INVESTORS

CHICAGO, March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR), the nation's largest provider of diversified industrial real estate, today announced that Robert G. Cutlip has been named managing director of its East region. Mr. Cutlip will lead First Industrial's initiatives to deliver customized solutions to corporate customers in the region, using the company's competitive advantages as an acquirer, developer, manager, and seller of multiple industrial property types across its national platform.

"Bob brings significant real estate and executive management expertise to First Industrial and we are pleased that he has joined us to direct our operations in the East region," said Michael W. Brennan, president and chief executive officer. "We look forward to his contributions to serving our customers and leading our team. Additionally, Bob's knowledge of the markets and properties acquired in our FirstCal 2 joint venture will be beneficial to our efforts to enhance the value of the portfolio."

Mr. Cutlip has more than 20 years of commercial real estate management experience. Most recently, he was senior vice president and regional manager of Highwoods Properties of North Carolina. He was previously director of real estate for Progress Energy, a Fortune 250 diversified energy company. Prior to that, he was regional executive vice president of Duke-Weeks Realty Corporation. Mr. Cutlip is the 2006 Chairman of the Board for the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP), representing 13,000 real estate professionals. He earned a masters degree in civil engineering from Vanderbilt University, a masters of business administration from the University of Southern California and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

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 more than 100 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 Art Harmon, Sr. Manager, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, +1-312-344-4320, both of First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.