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64 October 2016 | beautystorebusiness.com CEO Spotlight D on Uselmann spent 35 years with Saks Fifth Avenue where he was responsible for the sales and profitability of 20 stores as the senior vice presi- dent, director of stores. He then took his expertise to another level by working at the Fashion Institute of Technology(FIT) where he taught leadership develop- ment for retailing. Uselmann was enjoying his stint at FIT when he received a call that would change his career path in a New York minute. BEAUTY STORE BUSINESS: How did you get started in the beauty industry? DON USELMANN: I've always worked in retail, start- ing in fashion as a men's buyer after graduating from the University of Wisconsin, and I worked at Saks Fifth Avenue for 35 years. For the last 15 years, I was the senior VP director of stores at Saks, so I have been deeply involved in fashion and beauty for a long time. About two years ago, when Saks changed ownership, I left and began teaching leadership and management at FIT. It gave my life purpose and it kept me involved in the industry I loved so much. One day I received a call from a friend who happened to be a board member at MDSolarSciences. She had big plans for the brand, and spent a week convincing me that preventing skin cancer would give my life even greater purpose. She then dem- onstrated why MDSolarScience products are the best in the industry at what they do. What is MDSolarSciences? MDSolarSciences is a doctor-developed skincare line featuring sun care and sun repair products that protect skin from the sun's harmful rays, help to prevent skin cancer and melanoma, and repair skin from the inside out. It's really an incredible brand based on the pas- sion and the care of doctors. Our founder, Dr. Robert J. Friedman, has made it his life's work to treat those with cancers of the skin and to find effective, safe and powerful sun care products to continue his fight against those diseases. What is a career highlight of yours? I have many highlights. I have lived in in some great cities: St. Louis, Boston, Short Hills, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Washington DC, Chicago and New York. I have worked with many amazing people including Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Adolfo, Carolina Herrera and many, many more. I tried to help Hillary Clinton dress when she was First Lady and took a nap in their family room at the White House—accidentally of course. But if you ask me what I'm most proud of, it is the people I have touched along the way who have gone on to be successful in their own lives. I like to believe I helped them on their journey through life. What has been your biggest challenge as a president? This is my first venture into the wholesale side of the business and while many of the underlying values and processes, such as building trusting relationships with both staff and customers and having effective KPI's are very much the same as the retail side, there are differences. Perhaps the greatest challenge is building awareness because our line is relatively unknown. We were created by a doctor for doctors and have grown beyond that original plan, but as a business model that has some upside limits. I've woken up to the realization that because our reason for being is to prevent skin can- cer, we need to reach a broader audience. We have such a large target demographic because skin cancer doesn't discriminate. That increases both the complexity and the upside potential as a business. If you could work with anyone, who would it be and why? I have worked for some incredible people including Phillip Miller when he was CEO of Saks and Rosemarie Bravo who was Saks' president before she moved on to resurrect the Burberry brand. I truly enjoyed working with them and would love to have our paths cross again. I didn't know this before I started at MDSolarSciences, but our board of directors and investors put purpose before profits. Yes, we need to make a profit, but helping in the prevention of skin diseases is paramount. I am currently in a really enviable position working with an amazing team. What are your future goals for your company? Our goal is to increase awareness—not only about our product collection itself, but also to increase aware- ness about the need to protect your skin from the sun to prevent skin cancer and melanoma. I would also like Don Uselmann The president of MDSolarSciences shares how he went from working in retail to operating this doctor-developed skincare company. by Breanna Armstrong Image courtesy of MDSolarSciences "I've woken up to the realization that because our reason for being is to prevent skin cancer, we need to reach a broader audience." In our new "CEO Spotlight," we feature standout brand owners in the beauty industry.