INVESTORS

CHICAGO, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR), the nation's largest provider of diversified industrial real estate, today announced that it has named Joseph Gearen marketing and leasing director of its Minneapolis region.

Gearen will be responsible for directing the marketing and leasing of First Industrial's 5.5 million square-foot Minneapolis region portfolio. Prior to joining First Industrial, Gearen was senior associate at Equity Commercial Services, where he was responsible for the acquisition, leasing and disposition of industrial properties for a diverse range of clients. Gearen received his bachelor of arts in marketing and business from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. He is a board member of the Minnesota Commercial Association of Realtors, a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, and is a Certified Commercial Investment Manager (CCIM) candidate member.

"Joe's experience in the Minneapolis industrial real estate community will be a great benefit to our customers and our company," said Chris Willson, senior regional director for First Industrial's Minneapolis region. "His broad knowledge of the market and focus on customer service are ideally suited to serving the industrial real estate needs of our customers in the region."

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc., the nation's largest provider of diversified industrial real estate, serves every aspect of Corporate America's industrial real estate needs, including customized supply chain solutions, through its unique I-N-D-L operating platform, which utilizes a pure Industrial focus and National scope to provide Diverse facility types, while offering Local, full-service management and expertise. The Company owns, operates and has under development 82 million square feet of industrial real estate in markets throughout the United States. Building, buying, selling, leasing and managing industrial property in major markets nationwide, First Industrial develops long-term relationships with corporate real estate directors, tenants and brokers to better serve customers with creative, flexible industrial real estate solutions.

This press release contains forward-looking information about the Company. A number of factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including changes in: economic conditions generally and the real estate market specifically, legislative/regulatory changes (including changes to laws governing the taxation of real estate investment trusts), availability of financing, interest rate levels, competition, supply and demand for industrial properties in the Company's current and proposed market areas, potential environmental liabilities, slippage in development or lease-up schedules, tenant credit risks, higher- than-expected costs and changes in general accounting principles, policies and guidelines applicable to real estate investment trusts. For further information on these and other factors that could impact the Company and the statements contained herein, reference should be made to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.

CONTACT: Sean P. O'Neill, SVP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, +1-312-344-4401, or Mike Daly, Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, +1-312-344-4320, both of First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.