Robert Volpe, Founder & CEO

Robert, a native Philadelphian, began his career as a pharmacist prior to starting Lily Development. He graduated from the College of Pharmacy and Science, and subsequently founded Squire Drugs Pharmacy. He served as the President of Squire for over 20 years, during which time he built and managed a chain of 12 retail pharmacies in the Greater Philadelphia area. During that time, he had over 150 employees, and started a nursing home supply company, servicing over 3,000 people in 3 states. Robert personally developed the locations and managed the construction of several of the pharmacy locations.

In 1998, he led the successful sale of his pharmacies to two major retail chains. As a second career, Robert began his real estate career rehabbing houses and started a construction company to manage the projects. Lily became known as a premier home builder in Philadelphia for its custom details and finishes, and prime locations. Robert expanded into multifamily developments in 2006 and has built exclusively in Philadelphia since that time.

Robert now oversees the construction of new projects and focuses on the acquisition and development responsibilities of Lily.

JOdy Volpe, PARTNER & REALTOR

Jody co-founded Lily Development with Robert in 1998. Jody has a degree in design from Pierce College, and for over 10 years, worked as a buyer between the international manufacturer and a prominent retail department store based out of Center City Philadelphia.

Jody is the salesperson for Lily and curates all the design selections. In this unique role, she works directly with interior designers and construction teams during the construction of the buildings to guide the curation of our properties' interiors and facades.

Jody is a licensed real estate agent at Keller Williams in Philadelphia.

Ali Volpe MS.Ed., Acquisitions & Investor relations

Ali is also a native Philadelphian with deep roots in the city and surrounding areas.  Growing up in Queen Village, she remained local and attended Villanova University for college. Ali began renovating homes and growing her personal rental portfolio while in graduate school for counseling at the University of Pennsylvania. After working 6 years in the mental health field, she decided to made a career shift to real estate development, with the hopes of affecting change in the areas where she worked as a therapist.

Ali’s passion for mental health led her to serve on the board of a local non-profit for five years. While on the board, she held positions as Vice President and Fundraising Chair, and raised over $150,000 during her tenure.

Ali brings over 10 years of construction management and real estate development experience to Lily. She has supported all roles within Lily’s team, from general contractor and project manager, to sales and development. With her experience in fundraising and development, Ali now manages acquisitions and development, as well as investor relations.

Ali now lives in Center City Philadelphia, where she is often plays tennis, practices yoga, and remains an avid supporter of local philanthropies.

DANIEL WILLS, CFO

Daniel brings a multitude of experience from various industries and businesses as well as his passion for accuracy and financial acumen to the Lily Development Team. He has a background in real estate development where he managed budgets for large multi-family construction projects. He worked with investors and bankers to underwrite developments and was involved in negotiating acquisitions, sales, rental agreements, and terms for debt and equity financing. 

Daniel studied economics and business at Benedictine College where he graduated with academic honors. He worked in the actuarial department at a major annuity and life insurance company prior to making a career change into real estate. He quickly fell in love with development and enjoys the complexity and problem-solving aspect as well as the tangible impact that beautiful structures have on the people and communities that they serve.

Currently, Daniel oversees construction budgets, global cashflow, bookkeeping, and new project underwriting for Lily Development.

Daniel enjoys traveling, music, sports, the outdoors, and spending time with his wife and four children. He has various interests and loves to read about current world events, macroeconomics, and personal finance. 

Lemon monte, property manager

Lemon graduated from the University of The Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Business Administration and a Major in Financial Management. 

With previous background experience as a Marketing Manager and a Membership Director, Lemon works as a Property Manager for Lily and handles all tenant communication and maintenance for Lily’s portfolio. Lemon also manages the company’s marketing strategy and maintains communication with all external vendors, contractors, and tenants.

Lemon enjoys spending quality time with her family and discovering new places to travel. 

In 2017, Lily Development became a member of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia (BIA). Through this partnership, Lily has supported the local BIA-initiated Political Action Committee (PAC) which promotes local pro-development legislation. Lily serves on the Affordable Housing Committee and is working with the Philadelphia Land Bank to develop community projects that offer more affordable sustainable housing solutions.

In 2021, Lily became certified as a Woman-Owned business by the Woman’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Lily continues to partner with other minority- and woman-owned businesses, specifically within the construction field, to enhance diversity within the real estate development industry.

In 2020, Lily was chosen as a cohort member of the Goldman Sachs’ prestigious 10,000 Small Businesses Program in the Philadelphia Chapter. As an alumni member, and a representative of Lily, Ali participates in monthly networking events with other local cohort members to fortify their relationships with other local businesses.