bucks County Commissioner Diane Marseglia. “They have stepped up time and time again to help various organizations and now they’re stepping up for the environment.”

“Waste Management is an industry leader in so many ways, and this is another example,” added state Rep. Tina Davis, D-141, who represents most of Bristol Township.

Corbett said he didn’t know of any state-owned vehicles powered by CNG but would love to see it. One of the keys, he said, is getting manufacturers in Detroit and elsewhere to produce more of the vehicles at an affordable cost. Another is getting more fueling stations like the one just opened by Waste Management, Corbett said.

Compressed natural gas trucks also run quieter than diesel and create less vibration, which leads to lower maintenance costs, WM officials said.

A $400,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection helped with the $13 million cost of the Bristol Township CNG fueling station, they added.

According to the website cngnow.com., public transportation vehicles across the country have been using CNG for decades and that 12 percent to 15 percent of such vehicles are now powered by the fuel.

Roughly 250,000 of the 12 million CNG vehicles worldwide are in the U.S., the site added.

Compressed natural gas is natural gas under pressure that remains clear, odorless and non-corrosive, according to consumerenergycenter.org. Although vehicles can use natural gas as either a liquid or a gas, most vehicles use the gaseous form compressed to pressures above 3,100 pounds per square inch, the site added.

While CNG vehicles get about the same mileage per gallon as diesel, the cost is so much less for the same amount of fuel, WM officials said.

“The horsepower, acceleration and cruise speed of natural gas vehicles are comparable with those of equivalent conventional vehicles,” said the U.S. Department of Energy’s website, afdc.energy.gov.

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Serving Chester County..

Portfolio: Chamber partners with advocate

Posted: Friday, 01/18/13 04:00 pm

The Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry announced Novak Strategic Advisors will provide it with government affairs advice and strategy. The chamber concluded an open bidding process with candidate interviews a week ago.

Craig Tucker, COO and partner at the firm, will work with chamber leadership and staff in crafting a legislative strategy and provide general government affairs advice.

“Since our accreditation process we have been working towards a partnership to enhance the work of the chamber as it relates to advocacy,” said Nancy P. Keefer, president and CEO of the county chamber. “Proactively monitoring and responding to public policy issues brings a great deal of value to our members who cannot be in front of all of the legislative issues facing their businesses.”

Tucker has more than 17 years of government affairs, procurement, and legislative lobbying experience. His career began in Chester County government as an administrative analyst for former County Commissioner Colin Hanna.

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Written by Kelly Cernetich, Deputy Editor/ PoliticsPA.com

Democrats have been saying that Pennsylvania isn’t in play for the Republicans. They’ve pointed to Gov. Corbett’s limited presence at Romney-Ryan campaign stops and the state being downgraded from swing state to “learns Dem.”

But despite these assertions, four Pennsylvanians found themselves playing a large role at the Republican National Convention by helping with whip operations and communication on the floor to keep order in all the chaos.

Chester County’s David James, a partner at FLS Connect, was the floor whip manager for the convention.

Dauphin County’s Dan Hayward, of Novak Strategic Advisers, was a floater on the floor – helping the whip team with any issues and questions they had.

Hayward said James was the orchestrator for a lot of operations on the floor, and said James was one of the reasons why communication on the floor ran as smoothly as it did.

Read the rest of the article here >>

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August 20, 2012 12:00 am
By Deborah M. Todd / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Tax-free online purchases will be curtailed in Pennsylvania starting next month, but activists pushing for a federal law say much more needs to be done to address the issue of tax-free Internet shopping, and the millions in sales tax that states are missing out on.

Pennsylvania alone would lose between $254 million and $410 million in uncollected revenues this year without legislative intervention, according to a 2011 study by Carnegie Mellon University professor Robert Strauss.

But starting Sept. 1, online retailers with a physical presence in the state will have to pay at least 6 percent sales tax for items purchased by Pennsylvanians.

