Cameron Conn wasn’t just born and raised in Las Vegas—he’s been steeped in the gaming and casino industry his entire life.

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’s footsteps over the course of his career by building out gaming properties, working on the casino floor—even dealing blackjack—and founding a licensing and compliance company.

“Gaming is art,” Conn said. “It’s science. It’s getting some scar tissue from being in the industry, and that’s why most gaming executives usually have a tremendous amount of tenure. But what gaming does produce is executives that are scalable to other industries.”

That’s 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 “completely foreign industry.”

“That’s a very unique thing about the casino and the gaming industry … that I don’t think is highlighted very often—the quality of talent that it produces,” he said.

Conn found Champlain while looking for investments, and was immediately struck by the brand’s versatility. Attire from Champlain could be worn to the office or on a date, Conn said, and it was “proper.”

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.

“I was always in a suit and tie running a casino,” Conn said. “And 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. … And so when a friend of mine said, ‘Hey, I started this clothing company,’ I walked in and I went, ‘Yeah, this is missing in the market.’”

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.

Ultimately, Conn said, Champlain is fresh, clean and modern, but also very familiar. It’s not fast fashion, but sustainable in the market, he emphasized.

“I think that’s the beauty of classic apparel, is it can be what the wearer wants it to be,” Conn said. “We create clothes, and we may create what our image is, but they’re versatile enough for customers to create their own image of what they want it to be, because it’s lived on for so long.”

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.

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.

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 “scrappy” to succeed in gaming.

Launching a casino property, for example, requires knowledge about so many different areas—from human resources to food and beverage.

“There’s so many businesses within the business of gaming,” Conn said. “That creates such well-rounded leaders, because you have to know how all of those aspects are impacting your company, your bottom line, your employees.”

Sports is increasing Las Vegas’ visibility, Conn said, and the city is producing versatile workers.

“The talent in Vegas is really amazing, and … there’s going to be other industries that benefit from that talent, because of how difficult and how interesting the gaming market is,” Conn said. “There’s just a really great future with the professionals that are coming out of, whether it’s UNLV or the industry itself … the Vegas market.”

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This story originally appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.





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