Commercial Real Estate Profile: Lee Delieto Sr., Broker, Sarasota

Lee DeLieto Sr. began selling and leasing commercial real estate in Sarasota in the early 1980s, when Maas Bros. still operated what it called “the largest department store between Tampa and Miami” on the city's Main Street.

In the nearly three decades since, DeLieto has worked on projects that have shaped and defined modern Southwest Florida, helped numerous businesses grow and become the veritable dean of commercial agents in the area. He outlasted Maas Bros., too, which closed in the early 1990s.

“When you're with Lee, it's like walking down the street with the mayor -- everyone knows him,” says Richard Perlman, executive chairman of ExamWorks Group Inc., an Atlanta-based company that has worked with DeLieto in buying property in Sarasota.