HOF 05 Surviving Day by Day -- Donald Samuels

Joe DeLise, vice president of promotional purchasing for Lancôme, is a fan of Samuels' forward thinking, but old-fashioned, values, referring to him as "my digital dinosaur." DeLise finds the combination appealing.

"He has that futuristic thinking, but also the old-fashioned values I'm familiar with," notes DeLise, who met Samuels 20 years ago. "The one word that would describe him is commitment—to his family and the industry. He has one of the few family businesses still doing well in the New York metro area, which is not easy.