And for those shoppers in Allegheny County, the online sales tax would be 7 percent — a 6 percent share going to the state, and an additional 1 percent for Allegheny County. In Philadelphia, they tack on an extra 2 percent, meaning the online sales tax — just like the regular, bricks-and-mortar sales tax — would be 8 percent.

Taxes would apply to all purchases made in the state, delivered to the state or used within the state. Items shipped to and from in-state distribution centers and warehouses, sales and services provided by people from out of state, and advertising relationships where compensation is based on sales and website clicks are also subject to being taxed under the new law.

A spokesman from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue said the state estimates next month’s change will bring in an additional $42.8 million for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

The adjustment will allow the state to collect from major retailers such as Amazon, which has a distribution center outside of Allentown, Pa., and eBay, which has an affiliate business in Wilkes-Barre.

Dan Hayward, Pennsylvania spokesman for the Alliance for Main Street Fairness, called the legislation a “great first step” in closing the loophole, but said legislation pending in various federal government committees could finally solve the problem.

Read the rest of the article here >>

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Big-money bundlers for Obama aren’t in a rush because he doesn’t have a Democratic primary challenger. And GOP supporters seem to be waiting to see if there are late presidential entrants.

By Matea Gold, Melanie Mason and Kim
Geiger, Washington Bureau
July 29, 2011
Reporting from Washington

The vast majority of big-money bundlerswho power political fundraising are sitting out the 2012 presidential contest so far, a reflection of persistent dissatisfaction with the Republican field and a lack of urgency and engagement felt by past supporters of President Obama.

An analysis by the Los Angeles Times of campaign finance reports found that only about 100 of the 560 fundraisers who collected money for Obama from friends and colleagues during the 2008 campaign have raised funds for the president’s reelection effort.

Many contacted by The Times said they still planned to get involved, noting it was still early — particularly because the president does not have a Democratic primary
challenger. But several also said that the economic malaise, the absence of a clear Republican opponent and some disenchantment with the administration’s policies have made fundraising more difficult than during Obama’s passion-filled 2008 bid.

Read the rest of the article here >>

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In the following edited exchange, former Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman T.J. Rooney and former Republican Chairman Alan Novak considered the national implications of last month’s elections in the commonwealth, which saw several county governments change hands.

T.J. Rooney: This election demonstrated a shift in our parties’ major bases of support. We saw, for the first time in modern history, the Westmoreland County Courthouse [outside Pittsburgh] taken over by Republicans. Conversely, the Montgomery County Courthouse was won by Democrats. I think this really tells the tale of Pennsylvania by telling the tale of two counties.

Alan Novak: I would agree with that. You have an east-west divide here that clearly shows the parties realigning – or, at least, election results that are counterintuitive. Western Pennsylvania has always been Democratic, blue-collar. Montgomery County and the Philadelphia suburbs have been considered white-collar, more affluent, and therefore staples for Republicans. Now we have two different results.

Rooney: The other story that Democrats need to pay attention to is the 12 [Democratic counties that changed] partisan control. To me, as a Democrat, that’s troubling. Moreover, we’ve seen our party lose ground in voter registration. Democrats still have the numbers, but the map is changing before our eyes. Those results are disconcerting.

Read the rest of the article here >>

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The saying, “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know” definitely applies to operators in the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania. The Marcellus stands out as perhaps the most contentious shale play in North America thanks to a well-funded and organized opposition that has tried to convince local landowners that hydraulic fracturing contaminates their water wells.

But navigating these pitfalls takes much more than a few PowerPoint presentations or locally distributed flyers, said Alan Novak, president and founder of Novak Strategic Advisors. Novak’s firm, based in Pennsylvania, helps its clients establish community relationships through intense, personalized grassroots campaigns. Pennsylvania is not a bad place to do business, he said. It just takes some getting used to.

