"It's them," one source says of FWI, a notion supported by several other industry observers. Cargill paid $6.9 million for the assets in 2000, which are being marketed by Cushman & Wakefield of Massachusetts via its Middle Markets Group. Calls to Middle Markets team member David Pergola and Christopher Griffin were not returned by press deadline, while FWP principal John Power declined comment on the matter, citing confidentiality agreements.

"I love the location," was all Power would offer to GlobeSt.com. The ardor is underlined by his firm's substantial presence in the area. FWI also owns 33 and 39 Manning Rd. along with the nearby 26 Fortune Blvd. Known collectively as Manning Park, the complex overlooks Route 3, the roadway that has made Billerica an increasingly popular destination for a diversifying tenant base. Most of the Manning Road assets were constructed by the erstwhile Spaulding & Slye just as the north suburban office market was emerging in the 1980s.

C&W broker Richard Ruggiero is helping FWI lease up 39 Manning Rd. in the wake of tenant GSI Lumonics' decision to relocate to 125 Middlesex Turnpike in Bedford. Ruggiero would not discuss the status of 45 and 46 Manning Rd., but says properties in Manning Park are gaining in popularity thanks to the overall strength of the Route 3 corridor. "We've had some good groups come through" 39 Manning Rd., says Ruggiero, who is handling that assignment with colleague Torin Taylor. Space in the area is being marketed at just under $10 per sf, Ruggiero estimates.