By Mark Gregory
Editorial Director
@Hear_The_Beard
mark@buglemewspapers.com
As president of Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway, Scott Paddock has been a vital part of the Joliet and Will County communities for the past eight years.
Now, he adds another way he is helping the area he calls home.
An Orland Park resident, Paddock recently was tabbed as Chairman of Silver Cross Hospital’s Board of Directors.
He succeeds Douglas Hutchison Jr. of Joliet, who served as the Board Chairman for the past three years.
“I have sat on the board for several years and I am excited about the opportunity. It is a terrific hospital and healthcare system,” Paddock said. “We are very fortunate to have a system like Silver Cross right here in our back yard in Will County and it is a tremendous and very talented management team and I am looking forward to adding value wherever I can and supporting the management team in their efforts to bring quality healthcare to the community.”
Silver Cross is not the only board Paddock is part of, as he sits on the Board of Directors for Illinois Special Olympics, the Chicago Sports Commission, Will County’s Center for Economic Development, and earlier this year, he was appointed by Governor JB Pritzker to the Illinois Toll Highway Authority Board.
“We have a responsibility to give back to the community and serve as a good corporate citizen. I have learned from some great people over the years and attained some skills and experiences that I feel can add value to organizations I get involved with,” Paddock said. “Joliet and Will County embraced Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway when we came into the market. There are economical advantages to having this in your back yard, like the more than 150 events we have, but also it is a high profile facility and it is a chance to amplify and shed light on the good work that is being done in the community. We have a responsibility of giving back and volunteering and serving are big parts of that. I want to practice what I preach to our staff.”
Over the years, Paddock has served on a number of boards and committees over the years, including membership on USA Basketball’s Board of Directors, USA Basketball’s Executive Committee, the Athlete Advisory Council (AAC) to the United States Olympic Committee, and the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee.
Prior Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway, Paddock was the director of sports marketing for Gatorade, beginning in 1998 as a sports marketing manager, overseeing the Southeast region of the U.S. In 2001, he was named senior manager of sports marketing and added day-to-day oversight of the brand’s NFL and motor sports partnerships to his list of responsibilities. Paddock was the architect behind Gatorade’s College Athletic Director Advisory Council and the historic creation of “Gatorade Victory Lane.”
He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1990.
Paddock is joined by 15 members of the Silver Cross Hospital Board of Directors. They are Ruth Colby (Silver Cross President/CEO), Terry D’Arcy, Douglas Hutchison Jr., Jean Kenol, Dr. David Livingston, Al McCowan, Dr. David Mikolajczak, Dr. Judy Mitchell, Dr. Corinne Nawrocki, John Phelan (First Vice Chairman and Treasurer), Susan Prock, James Roolf, Michael Scudder (Second Vice Chairman), Mark Stofan, and Mary Totten (Secretary).