The good news

Novak and his company work with Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), an agency he characterizes as responsibly supportive of shale production. “The DEP is not taking the role of police,” he said. “It’s more an approach of let’s figure out how to do this, do it together, and do it right.” DEP is led by Secretary Michael Krancer, who has extensive environmental and business experience. The state also has a governorappointed Energy Executive, Patrick Henderson, who had been the executive director of the Senate Environmental Committee. Henderson and Krancer work closely together on energy and environmental policy. Gov. Tom Corbett also is encouraging shale development. Novak said the previous governor wanted a severance tax but was thwarted by the state legislature, so nothing was ever done. Corbett announced that in lieu of a severance tax there would be an “impact fee” that directs the funds raised to the local communities affected by shale development. Some of that money also will go into dedicated environmental funds. The state legislature enacted Act 13, which imposes an impact fee and not a severance tax, and Act 13 also provides for preemption of local government zoning regulation of gas and oil production. Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission (PUC), led by Commissioner Rob Powelson, is regulating elements of the gas industry – pipeline safety and the implementation of Act 13. Powelson spent a great deal of time in Texas researching and meeting with representatives of the Texas Railroad Commission in preparation for the PUC’s role in Pennsylvania in the Marcellus shale and gas plays.

Read the rest of the article here >>

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When the firm was established in 2001, Mr. Novak set out to build a public and government affairs firm dedicated to helping clients establish relationships and meet their strategic goals through intense, personalized grassroots campaigns. Today, he leads the NSA team with over 30 years of experience that helps NSA clients achieve one thing: results.

Whether raising a client’s profile, having input on legislation, or building strategic coalitions, NSA clients can always count on Mr. Novak’s personal attention and creativity. They also benefit from an extensive network of contacts that bring clients together with public and private-sector leaders Mr. Novak has known for many years.

Always visible, Mr. Novak is regularly sought by news media to comment on the political process. He political commentary has appeared in the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post as well as on CNN, Fox, ABC, MSNBC, PBS, Philadelphia talk radio programs, and many of Pennsylvania’s local news programs.

It is both Mr. Novak’s high profile and attention to the smallest details that have attracted a national client list to the firm. Mr. Novak’s representation ranges from Fortune 500 companies to charitable organizations and small businesses. On their behalf, he has effectively secured procurement contracts, achieved legislative victories, educated leaders about clients’ issues, and developed relationships with government entities.

Notably, Mr. Novak’s work on behalf of clients has led to legislation and state regulatory changes in the areas of gaming, the environment, taxes and state regulated alcohol sales.

Mr. Novak describes his representation as being “constant and conscientious,” the value of which he learned as both an attorney and political party leader.

At Conrad O’Brien, Mr. Novak practices in municipal law and land use law as well as civil litigation. Known for his legal expertise in local government, Mr. Novak served as solicitor for several municipal authorities, local governments and local government entities. Today he is of counsel with the firm.

Mr. Novak was also the longest serving Chairman of Pennsylvania’s Republican Party (1996-2005). In this role, he was the architect of nearly a decade of Republican dominance in statewide elections and was regularly recognized on PoliticsPA.com’s “Power 50 List” as one of the fifty most politically powerful Pennsylvanians. When Mr. Novak stepped down as Chairman, one political power broker described Mr. Novak as someone with the “ability to persuade, cajole and convince somebody they should do something.”

It is with that same finesse that Mr. Novak worked on the Corbett Transition Team as well as serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for Ursinus College, the Chester County Economic Development Council, and several community non-profit boards.

Mr. Novak is a 1971 graduate of Ursinus College and a 1975 graduate of Villanova Law School.

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

• Ursinus College, Trustee, Chairman of the Board
• Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, Chairman
• Governor’s Sunset Task Force Commission, Commissioner
• Chester County Sports Hall of Fame, Director
• First Priority Bank, Director
• Former Chairman, Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania
• President’s Advisory Committee for White House Fellows
• Bush/Cheney Commerce Department Transition Committee, 2000
• Chester County Economic Development Council
• American, Pennsylvania and Chester County Bar Associations
• Committee on Arrangements, Republican National Convention, Philadelphia 2000

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