Dilweg Sarasota deal may spur others

The North Carolina firm that acquired the 13-story Sarasota City Center for the highest price spent for a downtown Sarasota office building in the past decade may be seeking other Gulf Coast deals, company officials say.

Drew Cunningham, a partner and the COO of the Dilweg Cos., says the firm identified Sarasota as a prime locale for purchasing assets for more than a year prior to making its $36.5 million offer on the 245,293-square-foot downtown Sarasota building.

Dilweg, founded in Durham, N.C. in 1999, also acquired the 23-story First Citizens Bank Plaza in Charlotte, N.C. Combined, the two properties sold for $115.5 million.