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Cameron Conn wasn\u2019t just born and raised in Las Vegas\u2014he\u2019s been steeped in the gaming and casino industry his entire life.<\/p>\n
The third-generation Las Vegas native, son of Paragon Gaming CEO Diana Bennett and grandson of iconic casino owner and operator William G. Bennett, has followed in his family\u2019s footsteps over the course of his career by building out gaming properties, working on the casino floor\u2014even dealing blackjack\u2014and founding a licensing and compliance company.<\/p>\n
\u201cGaming is art,\u201d Conn said. \u201cIt\u2019s science. It\u2019s getting some scar tissue from being in the industry, and that\u2019s why most gaming executives usually have a tremendous amount of tenure. But what gaming does produce is executives that are scalable to other industries.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why, Conn continued, he feels equipped to depart the gaming industry for a new venture: fashion. As CEO of Vancouver-based menswear line Champlain, Conn said he feels his casino and technology background gave him the tools to take on a \u201ccompletely foreign industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a very unique thing about the casino and the gaming industry … that I don\u2019t think is highlighted very often\u2014the quality of talent that it produces,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Conn found Champlain while looking for investments, and was immediately struck by the brand\u2019s versatility. Attire from Champlain could be worn to the office or on a date, Conn said, and it was \u201cproper.\u201d<\/p>\n
While athleisure and high fashion dominated both ends of the fashion spectrum, Conn and Champlain founder and creative director Jonathan Richard recognized there was a market between them for modernized classic pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was always in a suit and tie running a casino,\u201d Conn said. \u201cAnd then when I started my tech company, all my employees wore hoodies and had headphones, and if I ever wore a sports coat to work, they thought they were all fired. \u2026 And so when a friend of mine said, \u2018Hey, I started this clothing company,\u2019 I walked in and I went, \u2018Yeah, this is missing in the market.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Champlain elevates staple pieces of clothing, he said, making it easy for people to dress in well-made outfits at a great price and with low effort. Its aim has always been to allow people to dress down while still looking good, he said, and stocking up on staples with a modern flair and variety of color.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Conn said, Champlain is fresh, clean and modern, but also very familiar. It\u2019s not fast fashion, but sustainable in the market, he emphasized.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the beauty of classic apparel, is it can be what the wearer wants it to be,\u201d Conn said. \u201cWe create clothes, and we may create what our image is, but they\u2019re versatile enough for customers to create their own image of what they want it to be, because it\u2019s lived on for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company launched online in September, and has since sold products in more than two dozen states and six provinces. It has entered the wholesale market and the brand is slated to appear in stores this spring, Conn said.<\/p>\n
Gaming creates a fearlessness in executives that makes them great entrepreneurs, Conn said, which is why he could jump into an industry like fashion, which he may not have known much about beforehand.<\/p>\n
Gaming requires a strong work ethic, and Conn pointed to his mother as an example of that. To see how hard she worked to carve out her own stake in the business was inspirational. Though, like his mother, he was part of a gaming legacy created by his grandfather, Conn stressed he had to be \u201cscrappy\u201d to succeed in gaming.<\/p>\n
Launching a casino property, for example, requires knowledge about so many different areas\u2014from human resources to food and beverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many businesses within the business of gaming,\u201d Conn said. \u201cThat creates such well-rounded leaders, because you have to know how all of those aspects are impacting your company, your bottom line, your employees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sports is increasing Las Vegas\u2019 visibility, Conn said, and the city is producing versatile workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe talent in Vegas is really amazing, and … there\u2019s going to be other industries that benefit from that talent, because of how difficult and how interesting the gaming market is,\u201d Conn said. \u201cThere\u2019s just a really great future with the professionals that are coming out of, whether it\u2019s UNLV or the industry itself \u2026 the Vegas market.\u201d<\/p>\n