Marine construction company buys property in Sarasota for $2.56M

New Pass Dock & Seawall, a Sarasota-based marine construction company, was one year into business when Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the Gulf Coast last year. In the aftermath of the storms, business has boomed, prompting owners Jonathan Sisler and Todd Wagner to purchase a mixed-use commercial space in Sarasota for $2.56 million to serve as the design center and production facility for its local operation.

The space, located at 4139 N. Washington Blvd. in Sarasota, sits on 0.83 acres and includes a 3,060-square foot office building and 6,190-square-foot industrial/flex building. Nick DeVito II, SIOR, and Brie Tulp, RPA, SIOR, of Ian Black Real Estate, represented New Pass Dock & Seawall in the transaction. Amy MacDougall, CCIM, also of Ian Black Real Estate, represented the seller, SignZoo.

At the new property, New Pass Dock & Seawall plans to create a design center where they can meet with customers to design high-quality docks, seawalls, boat lifts and decks. The company specializes in custom dock design and has done extensive work in Sarasota County, including building one of the largest residential seawalls on Siesta Key measuring 650 feet.

“Typically, when you’re designing an outdoor space, you’re meeting with the customer in their backyard,” said Todd Wagner, president of New Pass Dock & Seawall. “We want to do things differently. This space will allow customers to come into a design center where they can meet with our team and explore their options like you would in a kitchen or bathroom design center.”

New Pass Dock & Seawall was founded in 2023 by Wagner and Jonathan Sisler, who owns New Pass Grill & Bait Shop. Sisler also has a lengthy history of building and managing companies in the logistics and transportation industry. He was CFO of Coyote Logistics when they sold to UPS for $1.8 billion in 2015 and took the reigns as CEO post-sale until 2023 when he became CEO of Sweeping Corporation of America.

The duo met in 2016 when Wagner, who has more than 25 years of construction experience, was working on Sisler’s dock. At the time, the project was the largest residential dock on New Pass. They became friends and eventually decided to start their own company. New Pass Dock & Seawall’s first job was for Manatee County Parks and Recreation building the concession stands for Braden River Little League. They’ve also worked on projects such as the half-mile long boardwalk for the Bird Bay homeowner’s association in Venice.

“It was a spectacular first year, even before the hurricanes,” said Wagner. “And after the storms, we worked hard to help restore the area by removing sunken boats from the water behind The Field Club and getting New Pass Grill up and running quickly to provide residents a piece of normal life after those difficult days.”

Wagner and Sisler are both avid boaters and say their experience on the water allows them to provide valuable advice to customers when designing a project. New Pass Dock & Seawall’s local team also includes General Manager Carlos Florez and Field Superintendent Miguel Ruvalcaba.

This will be New Pass Dock & Seawall’s first commercial space. The previous property owners, SignZoo, outgrew the space and have relocated to two 8,000-square-foot properties located at 1107 Tallevast Road in Sarasota and 901 8th Ave W. in Bradenton.

“The location of this property was instrumental in SignZoo’s growth because of its exposure on US 301,” said MacDougall, senior broker associate at Ian Black Real Estate. “They really loved this location but needed a larger facility.”

Location is also key for New Pass Dock & Seawall, which serves clients south of the Skyway Bridge as far as Boca Grande. Upcoming projects include rebuilding the community dock for Heron Bay homeowners’ association in Osprey, which sits 500 feet into Little Sarasota Bay.

“The central location will allow New Pass Dock & Seawall to access the waterfront homes in Sarasota and Manatee counties in similar timeframes,” said DeVito, partner at Ian Black Real Estate.

New Pass Dock & Seawall plans to open its new design center in early June.

About Ian Black Real Estate

Ian Black Real Estate (IBRE) is a boutique commercial real estate brokerage firm located in Sarasota, Fla. The firm is one of the largest commercial brokerage firms in Southwest Florida and boasts a deep knowledge of the commercial real estate market in Sarasota and Manatee counties and the surrounding area. For more information, visit ian-black.com.

About Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS® (SIOR)

SIOR is the leading global professional office and industrial real estate organization that certifies commercial real estate service providers with the exclusive SIOR designation, based on achievement, knowledge, accountability and ethical standards. Only the industry’s top professionals qualify for SIOR. Today, there are more than 3,200 members in 685 cities and 36 countries. For more information, visit www.sior.com.