The B&D Interview: Douglas C. Yearley, Jr., Chairman & CEO of Toll Brothers

 B&D’s Builder of the Year, Toll Brothers reflects on their legacy of excellence

Builder and Developer: How do you define the Toll Brothers building philosophy?  

Douglas C. Yearley, Jr.: We call it the Toll Brothers Advantage: Prestigious Locations; Distinctive Architecture; Unrivaled Choice; and an Extraordinary Customer Experience. We leverage our strong brand as America’s Luxury Home Builder built over nearly 60 years 

BD: Toll Brothers was founded in 1967, how has Toll Brothers evolved over the past nearly 60 years with the building market?

DY:Toll Brothers has always been a luxury homebuilder. That is who we are going all the way back to our founding by brothers Bob and Bruce Toll almost 60 years ago. But we have also broadened our geographic footprint and offer the widest array of product offerings and price points in the industry. We build in over 60 markets across the country. 

BD: Tell us about your philanthropy initiatives. How does giving back to your community inspire you to be better homebuilders?  

DY: HomeAid is a truly remarkable organization that’s uniquely connected to the work we do every day in homebuilding. Our employees have proudly supported HomeAid for years, serving on local boards and spearheading transformative projects for the community. 

In 2025, we were excited to deepen our relationship with HomeAid by making them the beneficiary of our annual fundraising efforts, raising more than $1.2 million for this incredible organization. They will once again be the beneficiary of our annual gala in May 2026.

BD:What successes are you most proud of in 2025? 

DY: I’m so proud of the team we have built across the country. We have a great culture of smart and highly competitive people at Toll Brothers, who are also kind and believe in the brand. We do the right thing and take care of each other. And people stay. The average tenure of our senior leadership team is 20 years.

We remain focused on executing at a high level, delivering value to our stockholders and positioning our Company for success in fiscal 2026 and beyond.

BD: As America’s Luxury Home Builder, you are applauded nationwide for your elevated design, what was your favorite trend of 2025?

DY: Indoor/outdoor living continues to be a popular trend in our markets across the country, where the back wall of the house opens up with multi-panel sliding glass doors to create this seamless flow of indoor/outdoor living and entertaining spaces.

People value new homes more than ever. They want dual home offices, flex spaces, high ceilings, multigenerational living suites – things you can’t get in existing homes that are 45 years old on average.

This interview appears in the December issue of Builder and Developer, read the print version here.