Duke leads pack of outside investors buying into area. (Duke Realty Investments)(Real Estate)

St. Louis' real estate market, dogged for years by the lack of aggressive industry players, has taken life in the past two years as out-of-town investors move in to snap up some of the area's time real estate.

One of the most active outside firms to take an interest in St. Louis-area real estate has been Indianapolis-based Duke Realty Investments. That firm has invested nearly $55 million in the area, and company officials promise there is more money to be spent. The company's portfolio stands at 2 million square feet of office and industrial space right now, but don't look for Duke to rest with that, said David Minton, who heads the company's St. Louis office.

"Our target in St. Louis this year is to have 3 million square feet," Minton said. "That's an aggressive goal, no question, but that's the nature of our company."

The publicly held …