Aaron Emerson, senior adviser with Sperry Van Ness' Amarillo office, says the current occupancy is 93%, but it wasn't always that way. "When the partnership bought the building two years ago, it was sitting at 62% occupied. In that time, we've taken it to 93%," he says. He and Sperry Van Ness managing director Joe Bob McCartt are leasing and marketing the 31-story class A building at 600 S. Tyler St. in the CBD.

Emerson tells GlobeSt.com that roughly half of the tenants are national credit names plus there is no major lease roll in the near term. The lead tenant, which has 100,000 sf, has been renewed for the long term, he adds.

Emerson attributes part of the quick lease-up to renovations to the 37-year-old building. The local owner redid the first-floor elevator lobby, added a coffee shop and convenience store, expanded the number of restrooms complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and upgraded interior halls.

"Even something as simple as putting in a coffee shop got the momentum going," Emerson explains. "It brought people together. Folks started talking about it and it became a fun place to be."

Emerson says there's been outstanding response so far from private and institutional investors although the building has just gone on the market. There is no deadline for a best and final. "We expect this to happen pretty quickly," Emerson adds. "We've had some real good offers."