Illinois names new banking commissioner

Northwestern Financial Review, Jun 1-Jun 14, 2003

Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has appointed D. Lorenzo Padron, chairman of Chicago's Latin American Chamber of Commerce, as commissioner of the Office of Banks and Real Estate.

"Lorenzo Padron brings a vast amount of professional experience to the Office of Banks and Real Estate," Blagojevich said. "But more importantly, he brings years of experience as an advocate and mentor helping business owners access the financial services and resources they need. That's the kind of expertise that makes him the right person to safeguard banking and real estate consumers."

Padron, 58, helped found the chamber - the largest Latin American trade organization in the Midwest with 1,300 members - in 1976 and has been its chairman for the past two years.

Padron grew up in Colombia, South America and moved to the United States in 1968 to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he earned a bachelor's of science degree in management. He also has received graduate credit toward his master's degree in business administration at the University of Chicago.

Padron entered the financial services industry in 1977 and worked his way up from serving in the commercial and international divisions at First National Bank of Chicago, to assistant vice president of Banco Popular, to senior vice president of Chicago's Metropolitan Bank.

Padron left the banking industry in 1998 to start his own business, National Facility and Supply Co. / Chicago Contract Cleaning and Supply Co. It grew into an $18 million, 750-employee enterprise before he sold it in 2001.