Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Greg Padovani’s resume includes 17 bullet points under the list of organizations he has served with, and 12 under the list of honors he has received. And neither list is fully complete.
A U.S. Army veteran, Padovani is the president and founder of PENS Communications Systems, LLC, and lives in his hometown of Arlington Heights. He is widely regarded there, and throughout the region, as a dedicated champion of veterans’ causes.
“It’s in my nature to serve and help others,” he says. “I have tried to learn from, and pattern my life after, leaders and inspirational people. Some I would read about; many I would meet and serve under, or with. All this carried over to my civilian life. Through the years, I continued to learn from everyone.”
His paternal grandfather’s family immigrated to the United States in the 1880s from Padua, via Genoa, while his maternal grandfather immigrated around 1900 from Naples.
Padovani attended grade school at St. Raymond de Penafort in Mount Prospect, whose parish priests and nuns got free dentistry work from his father. “All of them felt that they could repay my dad for his kindness by making sure I was educated well,” he says.
He graduated from Forest View High School in Arlington Heights and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. “My concentration was in something really new at the time — biochemistry. Funny fact: my college biochemistry textbook is now used in high school courses!”
Padovani enrolled in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps in 1974, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle, who had served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. In fact, at first Padovani wanted to join the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, but was not accepted because he lacked 20/20 vision. “That was a real heartbreak for me,” he recalls.
After returning from the Army, Padovani earned an MBA from DePaul University, studying by night and working by day.
Since retiring from Army Reserve duty in 1986, he has contributed to his community in a multitude of roles, first and foremost as the chairman of the Veterans Committee of Arlington Heights for about 20 years. During his tenure, the organization led the reconstruction of Memorial Park. Arlington Heights’ first park, it dates back to 1873. Always designated as a “soldiers’ memorial,” the park was rededicated in 2010 and is centered around the “Eternal Flame,” a 15-foot bronze sculpture with commemorative bricks for veterans and fallen heroes. After the death of native son Marine Lance Cpl. James B. Stack in 2010, Padovani took it upon himself to spend months researching the history of Arlington Heights’ fallen heroes
“The result is the List of Arlington’s Fallen Heroes, the 59 young men from our town who died in the service of our nation from the Civil War through the war in Afghanistan,” he says. “We published this list all over town and we hand it our every Memorial Day. It means the world to our Gold Star families that our town acknowledges them in that way.”
The Veterans Committee also organizes the annual Arlington Heights Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, and is involved in a plethora of causes, including Veterans’ Day breakfasts and Toys for Tots campaigns.
Padovani is an active member of American Legion Post 208, serving in its honor guard, as well as Vietnam Veterans of America. He’s also an honorary member of the Marine Corps League.
In addition, he was a board member for the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce; an alternate delegate for the American Legion Department of Illinois and the Illinois Veterans Advisory Council; a delegate for the Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County; a member of the Illinois Lottery Veteran Cash Committee; and a member of Illinois America 250, a committee celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
He was also co-chair of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life three times.
Padovani served as trustee for the Arlington Heights Village Board for two years after being appointed to finish someone else’s term in 2019. “I decided not to run (for election) because I would be 74 years old at the end of my term. I felt that younger leaders should have the opportunity,” he explains.
Since 1966, Padovani has played the trombone for Sound of the Big Band, a 17-piece orchestra that he now also manages. “Today, the band is still going strong. I love the music and the players,” he says. “We rehearse and play at Luther Village in Arlington Heights. Each time, a number of residents come to listen. Some even dance!”
His role with USA Climbing in helping establish rock climbing as an Olympic sport was especially challenging — and rewarding, he says. “USA Climbing had to modify and redesign many of its competition procedures, as well as bylaws and committees, and I was deeply involved in adapting the bylaws and committees to comply with the requirements for the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee,” he explains. “These were nationwide efforts by many people, and we were successful.”
So, is Padovani the type of person who can’t sit still and always needs to be doing something?
“Most definitely,” Padovani says. “Beyond that, I am the type to volunteer. If a worthy cause needs help, I jump in. If there is a leadership vacuum, I step up. I just can’t stand by and do nothing.”
As for his future plans, that’s simply to “keep going,” he says, “and continue with my businesses and volunteering as long as I can make a positive impact.”
