Sharon Pennington

Human Resources Director, South Jersey Industries

Sharon Pennington has her own version of the phrase “law and order.”

A law degree, coupled with a sense of compassion, helped the New Jersey native serve two interesting, orderly stints during a frenzied period here. Pennington worked for five Players Club properties in Las Vegas, returned home in the mid 1990s and came back to head Human Resources at Caesars Palace during its difficult transition from 1998 to 2000.

“There are only 600 employees to look after now,” she laughed, “not 7,000.”

Pennington continues to prosper back home. She became a major executive for area utility giant South Jersey Industries and was recently named one of the New Jersey’s top 50 female executives by NJBIZ magazine.

Interestingly, it was what happened after college and the acquisition of the law degree that forged her gaming career. Legal expertise brought her to the casino business via Players, and she learned gaming through common sense and osmosis.

“Both ends of the training have served me well,” Pennington said. “The legal background helps you ask direct questions, to be analytical and to cut right to the chase of the matter. The hotel casino business helps you become real good at dealing with change, moving quickly in response to market changes.

“Caesars Palace provided a good test of that.”

More than most people would have wanted. Constant ownership changes involving Sheraton, Starwood and Park Place Entertainment sent waves of uncertainty through the Caesars ranks a few years ago. As the liaison between management and employees, Pennington saw both sides of the battle lines.

“It was a very challenging time,” she recalled. “The proudest thing about that time was I felt we made sure that the Caesars brand was represented well with the employees. The company is a strong representative in gaming, a premier property, and a lot of us were anxious that it was going to get lost in the merger with Park Place Entertainment. I like to think I played a role in the fact it did not.”

Human Resources provides an interesting, if overlooked, method of advancement. A sharp individual can bring all sides of a company together. Perhaps no other department gets such an accurate reading of company morale, and Pennington believes more elite executives can rise from the ranks of HR.

“You can help management and employees get on the same page,” Pennington said. “One of the nicest things you experience is helping an employee reach another level. We had many team members come to us when they were distraught or trying to overcome something. It may have been a case where a person felt stuck in a position, or passed over for a promotion.

“You take a look at the problem, get an idea of why it shook out the way it did and give the employee a strategy for moving forward. It might be something like taking a step back to step forward. Sometimes you want to tell someone to volunteer for a project outside their area, work some extra hours to get it done and that might be the path forward. It’s great when someone comes up to you a couple years later and thanks you for getting them on the right track.”

Pennington applied the same strategy in her own navigation. After graduating Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) with a sociology degree, Pennington obtained a degree in Labor and Employment Law from Rutgers Camden University. That led to legal work for an Atlantic City firm representing Players Club, which then beckoned her to Nevada. It ultimately caused dice roll No. 1, moving the family. Pennington served five nationwide properties for the organization.

The dice roll became a front-line winner. Pennington thrived in the legal department, particularly with labor relations and union organization issues. Returning to New Jersey, she later entered the Caesars family by becoming the director of HR in its Atlantic City property. Before long, Vegas beckoned again, with dice roll No. 2, and 7,000 employees.

“It was eye-opening because I had two children, school age, and in Atlantic City casinos are not integrated with day-to-day life,” Pennington said. “There are no slot machines in the drug store. In Vegas, they were everywhere and here I am with these little kids.

“For them it was a blast. We stayed at Caesars Palace and actually lived there for a period. There are friends I have made in Vegas who will be friends until the end of time. Yes, we missed the snow and the color green out there, but I would never trade it.”

While viewing casinos as exciting and unpredictable, Pennington sees consistency between gambling and other industries. Ultimately, executives are in the people business.

“Be direct with people,” she said. “Give them the chance to succeed both for you and for themselves.”

By Dave Bontempo

Casino Connection Sports Editor Dave Bontempo is an award-winning sports writer and broadcaster who calls boxing matches all over the world. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, as well as numerous PGA, LPGA and Seniors Golf Tour events, and co-hosted the Casino Connection television program with Publisher Roger Gros.