In less than 10 years, Judy Anderson rolled her home-based company, Creative Specialty Apparel, from a two-person start-up (Anderson and friend Ellen Holcomb) to a business employing 12 people. Instead of a garage, the company now is housed in a bright, clean facility encompassing nearly 10,000 square feet in Sparks.

Although she had to sell her house to capitalize the endeavor, Anderson owns all of the corporate stock in her business, which produces “image apparel” — uniforms for the casino industry. While her client list includes others in need of uniforms, casinos are her bread and butter.

With a degree from The Fashion Institute in Los Angeles, Anderson headed to Reno and a job at Harrah’s. After several years there, and discovering as she puts it, “no apparel industry [in Reno],” she made her move, establishing CSA.

Looking good

“People want stuff to look great, be identifiable but not look like they’re wearing traditional uniforms,” says Anderson. “Our clients are trending toward a more retail look in the cut and fabric.”

There are two aspects of her business, she says: a large inventory of pre-made uniforms ready for instant dispersal and custom-made uniforms produced for a specific client.

When customers ask for a design concept, Anderson and team swing into action, putting together illustration boards followed by prototypes made for customer “test drives.”

Fabric has a big impact on people’s lives, Anderson says. “They have to wear it eight hours a day. Uniforms have an impact on some people’s incomes; people who rely on tips have to and want to look good.”

Her most unusual job, she says, was dressing the two elephant sculptures outside Circus Circus Hotel Casino in Reno in pirate costumes.

And last year, her biggest job to date: Nearly 3,000 cocktail servers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas now sport CSA custom-designed uniforms, a project that took about a year from start to finish.

One of Anderson’s long-term clients, Addah Dunn, wardrobe supervisor for Harvey’s and Harrah’s hotel-casinos, acknowledged CSA’s creativity and insight. “I’ve been working with Judy for years and she understands the gaming industry and the culture better than the average uniform company,” says Dunn. “She’s very creative and a pleasure to work with.”

Anderson says she is excited about the growth of her company, and has experienced exceptional support from the community. During the recent New Year’s Eve flood, CSA was drenched in knee-deep water, ruining computers and textiles. But within 48 hours, Anderson’s landlord had her up-and-running in her new location.

“Everyone was awesome; we love our new facility.”

Indeed, Anderson is only too aware of a company’s need to get back into operation when disaster strikes.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina last year, her company was called upon to meet an aggressive four-week design and production schedule to provide Imperial Palace in Biloxi, Miss., with new uniforms for its grand re-opening.