SAL’S STORY
“WHO YOU ARE IS WHERE YOU CAME FROM.”
Sal Lupoli, President & CEO
A FAMILY WITH ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
Sal Lupoli’s grandparents came to America from Italy in 1940 with a dream of importing and selling olive oil.
To do that, they needed capital, so they opened a small pizzeria in Revere Beach in 1940.
Within one year, they had the capital they needed to get their olive oil business up and running.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Sal was born in East Boston, where his family lived in a 750 square foot apartment. His parents slept on the couch so the four boys could have the two bedrooms. Sal’s father was also an entrepreneur, owning his own restaurant, which helped cement the idea that Sal was meant to go into business for himself. While attending Northeastern University on a full scholarship, Sal started to research the real estate business but soon realized no bank would lend him money for real estate without an operating business. After much research, Sal decided to start a pizza business as the vehicle to get into real estate. Sal opened his first store with his brother Nick in Salem, New Hampshire in 1990. He later went on to earn his MBA from the prestigious MIT Sloan School of Business.
Sal’s Pizza has since expanded to more than 130 locations with 550,000 square feet of food manufacturing facilities. Sal also developed several full-service restaurant concepts including Salvatore’s, 34 Park, BOSA Coastal Italian and BOSA Skies.
Sal Lupoli and his father Nick.
MAKING A MOVE TO REAL ESTATE
While looking for real estate in the Merrimack Valley in 2003, Sal Lupoli found what is now the iconic “Riverwalk”. At the time, Riverwalk was a massive, 46-acre underutilized mill complex in Lawrence, the most economically challenged city in Massachusetts. When Sal first looked at the giant mills, he didn’t see abandoned buildings, he saw jobs and he saw the potential for growth and economic development in the city of Lawrence.
Riverwalk Innovation District is now home to 200 businesses, 5,000 employees and 1,200 residents. It is a thriving live, work, play community, adjacent to 495 and only steps to the MBTA commuter rail. Sal’s twenty year master plan for the Riverwalk is constantly growing and evolving, as he continues to innovate and bring economic vitality to the community of Lawrence, Massachusetts.
With the development of Riverwalk, Lupoli Companies was founded and is now home to 1000+ employees. The company’s signature brands include Sal’s Pizza, Riverwalk Innovation District, The Pavilion at Riverwalk, 34 Park, BOSA Coastal Italian, BOSA Skies, Hampton Beach Casino, The Mainsail Motel and Cottages, Harris Sea Ranch, Aces & Eights Casino, Buitoni Pasta and Artisan Chef Manufacturing.
Sal Lupoli now lives in Chelmsford, MA with his wife Kati, where his time as head varsity football coach evolved into coaching Pop Warner for 17 years. He is a fearless and inspiring leader, not afraid to take risks, and a huge supporter of giving back to the communities he does business in.
Learn more about the Lupoli Family Foundation and their charitable initiatives here.
For more than 35 years, Sal Lupoli has been a social impact entrepreneur, creating positive change in and around the Merrimack Valley.