INVESTORS

CHICAGO, Jan 07, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR), a leading provider of industrial real estate supply chain solutions, today announced that Paul van Hezik has been named country director for The Netherlands. Mr. van Hezik will lead First Industrial's new business development in The Netherlands by providing logistics solutions to customers through the acquisition, development, redevelopment, leasing and property management of industrial real estate. He will be reporting to Jan Scheers, managing director.

"Paul has extensive experience in growing and managing commercial real estate portfolios by delivering state-of-the-art solutions to customers," said Mr. Scheers. "He has a thorough knowledge of the real estate markets in The Netherlands, as well as cross-border logistics trends throughout the European Union."

Mr. van Hezik has more than 10 years of commercial real estate management experience. Most recently, he was an associate director with Jones Lang LaSalle in The Netherlands, where he was responsible for acquisitions and management of the industrial portfolio. Previously, he was an associate partner and the head of the industrial department at Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker in Amsterdam. Mr. van Hezik was also the director of real estate for Fortress Group, an independent private real estate company with a portfolio totaling approximately euro 400 million. In these roles, he was responsible for acquisitions and portfolio management.

Mr. van Hezik earned his bachelors and masters in Dutch law from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is a member of Nederland Distributieland, an association that helps create logistics solutions in Europe.

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR) provides industrial real estate solutions for every stage of a customer's supply chain, no matter how large or complex. Across more than 30 markets in the United States, Canada, The Netherlands and Belgium, our local market experts buy, (re)develop, lease, manage and sell industrial properties, including all of the major facility types -- R&D/flex, light industrial, manufacturing, and regional and bulk distribution centers. We continue to receive leading customer service scores from Kingsley Associates, an independent research firm, and in total, we own, manage and have under development more than 100 million square feet of industrial space. For more information, please visit us at http://www.firstindustrial.com.

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: national, international, regional and local economic conditions generally and real estate markets specifically, legislation/regulation (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, changes in general accounting principles, policies and guidelines applicable to real estate investment trusts, and risks related to doing business internationally (including foreign currency exchange risks). 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.